Our expectations

IBM values collaboration and community. We want our digital event experience to provide an opportunity for all participants (including staff, speakers, presenters, attendees, sponsors, and guests) to collaborate, learn, participate, and network in an environment that is productive and respectful. We expect participants to be courteous and act professionally, and to interact and communicate in ways that are appropriate for a professional audience from diverse backgrounds.

Behaviors inconsistent with these expectations include (but are not limited to):

• Conduct, language, or other action inappropriate for a professional setting that negatively refers to a participant’s age, physical or mental disability, race, color, ethnicity or national origin, sex, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religious belief, marital status, genetic information, or military or veteran status.
• Harassment of a participant based on a participant’s age, physical or mental disability, race, color, ethnicity or national origin, sex, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religious belief, marital status, genetic information, or military or veteran status, whether by conduct, language, or other action.
• Problematic conduct and language may include the nature and manner of communications (including through jokes or imagery), uninvited contact, and unwelcome sexual attention, among others.

Chat Guidelines for Attendees

For all chat interactions during SRE Conference @ IBM, we expect participants to abide by the event’s Code of Conduct to ensure the environment remains productive and respectful. The following chat guidelines will further help ensure we maintain an inclusive community throughout our event:

• Be respectful of others.
• Avoid conflicts and arguments.
• Use common sense, kindness, and consideration together with the guidelines outlined above.

Chatham House Rule

For all chat interactions and discussion panels during SRE Conference @ IBM, we establish the Chatham House Rule. Under this rule, anyone who comes to a meeting is free to use information from the discussion, but is not allowed to reveal who made any particular comment. It is designed to increase openness of discussion.

When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.

Enforcement

If a participant engages in behavior that doesn’t comply with these expectations, IBM may take any action that we deem appropriate, including warning the participant, excluding the participant from certain activities, prohibiting the participant from attending future IBM events, expelling the participant from the digital event experience, banning the participant from online chats and other similar type experiences, and referring the matter to the local authorities. Participants asked to stop any harassing or other unacceptable behavior are expected to comply immediately. If the participant is an IBM employee, IBM also reserves the right to take full disciplinary action pursuant to our internal policies.

Please note, while we take all concerns raised seriously, we will use our discretion to determine when and how to follow up on reported incidents, and may decline to take any further action and/or may direct the participant to other resources to address the concern.

Reporting an issue

If you feel that a participant is not adhering to these expectations, please contact a member of the SRE Conference @ IBM staff to report a violation of this Code of Conduct. The reporting mechanisms under this Code of Conduct are not intended to address criminal activity or emergency situations. If you have been the victim of a crime or there is an emergency, please contact the appropriate municipal authorities, such as the police, fire, medical, or other emergency responder. Thank you for attending our digital event experience and doing your part to create an environment where all participants can collaborate, learn, and network productively!