LDRDocs/Foundations and Governance/General Rules of Conduct.md

These general rules apply across the whole business, although individual departments or groups expand on them where necessary.

Everybody working with us is expected to be familiar with these rules and abide by them to the best of their ability. The goal is that any reasonable person should be able to get a gist of the rules by skimming the table of contents, and then get more detail by reading that section.

How to understand these rules

We strive for a harmonious workplace and these rules are designed to foster that. These aren't a comprehensive list of things people could get in trouble for. For that, have a look at Write-ups, which outlines the 8 major situations that can cause someone to be in trouble. These rules are designed to help people avoid those 8 situations.

• #1. Firearms and weapons are prohibited with limited exceptions
  • #1. Firearms and weapons are prohibited with limited exceptions#2nd Amendment Workplace
• #2. Violence and excessive horseplay aren't allowed.
• #3. Sexual harassment and discrimination is not permitted
• #4. Sexual materials, like porn or sex toys, are not allowed at work.
• #5. Use of mind altering substances must be limited and moderated
• #6. Stealing and conversion of property is not allowed.
  • #6. Stealing and conversion of property is not allowed.#6.1 Customer inventory and disposal
  • #6. Stealing and conversion of property is not allowed.#6.2 Personal property at work and cameras
• #7. Strong smells aren't allowed around customer inventory.
• #8. Messing with other people's work area, tools, or creating distractions is not allowed unless it's your job
• #9. Keep common and shared use areas and equipment clear.
• #10. Don't "help" other people without asking first.
• #11. If your work can't be finished you're responsible for proactively documenting that and notifying people
• #12. Delays, mistakes, or other problems are to be reported efficiently and proactively.
• #13. You are responsible for being honest about what we should expect you to accomplish.
• #14. The concept of "ASAP" is frowned upon and should be avoided.
• #15. Gossip, rumors, and lying are strongly frowned upon.
  • #15. Gossip, rumors, and lying are strongly frowned upon.#Socializing and personal issues from outside work
• #16. You are responsible for valuing your own time and that of others.
• #17. Individual teams and business units can have additional rules.
• #18. People allowed to work remotely or on a different schedule are still expected to communicate with the team while on the clock
• #19. Quality control and assurance measures, as well as posted signs are important and not to be ignored.
• #20. Visitors are generally not allowed without advance permission -- not open to the public
• #21. Blame games, deflections, and excuses don't fly here.
• #22. Breaks room, rest areas, and dining areas are to be used politely and with personal integrity.

1. Firearms and weapons are prohibited with limited exceptions

Unless there is special authorization or the weapon is related to the work being done, weapons aren't allowed at work. A weapon is anything that's designed to be a weapon, as well as anything that can be used in an unusual or dangerous way to injure someone else.

To understand "unusual or dangerous" consider a screw driver. When used in the normal, intended way a screw driver isn't a weapon. However, it's entirely possible to stab someone with a screw driver by using it differently than it's supposed to be used.

2nd Amendment Workplace

However, we are a 2nd amendment workplace, and we do allow many people to carry their personal firearms after they've demonstrated they are a sane, safe, and reasonable person who has adequate training in the proper carry of firearms.

Those carrying firearms are warned they are not to use them except for personal defense in life threatening situations. They must not be used for any other purpose, especially not defending property or threatening people.

2. Violence and excessive horseplay aren't allowed.

If you're using violence or threats to control someone else's behavior, that's not okay. Neither is pranking people or playing practical jokes if you're not reasonably sure they're okay with that. On top of that, horseplay is a great way to cause accidents, injuries, and mistakes so don't do it.

3. Sexual harassment and discrimination is not permitted

Treating someone differently because of sexual motivations is not alright, and neither is sexually imposing yourself on somebody else. If you feel like someone is harassing you, report it promptly by emailing hr@ldrprep.com. The same applies to treating people differently because of characteristics like their age, ethnicity, religious beliefs, military service, sexual orientation, or gender.

4. Sexual materials, like porn or sex toys, are not allowed at work.

These kinds of materials aren't allowed in the workplace unless they're directly related to the work somehow. Use common sense: people do sell and ship these kinds of things, so there might be cases the work involves these kinds of materials. If that happens be an adult about it, and don't make jokes, innuendos, or anything else that could make someone uncomfortable.

5. Use of mind altering substances must be limited and moderated

We're talking about medications, alcohol, tobacco, prescription drugs, supplements, and anything else that's mind-altering or performance-altering.

Using any substance in a way that causes a risk to process, property, or limb is not allowed.

People using these kinds of substances are responsible for communicating to the people working around them about any effects on their performance, behavior, or safety.

Use of substances on the premises or during business hours is generally frowned upon, but may be permitted occasionally if there is a good reason for it and it's not hurting anything.

For example, drinking a beer at lunch is fine for most people, especially if they're not keeping it a secret from people working around them and it doesn't mess up their ability to do the job correctly and safely. It's a totally different story to be drinking shots of whiskey while driving a forklift. By the same token, some champagne or even liquor at a company celebration is probably fine, but not if it causes people to do stupid or harmful things.

6. Stealing and conversion of property is not allowed.

Messing with another person's property without permission isn't allowed. That includes borrowing, moving it around, etc. This also includes using company supplies for personal use without permission, as well as taking customer inventory without authorization.

6.1 Customer inventory and disposal

Sometimes our customers will ask us to dispose of their inventory (which does not necessarily mean throw in the trash). This inventory is not "up for grabs". If it's available for staff to take home we'll make an announcement about it.

6.2 Personal property at work and cameras

The company is not responsible for anything that happens to personal property you bring to work. Do not expect us to watch surveillance records upon request to investigate mysteriously missing or damaged personal property. If you have something you're worried about being lost or stolen don't bring it to work.

7. Strong smells aren't allowed around customer inventory.

Anything that could leave a lingering smell on customer-owned property isn't permitted around the inventory. That includes things like incense, cigarettes, or strong smelling cleaning products.

8. Messing with other people's work area, tools, or creating distractions is not allowed unless it's your job

Everyone is expected to keep distractions to a minimum and avoid messing with other people's work areas.

Unless it's specifically your job to do these things (unlikely), avoid doing these sorts of things:

• Loud or excessive phone use;
• Loud music when people need to concentrate;
• Interrupting or barging into conversations;
• rearranging someone's work area;
• personalizing a shared space, like putting personal decorations on a table used by multiple people;
• Changing settings on a computer multiple people need to use.

9. Keep common and shared use areas and equipment clear.

Everyone is expected to keep work areas neat and organized, free from debris, trip hazards, or trash. This is especially important for common use areas like hallways, meeting rooms, walkways, etc.

This also applies to equipment, like rolling carts. Those kinds of equipment shouldn't have work left on them without a good reason.

If there is some reason you have to leave a mess in one of these places, you're responsible for leaving a note with your name, the date, and the general reason it was left there.

Ideally, the note should provide enough information they can pick up your work where you left off. That way, they can finish it, instead of adding double-handling by having to move it out of the way to a temporary spot.

Failing that, your note should explain enough about the work a person moving it out of the way won't make your job uncessarily more difficult or time consuming.

Often, the best thing to do is make a Redmine ticket explaining what needs to be done with the stuff, and then leave the ticket number written the note. That way, other people can actually finish what you were doing if you're not available.

10. Don't "help" other people without asking first.

Unwanted or unexpected help can create a safety issue, inject unexpected problems, or waste time.

Here's an example of what we mean: one time the CEO was pushing a heavy pallet onto a truck. Another guy came over and started pushing it really hard without warning, and it caused the pallet to fall over.

Avoid that kind of thing, because it can cause people to get hurt, start arguments, or cause other problems.

On top of this, getting a helpful person to stop doing something can be really difficult. Think about overly helpful family or neighbors who are pushy about "helping" in ways you don't appreciate. It's almost impossible to get them to stop without offending them. It's best to avoid this kind of interaction at work -- so before helping someone, ask if they actually need it.

11. If your work can't be finished you're responsible for proactively documenting that and notifying people

If there is any reason you think your work won't be finished on time or the results won't be correct, you are responsible for telling the involved people about it before they need to ask.

This includes if you notice there is more work to do than usual, and you're not sure whether or not you'll be able to finish it. You're expected to tell the effected people about that before they have to ask you about it.

Here's an example of this.

Imagine you normally work on repacking items, and usually you repack 100 items a day. During your shift something goes wrong about half way, and you realize you probably won't be able to finish all 100 items. We expect you to tell your supervisor about it or make a QC Report as soon as you notice that.

12. Delays, mistakes, or other problems are to be reported efficiently and proactively.

This hinges on rule 11. Any kind of problem or mistake is expected to be reported before anyone asks or complains about it, and it needs to be done in an efficient manner.

By efficient, we generally mean recording the issue through written or electronic means, instead of interrupting other people to tell them about it. The general expected flow is like this:

If you notice a problem of some kind, ask yourself will this get worse and create more problems if nobody acts right now? If the answer is yes, then interrupt other people, yell for help, etc. Otherwise, just make a QC Report about it and move on to a different task without interrupting other people or making a panic.

In general, we take failure to proactively and efficiently report issues more seriously than accidents or mistakes.

13. You are responsible for being honest about what we should expect you to accomplish.

You should not accept assignments you think are impractical or unfeasible. You also should not agree to do anything you have no intention of actually doing, or which you think you aren't able to do.

It is your responsibility to clearly and promptly communicate when an assigned task is impractical or unfeasible. Don’t just say “okay, I’ll do it” if you think it’s a bad idea or it’s impossible. In other words don’t be a “yes person”. Instead, politely explain the problem to your supervisor in a manner which does not undermine their authority in front of coworkers.

14. The concept of "ASAP" is frowned upon and should be avoided.

When everything is "as soon as possible" nothing has a priority. ASAP does not value time. ASAP quickly leads to a culture where priorities are unclear or conflict, and no real deadlines or schedules exist. ASAP should only be used when something truly should take priority over everything else.

Some people tend to use ASAP when they actually mean "this isn't a priority, but as soon as I'm done with everything else I care about, I'll do this". That's what we want to avoid.

15. Gossip, rumors, and lying are strongly frowned upon.

Lying about work-related matters is a quick way to get fired. Beyond that, rumors and gossip can be generally harmful to the workplace and are strongly frowned upon.

You are strongly advised to ask yourself the following three questions before making statements at work:

1. Am I certain this is true?
2. Is this a positive thing people will like to hear?
3. Is it useful for others to know this?

If you can't answer "yes" to at least 2 of those questions, you should probably keep it to yourself.

Socializing and personal issues from outside work

Sometimes people are tempted to talk about personal issues from outside work, like relationships, neighbors, family, etc. That's unavoidable and part of being human, but it crosses a line if it's upsetting other people or preventing work from being done. The same is true about politics, conspiracy theories, or other controversial topics.

It's also pretty normal for people to socialize at work to some degree. However, we're here for a job, not to make friends. We can't make anyone socialize with you or agree with you. Treating someone differently, failing to get your work done, and stuff like that because a person doesn't want to socialize with you is not acceptable.

On the topic of personal issues relating to work, you should look at the articles about Employee Assistance and Counselling.

16. You are responsible for valuing your own time and that of others.

This is mostly about meetings and conversations. If you're part of a conversation or meeting and you believe there's a better use of your time, you're expected to politely interrupt and say so. For example, "I'm unclear on the purpose of this conversation and what's needed from me. I have this other thing I need to work on, is it okay if go do that instead?"

Likewise, before striking up a conversation or calling a meeting with other people, you're expected to make sure they have time to talk about it first. The best way to do that is usually to state the general topic, how urgent it is, and how much time you're asking for.

When possible, asynchronous communication is strongly advised.

17. Individual teams and business units can have additional rules.

Individual areas of the company can have additional rules or regulations, and you're expected to abide by them if you're in that area. If you're working in a different area than usual you should ask the supervisor if there are any rules in that area you might need to know about.

18. People allowed to work remotely or on a different schedule are still expected to communicate with the team while on the clock

From time to time we have people who work slightly different schedules than others or work remotely. If that's the case, those people are still expected to attend meetings or scheduled events that involve them. If for some reason they can't, they should not expect the company to reschedule the events or meetings. Likewise, a personal working remotely is expected to be contactable by coworkers. For example, if somebody is working remotely but they keep their noticications muted all day and won't answer the phone, that's a problem.

19. Quality control and assurance measures, as well as posted signs are important and not to be ignored.

Quality control and assurance methods, as well as posted signs or warnings are there for a reason. Neglecting or ignoring them can have serious consequences.

20. Visitors are generally not allowed without advance permission -- not open to the public

We are generally not open to the public without an appointment.

Employees are not allowed to bring visitors, guests, or delivery people into the workplace without permission in advance.

Friends, family, or delivery people can visit during breaks or lunches, providing they don't cause any problems or disruptions, and they're only allowed in the public areas like the lobby and break room. By delivery people, we're talking about stuff like DoorDash. If you want to order DoorDash for lunch, you're expected to clear that with your supervisor and/or make sure it doesn't disrupt other people who have to deal with the unexpected dasher showing up.

21. Blame games, deflections, and excuses don't fly here.

You are responsible for your performance, behavior, attendance, and adherence to rules and regulations. Pointing out somebody else did something wrong won't be accepted as an excuse, especially if you didn't previously report it as mentioned in rules 11, 12, and 13.

Generally speaking, any unscheduled conversation about performance, behavior, attendance, or adherence to rules is expected to last less than 15 minutes. If it involves more than two people total, it should take a max of 5 minutes. If everyone can't get back to work before the time's up, you can expect whichever people are prolonging the discussion to be removed from the work area, which can mean being sent home for the day or even terminated depending on the circumstances.

Instead of creating a lengthy work stoppage over these matters, people are expected to use their own time to write down what the complaint is and then schedule a time to talk about it in depth.

22. Breaks room, rest areas, and dining areas are to be used politely and with personal integrity.

This section almost needs to be it's own article because of how much contention these areas have created in the past.

1. Personal food or beverages placed in storage areas should be labeled with the owner and date. Anything not labeled will be considered communal property, free for use or consumption by anyone who desires.

2. The company may provide various food preparation appliances and equipment, such as microwaves, electric skillets, toasters, or coffee makers. Employees are responsible for cleaning any equipment or appliances they use.

3. In general, open beverage containers should not be transported or used outside of designated break areas. Exceptions can be made where there is a low likelihood of spills, such as a coffee mug on a desk that isn’t near customer products. This is especially important during the warm months because open containers or beverages thrown away in open trash cans attract hornets.

4. The volume level of activities in break areas should be kept low enough that people who are working nearby are not disturbed or disrupted.

5. Posted “open hours” or occupancy limits of break and rest areas must be adhered to. If no occupancy limit is posted, the default limit is the number of seats normally available in that room. If no “open hours” are posted, employees should assume the area is off limits during the first and last hours of their shift, except for emergencies.

6. Employees are responsible for restocking consumables in rest and break areas, such as napkins, paper towels, and toilet paper providing the necessary supplies are available. Likewise, an employee who creates a mess in any such area is responsible for cleaning it up if appropriate supplies are provided.

7. The Company is not liable for any issue arising from food, beverages, or OTC medications an employee chooses to use, whether they are pre-packaged items made available in break or rest areas, a personal item brought to work, or an item provided by another employee. For example, if an employee has an allergy to something like peanuts, and they eat something at work with peanuts in it, the Company isn’t responsible. It is the employee’s responsibility to ask and double check about their allergy.

8. Food and beverages provided by the Company are a privilege that employees aren’t entitled to and is not part of their compensation. The Company has no responsibility to provide snacks or foods beyond water, and is not responsible for providing food or beverage items to adhere to or accommodate spiritual, cultural, or ethnic beliefs, particular diets, or preferences.

9. Any employee, regardless of job description or position, is expected to assist with cleaning of break and rest areas when asked to do so.

10. If any employee violates the rules about break and rest areas their usage of those areas may be restricted.

#workplaceRules