VeriMe Code of Conduct

Our Code of Conduct applies to all people who conduct work for or on behalf of VeriMe, including Directors, Officers, Members, former and current employees, independent contractors, and volunteers (collectively, “VeriMe People”).  All VeriMe People are expected to listen first, and actively practice good judgment, diplomacy, and courtesy in our interactions with each other and our community. Our goal is to foster a values-based culture in which each individual within our organization and across our community feels welcome, respected, and treated with dignity, while also recognizing the personal responsibility each of us has in creating and maintaining that culture. 

As a purpose-driven cooperative organization, VeriMe is grounded by a commitment to the seven International Cooperative Alliance Cooperative principles. The decisions we each make, and the ways we interact with each other and our community, are expected to be intentionally guided by these values.

  • Voluntary and Open Membership

  • Democratic Member Control

  • Members' Economic Participation

  • Autonomy and Independence

  • Education, Training, and Information

  • Cooperation among Cooperatives

  • Concern for Community

Verime is committed to conducting its business ethically and transparently. Integrity and honesty underlie all of our community relationships, including VeriMe People, users, Subscribers, vendors, partners, and the general public. Maintaining the trust of our Members and the communities we serve is essential to our success. The highest standards of ethical business conduct are required of VeriMe People in the performance of their duties. VeriMe People must not engage in conduct or activity that may raise questions as to VeriMe’s integrity, that negatively impacts our reputation, or that undermines trust in our activities or services.  We depend on all VeriMe People to serve our community with dignity and respect and in a responsible, professional manner in alignment with our purpose. 

Ethics

  • I will accept responsibility for making decisions consistent with the Cooperative principles.

  • I will act in the best interest of VeriMe Members and the Cooperative, not in my personal interest.

  • I will promptly and responsibly disclose factors that might endanger the privacy or security of VeriMe Members and account holders. 

  • I will avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest whenever possible, and I will disclose them to affected parties when they do exist.

  • I will strive to minimize the risk of harm to individuals or organizations in the course of my work, and shall strive to rectify harm should it occur. 

Integrity

  • I will uphold high standards of honesty, ethics, transparency, and inclusive behavior.

  • I consider myself bound to support mature and responsible interactions.

  • I will not engage in acts of unfair discrimination based on qualities such as age, citizenship, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation or any other such factor.

  • I will respect the privacy of others and will act to maintain the integrity of information describing individuals or vulnerable groups.

  • I will not deliberately engage in acts which cause harm to others. This includes, but is not limited to, loss of property, property or reputational damage, unwanted contact, deliberate intimidation, harassment of any nature, physical or emotional injury, publishing a person’s private information, and advocating for any of the above behaviors.

  • I will seek, accept, and offer honest criticism, acknowledge and correct errors, and properly credit the contributions of others.

Healthy Disagreement

There may be people you disagree with, have strong antipathy for, or just don’t get along with. We expect and encourage discussion in our groups and gatherings that may have differing and contrasting viewpoints. However, at all times, we expect you to conduct yourselves in a respectful manner. If you feel you cannot contribute to or continue a conversation in a respectful manner, we ask that you remove yourself from the discussion. Ad hominem attacks, trolling, and harassment will not be tolerated.  

We strive to operate using a transparent “listen first” consensus-based process designed to ensure that all participants are heard, power is shared, decisions reflect the needs of all stakeholders, minority positions are respected and addressed, and the group can make timely decisions.

  • Define the problem. The group Chair introduces the issue. Participants ask questions to explore the scope of the issue and work toward a clear statement of the issue. 

  • Set the stage. The group discusses the issue broadly. What are the facts? Who are the stakeholders? What are their needs? What are the participants’ feelings and opinions about the issue? 

  • Lay out options. Participants are invited to suggest approaches to the issue. They explore different approaches through dialog. 

  • Seek connection. The group connects the common elements of suggested approaches and finds key points of agreement. They assemble these into a proposal. As needed, the group convenes small groups to work through individual issues and refine the proposal. 

  • Test for agreement. The Chair presents the refined proposal and asks whether anyone is against the proposal. Dissent may include: a. Reservations by participants who may wish to support the proposal but still have reservations about some elements and believe further consideration is warranted; b. Stand-asides by participants who are not prepared to approve the proposal but are prepared to support it publicly if the group approves it; and c. Blocks by participants who fundamentally disagree with the core of the proposal, cannot publicly support it, and believe it should not be approved. If a majority of the group dissents in any of these ways, there is no consensus and the group may continue refining the proposal or develop alternative proposals. If two or more participants block, the blockage resolution process begins. If a majority of participants approve the proposal and there are fewer than two blocks, consensus is reached and the proposal approved. 

  • Resolving blockages. If two or more participants block a decision they may form a voluntary committee to prepare an alternative proposal. They must present the proposal to the rest of the group within four weeks. If they do, the group must consider the alternative proposal at the next meeting. If they do not, the group may pass the original proposal by a 75% supermajority vote at the next meeting.

  • Follow through. As the decision is implemented, the group communicates with those responsible to guide and address issues as they arise.

Reporting and Confidentiality

VeriMe not only encourages, but requires, any witness to behavior, communication, or any other action believed in good faith to violate this Code of Conduct to speak up, unless it would threaten someone’s physical safety to do so. You should also report any unethical conduct, even if it is not expressly addressed by this Code of Conduct or other VeriMe policy. Please raise your concerns to your VeriMe supervisor, the meeting organizer, Committee Chair, CEO, or Board Chair as appropriate.  Any reported policy violations will be investigated, maintaining confidentiality to the fullest extent possible, consistent with a thorough investigation.  

VeriMe will not take any retaliatory action against any individual who is subject to this policy and who reports a good faith concern in accordance with this policy, provides information or participates in an investigation of or implementation of corrective action relating to any such concern, or objects to or refuses to participate in any activity, policy or practice giving rise to such concern. Acts of retaliation should be reported immediately to the CEO (or the Board Chair if the retaliation involves the CEO). Any person who retaliates against an individual who has reported a concern in accordance with this policy and in good faith may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of their employment or relationship with VeriMe.