Iranian Society of Queensland (ISQLD) Volunteers, Employees and Management Committee members adhere to this Code of Conduct which reflects the behaviour expected and is designed to encourage integrity and professionalism.

 

Definitions

 

A Code of Conduct is a set of rules, regulations and guidelines which ISQLD volunteers, management committee and employees are expected to observe during their engagement with ISQLD.

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Constructive criticism: Usually when an alternative solution is given after a criticism is made in a respectful manner.

The management team: The five management committee members.

Volunteer: Any member of the community who engages in the ISQLD activities on a volunteering basis, after their volunteer form is received, reviewed, and approved by the Management Committee.

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Code of Conduct Philosophy

The ISQLD prides itself on the professionalism and ability of its volunteers and Management Committee to meet community needs. ISQLD strives to be a leading community service provider and to provide a safe, healthy and happy environment.

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This Code of Conduct is designed to ensure that all volunteers, employees, Management Committee and community members are treated in a manner that reflects the vision, mission, values and legal obligations of the Iranian Society of Queensland (ISQLD).

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Compliance

• All volunteers, employees, and Management Committee members are expected to:

  • observe all ISQLD policies, procedures, rules and regulations at all times

  • observe and comply with all Federal, State and Local Government (Brisbane City Council), laws and regulations

  • comply with all reasonable, lawful instructions and decisions related to their work

  • maintain a high degree of ethics, integrity, honesty and professionalism in dealing with community members and other volunteers and employees

  • adhere to the Work Health and Safety Act, 2011(QLD),  Policy and Procedure – Safety Comes First

  • take reasonable steps to ensure their own health, safety and welfare in the ISQLD facilities, as well as that of other volunteers, employees and community members. Volunteers, Employees and Management Committee members are expected to make themselves familiar with their workplace health and safety obligations.

  • maintain the confidentiality of the organisation’s operations in relation to service activities, confidential documentation and work practices during and after their engagement with ISQLD in  accordance to The Information Privacy Act 2009 Volunteer, Employee and Management Committee behaviour.

• If a volunteer or employee, breaches the following guidelines, disciplinary action may be taken.

• If the breach of conduct is of a legal nature, it will be addressed in accordance with relevant Federal, State or local government laws.

• Employees and Management Committee members should not:

  • discriminate against another volunteer, employee or community member on the basis of sex, age, race, religion, disability, pregnancy, marital status or sexual preference

  • engage in fighting or disorderly conduct, or sexually harass other volunteers, employees and community members

  • steal, damage or destroy property belonging to the organisation, its volunteers, employees or community members

  • work intoxicated or under the influence of controlled or illegal substances

  • bring controlled or illegal substances to ISQLD facilities

  • accept benefits or gifts which give rise to a real or apparent conflict of interest.

 

Decision-Making Procedures

• Respect all opinions and thought variations.

• Everyone is free to express themselves, so long as their freedom does not interfere or undermine another’s rights.

• Be open to constructive criticism.

• Do not endorse nor partake in acts/conducts which improvise favoritism.

• No individual correspondence will be made by any one member of the management committee, without the permission of the management committee majority.

  • Does not apply in particular circumstances in which the reputation and/or interest of the majority within the management committee and the support management committee is at stake. This only applies to situations in which an immediate response is expected from the individual within the management team.

• Major decisions are subject to a 2-step approval, and must only be made if the 2 steps are satisfied.

o This system is similar to the bicameral parliamentary system in most Australian States.

o The first step is to finalise a decision on which the management committee member and his/her subcommittee/team have been working on, and prepare a refined decision, (can contain explanatory notes), and present it to the management committee; then

o The management committee hears the matter from the subcommittee or the subject management committee member, and decides whether to allow, forbid, or further refine the decision prior to making a final call.

 

 

NOTE: For major decisions, the majority vote of the management team is required.

 

Privacy and confidentiality

• Securely store members and volunteers’ personal information.

• Take reasonable steps to ensure this material is kept secure against:

  • loss

  • unauthorised access

  • use

  • modification or disclosure

  • misuse.

• Use personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected. Do not disclose personal information to another party unless the individual has consented to in writing, the disclosure.

• Keep information about all service provisions confidential within the organisation. Do not disclose information associated either directly or indirectly, to the organisation to external parties unless authorised by the ISQLD President or the Vice President.

 

Meeting recording and distribution

 

Queensland law generally allows for the recording of private conversations by a participant in that conversation but places strict limits on what use can be made of such recordings. ISQLD management committee, employees and volunteers are expected to:

 

• Inform attendees that the meeting will be recorded to assist in the drafting of the minutes of the meeting. The notice should be provided prior to proceeding to record.

• MS Office 365 services like MS SharePoint, Ms Stream and or MS Teams should be used for recording.

• Audio or video recordings must not be shared with non-attendees without the consent of all parties to the meeting.

• Where audio or video recordings are captured, they should be stored in an approved recordkeeping system for the purpose of recordkeeping, as the only evidence of the decisions or actions of a meeting.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Only ISQLD Management Committee members must have access to confidential information and ISQLD members’ personal information and database at all times. Volunteers must not have access to members’ personal information and ISQLD confidential information.

 

Dealing with aggressive behaviour

• Volunteers, Employees and Management Committee members are expected to provide high standards of service provision, but the organisation does not accept any form of aggressive, threatening or abusive behavior towards its volunteers by community members.

• If you are unable to calm the person and/or believes the situation places them or other volunteers, employees or community members in danger, you should notify one of the Management Committee Members or call the Emergency 000 if severe risk or danger is witnessed.

 

Use of computers, mobile devices and telephones

• Unauthorised access and use of confidential information can severely damage the reputation of the society and undermine personal privacy.

• Employees and Management Committee members should:

  • use communication and information devices for officially approved purposes only

  • use these communication and information devices for limited personal use, as long this use does not interfere with their daily duties

  • not share their password/s with another employee, volunteer or share another Management Committee Member’s password/s.

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Use of the Internet and email

• Internet and email are provided to employees and Management Committee members for genuine ISQLD work-related purposes.

• Employees and Management Committee members should:

  • limit personal use to a minimum.

  • comply with copyright regulations when using the Internet or email.

• Employees and Management Committee members should not:

  • reveal ISQLD members’ personal or confidential information via the Internet or email

• While the privacy of all employees and Management Committee Members is respected, ISQLD emails and correspondence may be used as evidence if legal action is taken against an employee or Management Committee member if required by law.