Forum FAQ - Grievance Procedure

Generally the Forum operates reasonably happily on a day-to-day basis with self-moderation, ad-hoc informal efforts by individuals and the occasional light nudge in the right direction from the list owner. However very occasionally issues crop up that don't seem to be able to be resolved adequately in these ways.

In order to resolve these rare but serious issues, there is a small Panel of long-term forumites, including the list owner, who work together to achieve resolution of such issues. This allows any extraordinary problems to be taken off-line to avoid any ongoing disruption of the Forum. The Panel is only invoked when the more usual forms of self-management by the Forum have failed. The Panel will intervene when necessary and, if appropriate, take actions to ensure the future smooth running of the Forum. The Panel puts great thought into how best to resolve any issues, and does not undertake its duties lightly.

The Panel endeavours to be as fair as possible, but ultimately the Forum is not a democracy and sometimes pragmatism is required. The bottom line is that this is for "when all other avenues have failed" scenarios and sometimes tough, even severe decisions (though never unduly) may be required.

This does not impact the general day-to-day running of the Forum, and all Forum members are encouraged to continue to try to resolve issues that crop up from time to time as they would normally. We should all be proud that usually the efforts of the group on this front mean we continue to exist as a rare example of a long-term email group with no more than light formal moderation.

• In any disagreements that arise on Forum, on any issue, all members are expected to abide by accepted standards of email group etiquette, including the avoidance of personal comments and ad hominem attacks, and generally following the Forum Guidelines.
• If a situation occurs where it is clear that self and mutual management by the Forum community has failed to resolve an issue, then the Panel will convene.
• If the Panel finds that it is necessary to deal with an issue off-Forum, the Forum will be notified and all future concerns regarding that issue must be taken directly to the Panel rather than aired on Forum. This does not mean that it is unacceptable to raise legitimate concerns on Forum about material that is posted, but that once the Panel has been invoked, is better that such concerns are dealt with directly by the Panel, rather than allowing continued disruption of the Forum space.
• The Panel will contact any individuals involved directly, and will endeavour to facilitate a resolution between them. Individuals may invite a third party to assist and advise during any such negotiations, subject to that person being acceptable to the other parties and to the Panel.
• If a negotiated settlement is not achieved, then individuals may be asked by the Panel to make specific undertakings in regard to their part in the problems.
• It is sincerely hoped that any measures put into place will be adhered to by all parties. However, should it become necessary, further sanctions may be imposed, including the temporary or permanent removal of subscription privileges for individuals.
• Any sanctions or restrictions found to be necessary will be reviewed periodically. Normally a review would take place within 3 months, but individual circumstances may dictate a shorter or longer period.
• The decisions of the Panel are final and binding.

Please also see the main Guidelines, which outline the standards of behaviour which are expected of all Forum members. It is these standards which are always the yardstick for decisions and actions taken under the Grievance Procedure.

To contact the Panel, regarding a specific issue or the general work of the Panel, email panel@greenbelt-forum.org.uk

Emails which are inadvertently sent to individual Panel members regarding an issue on which the Panel is or may be convened, or regarding the work of the Panel in general, will normally be circulated to all Panel members. Note however that attempts to solicit individual Panel members to dissent from a Panel decision will be treated as a serious abuse of these procedures.

NB: Members of the Panel will always make it clear when they are acting in an official capacity or writing on behalf of the Panel. At other times, when engaging in debates on Forum, they are still ordinary Forum members, subject to all the technical and social rules and protections outlined in this FAQ.

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