Code of Conduct for Safer Spaces
Document written: August 2024
Last updated: March 2025
This Code of Conduct applies to all users of the Many Studios building and services, including attendees or organisers of any public programming, and activities undertaken by studio members within the building. This code extends to digital and online activities, social media and digital communications. We expect cooperation in support of this Code of Conduct from all members of our communities to ensure a safe environment for everyone. It is expected that all staff, event organisers and studio members do all they can to ensure this Code of Conduct is upheld, and actively challenged - where it feels safe to do so - any behaviour that breaches it.
It is against the law (Equality Act 2010) to discriminate against anyone because of these “Protected Characteristics”: age; gender reassignment; being married or in a civil partnership; being pregnant or on maternity leave; disability; race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin; religion or belief; sex; or sexual orientation. Many Studios will not tolerate behaviour that creates feelings of unease, discomfort, embarrassment, humiliation and/or intimidation, or any behaviour that makes someone feel unsafe or if it creates a hostile environment for others.
This is an non-exhaustive list of minimum expectations on those who work in, with, and as part of Many Studios.
Be respectful of peoples’ personal, physical and emotional boundaries. Do not ask invasive personal questions. Respect peoples’ privacy.
Do not make assumptions about someone’s nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, social class, health, or abilities. Do not share this information with others without permission.
Respect peoples’ choice of pronouns and other identifiers.
Pro-occupation, pro-colonialism, fascism, and white supremacist sentiments will not be permitted on our platforms and in our spaces.
Take care of your health and safety and the health and safety of others - do not act in a way that puts you or others at risk.
The following behaviours are considered unacceptable. Unacceptable behaviour may be single incidents or repeated actions, public and/or private, verbal, non-verbal, written and/or physical:
Racist, sexist, ableist, misogynist, transphobic, or homophobic language, or any language or ideas which are hateful or discriminatory to others based on their identity or Protected Characteristics listed above.
Any harassing, bullying, or other inappropriate behaviour, including unsolicited attention, joking or teasing, offensive posts on social media, intimidation, harassing photography or videoing, intentional or sustained disruption of work or events.
Presentation of, engagement with, promotion, or otherwise sympathising with any hateful, discriminatory or exclusionary material.
What to Expect from Many Studios
Many Studios will take a zero tolerance approach to any behaviour that breaks this Code of Conduct.
Report all inappropriate behaviour to the Building Manager or a Many Studios Director (contacts below). The people who form the Many Studios team and Directorship have committed learning and practice to anti-racist and anti-oppression work, both in their work as Many Studios and in other personal-professional capacities. They continue to educate themselves and actively work on these fronts, and will always stand against hate and oppression. To this end, any formal or informal report of abusive or inappropriate behaviour or concern presented to them, no matter how small, will be taken seriously and dealt with empathetically and confidentially. Any actions taken will be with the consent of the complainant.
How to Report an Incident
To report an incident, please contact: Esther Hesketh, Building Manager, esther@manystudios.co.uk, 0141 573 9515 or Natalia Palombo, Director, natalia@manystudios.co.uk, 07739338347.
Procedure:
Please approach a member of staff on duty at an event, or the Building Manager if the incident occurs in the workspace
The member of staff will discuss the incident in a quiet, discreet space, to resolve the issue as best as possible
Upholding our zero-tolerance policy means any incidents reporting harassment or discrimination will result in immediate ejection of the perpetrator from the premises, as a minimum.
Police may be called depending on the severity of the incident and/or the discretion of the afflicted party.
Once the perpetrator has been removed, the afflicted party will be asked if they need anything else. They can either return or have staff assist in getting them home by calling them a taxi.
Actions may include:
The termination of a studio lease. Our leases state that they can be ended when the Many Studios Rules and Regulations, which includes this Code of Conduct, have been broken.
Removing the offender from an event, activity, or the building.
Banning an offender from future events or activities.
Arranging safe transport home for the complainant.
Termination of employment, service contract, or use of a supplier.
Sharing information about offenders with other organisations.
Reporting of an offence to the police.
Putting the complainant in touch with local or appropriate support services.
Learning
In cases of marginalised and oppressed groups including but not limited to women, people of colour, and the LGBTIA+ community, we aim to recognise our individual and systematic privileges which can make us complicit in engaging in discrimination (for example exhibiting implicit bias) in order to better respond to reported incidents.
In order to combat this we will commit to educating ourselves, holding ourselves accountable and remaining responsive to criticism. As such, our Code of Conduct and other related policies are active documents that we continue to update with new experience and learning.
Many Studios encourage everyone to speak out about all incidents of discrimination, harassment or bullying within our venue and studios. We aim to promote safer avenues for incidents to be reported so that the affected people/s can do so without compromising their own safety.
We are committed to responding immediately to incidents of discrimination and working collaboratively to meet the needs of the person or group of people that have experienced the incident and advising the best course of action.
References
In research, Many Studios has referenced several other policy documents from organisations in the development of this Code of Conduct for Safer Spaces document. We note thanks to the following organisations for their work: