4️⃣Article IV - Personnel
Membership Requirements and Acceptance
Eligibility to apply for membership
Applicants are eligible for GFTV membership if they are —
32.1 Furries unless otherwise approved by the Project Head or Operations Officer;
32.2 not less than 17 years of age;
32.3 entirely in agreement with Article VI of the Charter.
Membership applications can only be done using the Integrated Team Intake Portal.
33.1 The PAL will post the applicant's name for a week in GFTV’s virtual and physical workspaces and garner feedback and objections before deciding on membership.
33.2 Data received from membership applications will be retained and used only for GFTV’s internal processes.
CCS Members are not full Team Members
All approved applicants on the Integrated Team Intake Portal will first gain membership in the Core Content Support (CCS) Team, meaning CCS Members —
34.1 are not and will be distinguished from Team Members and Officers herein;
34.2 are free to choose their preferred fields of interest and skill sets, as well as the duration and intensity of their participation;
34.3 will receive feedback and assistance from GFTV’s team members and leaders, as well as opportunities to learn and improve;
34.4 who demonstrate competence will be, subject to Section 39, given full membership at GFTV.
Inauguration Process
When given full membership, Officers will, as soon as possible within 14 days —
35.1 furnish the individual a copy of the Charter, their letter of acceptance (LOA) and their Team ID at an in-person swearing-in ceremony according to the sub-points of this Section; and
35.1.1 The Project Head, Operations Officer, or both will, if possible, host the ceremony with other Team Members, Officers, and CCS Members.
35.1.2 The individual puts their left hand on a printed copy of the Charter, then raises their right hand with their palm facing forward.
35.1.3 Repeating after Officers, the individual recites the Team Oath and sings the Team Anthem according to the First Schedule.
35.2 make alternative plans for the individual if in-person plans fail, such as but not limited to Officers who may —
35.2.1 email a digital copy of the Charter and the LOA to the individual;
35.2.2 deliver the Team ID to the individual via mail or contactless methods; or
35.2.3 conduct the swearing-in ceremony on a video call.
Personnel will not be paid a salary
Membership in GFTV is voluntary and thus does not imply a fixed monetary payout arrangement, subject to Article V of the Charter.
Trusteeship
Personnel trusted with GFTV’s properties will become its trustees.
37.1 Trusteeship is tied to membership and may void if the Personnel —
37.1.1 dies or becomes a lunatic or of unsound mind;
37.1.2 is guilty of misconduct, which makes them undesirable as a trustee;
37.1.3 submits a notice of resignation.
Discipline
All personnel shall be bound by GFTV’s Charter, Standards, and Procedures.
Promotion
Personnel may nominate another Team Member, Officer or CCS Member who has demonstrated the skills and experience necessary for full membership or a higher position of power if they satisfy the condition that they are of —
39.1 good standing;
39.2 good skill; and
39.3 good personal competence.
Personnel may be promoted at a MOM with ≥60% of the active electoral quorum present at the meeting and approving with a three-quarters (¾) majority vote.
A promotion means —
41.1 the CCS Member —
41.1.1 is awarded full membership at GFTV;
41.1.2 subject to Section 23, is eligible for elections and can hold office; and
41.1.3 opportunities to showcase their potential;
41.2 the Team Member or Officer gets —
41.2.1 higher responsibilities as provided by the higher position of power they are promoted to; and
41.2.2 opportunities to showcase their potential.
Punishment
Any Personnel may be sternly warned, suspended, demoted or expelled if they —
42.1 act in a manner contrary to provisions of the Charter;
42.2 breach the confidentiality of GFTV’s information, including but not limited to internal documents;
42.3 bully other Personnel or persons outside of GFTV;
42.4 engage in unethical or unprofessional behaviour;
42.5 engage or associate with persons or organisations harmful to GFTV's reputation;
42.6 fail to disclose conflicts of interest;
42.7 fail to perform duties as an Officer;
42.8 make public statements derogatory or defamatory to GFTV;
42.9 misappropriate GFTV funds or property;
42.10 are banned from CIO Initiatives and Spaces under the Community Rules;
42.11 violates other prohibitions stated in this Charter and Standards after the latest effective date of either policy books’ amendments or updates, if any.
Personnel may report disciplinary violations directly to the Officers.
Handling disciplinary cases
A MOM or EMOM, whichever first, must be convened for discipline cases and appeals.
44.1 Except during an emergency action (EA), Officers must inform the Personnel subject to a disciplinary case at least seven days before the meeting is convened.
44.1.1 Officers may initiate an EA if a Personnel’s conduct meets the criteria outlined in Sections 45.5, 45.6 and 45.7.
44.1.2 Under an EA, the Project Lead or the Operations Officer may move to suspend the Personnel’s membership temporarily.
44.1.3 In extreme circumstances needing immediate action, a MOM or EMOM must be convened for the EA.
44.1.4 If a MOM or EMOM is convened for the EA, the active electoral quorum present at the meeting shall decide on the proposal to demote or expel the Personnel according to Section 44.3.
44.1.5 A member removed under an EA may seek reinstatement as an appeal under Section 46.
44.2 Either the Project Head or Operations Officer may start the vote on the proposal to punish the Personnel in question.
44.3 The proposal to punish may be approved by ≥60% of the active electoral quorum at the meeting, with a three-quarters (¾) majority vote.
44.4 The meeting, when the punishment is approved, may suspend or revoke the membership or officer status of the Personnel in question.
The rights of the Personnel in question
The Personnel subject to a disciplinary case has the right to —
45.1 present their case;
45.2 counsel, be it a trusted next-of-kin, friend or Personnel they appoint;
45.3 appeal, within 14 days after the meeting decided on punishment; and
45.4 innocence until proven guilty;
except under an emergency action detailed in Section 44.1 if said Personnel —
45.5 poses a credible threat of physical harm to themselves or others;
45.6 involves severe bullying of another Personnel or individual outside of GFTV;
45.7 significantly disrupts the operations or safety of the organisation.
Appeals —
46.1 requested against a disciplinary decision —
46.1.1 can be submitted in writing to Officers;
46.1.2 must be made available to all other PAL Officers; and
46.1.3 shall be decided within seven days after receiving the request, at a MOM or EMOM, whichever is nearer, with a majority vote according to Section 25;
46.2 can only happen once.
Maintenance of a disciplinary record
All disciplinary cases, including the initial complaint, investigation findings, and any resulting actions taken, shall be documented promptly and accurately in a confidential disciplinary record.
47.1 Access to disciplinary records shall be restricted to members of the PAL Division who have a legitimate need for the information to perform their duties.
47.2 PAL members shall use discretionary records solely for:
47.2.1 reviewing patterns of misconduct to inform policy improvements;
47.2.2 ensuring consistency in the enforcement of disciplinary measures; and
47.2.3 considering relevant past conduct if a Personnel is subject to future disciplinary proceedings.
47.3 Any other use of disciplinary records requires approval by a three-quarters (¾) vote of at least 60% of PAL Officers in service for the purposes that include but are not limited to:
47.3.1 background checks for members considered for leadership positions;
47.3.2 addressing recurring behavioural issues, even if individual incidents did not warrant formal discipline;
47.3.3 compliance with legal obligations or safety concerns;
47.3.4 anonymized research or training materials development;
47.3.5 defence against claims or accusations made against GFTV.
Disputes
Handling disputes among Personnel
In the event of any dispute amongst Personnel, they shall —
48.1 Try to resolve the matter amicably using the following methods progressively;
48.1.1 a mediation hosted by an Officer;
48.1.2 an EMOM per this Charter;
48.1.3 a Special Committee for Mediation (SCM) comprising an EMOM quorum inclusive of the trusted individuals of the persons involved;
48.1.4 avenues for mediation, arbitration and arbitration while consulting a qualified lawyer;
48.1.5 a court of law.
48.2 not release details of a dispute resolved through methods in Sections 48.1.1 to 48.1.4 to the public; and
48.2.1 Any Personnel found to have violated the prohibition thereof will be subject to disciplinary action.
48.3 be suspended if they try to resolve their dispute with the method in Section 48.1.5 until the case is over.
Measures if the Personnel uses the court of law to settle disputes
When the case is over, Officers will convene an EMOM with ≥80% of the active electoral quorum present for the Personnel involved suspended under Section 48.3 —
49.1 to present their case before the meeting quorum, then —
49.2 decide with a three-quarters (¾) majority vote if said Personnel may resume service, considering —
49.2.1 the case’s severity;
49.2.2 the judge’s actions taken for the case; and
49.2.3 the Personnel’s health stability, circumstantial situations and willingness to continue their GFTV membership and responsibilities.
Process for Outgoing Personnel
Reasons for Personnel to leave GFTV
Processes for outgoing Personnel shall start on the grounds of —
50.1 voluntary resignation; and
50.1.1 Any Team Member or CCS Member may resign by giving the Division Leader, Operations Officer or Project Head a written notice.
50.1.2 Outgoing Personnel may also result from punishment for a disciplinary case, such as expulsion.
50.1.3 Any Officer may resign by writing to the Project Head.
50.1.4 The Project Head may resign by writing to the Operations Officer.
50.2 disciplinary issues if they are expelled.
Outgoing Personnel’s duties prior to full departure
Outgoing Personnel shall:
51.1 have their team membership and the privileges such entail revoked;
51.2 have their access to GFTV team services, spaces and assets terminated;
51.3 surrender to their respective Officers or destroy all items in the following non-exhaustive list of GFTV properties in their company;
51.3.1 team identification items, which include Team IDs and uniforms;
51.3.2 equipment, including those containing GFTV’s brand for newsgathering and content creation; and
51.3.3 operational paperwork.
51.4 sign a legally binding non-disclosure agreement, which, if violated, shall be settled under the law.
Officer Vacancies
When a vacancy in an Officer position occurs, there will be a nomination and election procedure for the vacant office within seven days.
52.1 a MOM or EMOM, whichever is nearer, will convene.
52.2 A three-quarters (¾) majority vote among ≥80% of the electoral quorum present will pass nominations.
Before the offices of the Project Head, Operations Officer, or both are declared vacant, new candidates must be elected, and relevant powers transferred to them.
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