---
title: Code of conduct
sort: 1
tags: [policy]
---

# Code of conduct

What we expect of each other at ZephyrCart. Short, on purpose.

## Be kind, candid, and specific

Disagree with the work, not the person. "This API name is confusing because…" is the shape; "you
made a confusing API" is not. Candid feedback is a gift; vagueness wrapped in politeness is not.

## Assume good intent. Verify if you can't.

If a colleague did something that surprised you, ask before reacting. The asynchronous, written
default helps here — re-read the slack message before responding.

## Respect boundaries

People's time, attention, and on-call windows are theirs. Don't ping outside business hours
unless it's actually urgent. "Actually urgent" means "customers are affected and you've already
paged on-call."

## No harassment, ever

Harassment in any form — sexual, racial, religious, age-based, anything — is grounds for
termination. There is no grey area. If you witness it or experience it, contact your manager,
People Ops, or one of the two designated trust contacts (listed in BambooHR). Reports are
confidential.

## Conflicts of interest

If you have a financial relationship with a customer, a competitor, or a vendor, disclose it in
writing to People Ops. The default response is "thank you for telling us, here's how to recuse
yourself." It is almost never "you have to give it up."

## How this is enforced

The first response is always a private conversation. Repeated or egregious breaches escalate to
formal warnings and, ultimately, termination. The trust contacts maintain an anonymised record of
patterns; they share it with the founders quarterly.

You acknowledge this code as part of [Onboarding](../onboarding.md). Signed acknowledgments live
in BambooHR.