Introduction

This code of conduct applies to all spaces within the CMS or AXL Businesses and affiliated brands, including: public and private mailing lists, portals, emails, Microsoft Teams, Zoom meetings, virtual calls, conference calls, issue trackers, wikis, blogs, Youtube and any other communication channels our business uses.

We expect everyone who interacts with our businesses formally or informally, or claims any affiliation with our business, in any business-related activities and especially when representing the CMS or AXL Businesses in any role to honor this code of conduct.

This code is not exhaustive or complete. It distills our common understanding of a collaborative, shared environment and goals. We expect all members of the CMS or AXL Businesses to follow it in spirit as much as in the letter, so that it can enrich all of us and the logistics communities in which we participate.

Specific Guidelines

We strive to:

1. Be open. We invite anyone to participate with or in our team. We encourage open discussion on questions (FAQs), and the creation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Our teams should collaborate together for the better function of each member and our respective clients. Every effort should be made to keep these channels of communication public within our teams for the advancement of our respective roles and understandings.
2. Be inquisitive. Nobody knows everything! Asking questions early avoids many problems later, so we encourage questions, although we may redirect them to a different person with better insight. Those who receive a question should be responsive and helpful, within the context of our shared goal of improving our team code.
3. Be collaborative. Other people depend on our work, and we in turn depend on the work of others. When we make something for the benefit of the team, we are willing to explain to others how it works, so they can build on the work to make it even better. Any decision we make will affect clients and colleagues, and we take those consequences seriously when making decisions.
4. Be empathetic, welcoming, friendly, and patient. We work together to resolve conflicts, assume good intentions, and do our best to act in an empathetic fashion. We may all experience some frustration from time to time, but we do not allow frustration to result in a personal attack. A team where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. We should be respectful when dealing with other team members as well as with people outside our team.
5. Be concise. Keep in mind that, over time, many people will read what you write. Writing a short email means people can understand the conversation as efficiently as possible. Short emails should always strive to be empathetic, welcoming, friendly and patient. When a long explanation is necessary, consider adding a summary at the top of the message.
   Try to bring new ideas to a conversation so that each email adds something unique to the thread, keeping in mind that the rest of the thread still contains the other messages with arguments that have already been made.
   Try to stay on topic, especially in discussions that are already fairly long.
6. Be careful in the words that we choose. Whether we are participating as professionals or volunteers, we value professionalism in all interactions, and take responsibility for our own speech. Be kind to others. We do not insult or put down others. Harassment and other exclusionary behaviour are not acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to:
   • Violent threats or language directed against another person.
   • Sexist, racist, or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language.
   • Sharing or Discussing sexually explicit or violent material.
   • Sharing private content, such as emails sent privately or non-publicly.
   • Personal insults, especially those using racist or sexist terms.
   • Unwelcome sexual attention.
   • Excessive or unnecessary profanity.
   • Repeated harassment of others. In general, if someone asks you to stop, then stop.
   • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviour.
7. Step down considerately. Members of every team come and go. When somebody leaves or disengages from the team they should tell people they are leaving and take the proper steps to ensure that others can pick up where they left off. In doing so, they should remain respectful of those who continue to participate in the team and should not misrepresent the team's goals or achievements. Likewise, team members should respect any individual's choice to leave the team.

Diversity Statement

We welcome and encourage participation by everyone. We are committed to being a team that everyone feels good about joining. Although we may not be able to satisfy everyone, we will always work to treat everyone well.

No matter how you identify yourself or how others perceive you, we welcome you. Though no list can hope to be comprehensive, we explicitly honour diversity in age, culture, ethnicity, genotype, gender, language, national origin, political beliefs, profession, physical condition, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and technical ability.

Though we welcome people fluent in all languages, Our teams communicate and perform our services and correspondence primarily in English.

Final Word

The Code of Conduct, above, details our standards for behaviour, communication and conduct. We desire all employees, contractors, clients, and suppliers to meet these standards in all their interactions and to help others to do so.