RFMA Ethics and Policies
It is the
responsibility of each RFMA member to read and understand these guidelines as
written in the RFMA Ethics and Policies.
The Restaurant
Facility Management Association (RFMA) represents a group of facility professionals
and Vendor companies dedicated to advancing industry awareness of restaurant
facility management, while promoting professional and ethical standards.
With this in mind, the following policies
and guidelines have been established to promote the growth of all our members
and their business endeavors.
Code of Conduct
All
RFMA members are to comply with the Code of Ethics at all times. When in doubt,
members have the responsibility to seek clarification from RFMA. RFMA members
shall always treat each other professionally and shall abide by the Mission
Statement. RFMA members shall govern themselves by our goals and by-laws of the
association and shall support the objectives of its Board of Directors and the
interests of the association.
In all our
business dealings, RFMA members will:
- Treat
everyone fairly, with honesty and respect.
- Avoid
any unfair or deceptive practice.
- Follow
the proper grievance reporting process.
Nondiscrimination
Policy
RFMA is
committed to providing an environment that is free from discrimination because
of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, disability, gender,
sexual orientation, age, marital status, and disability, veteran or draft
status.
Meeting
Etiquette
- All members shall conduct themselves in accordance with the RFMA
Code of Ethics.
- All members must be registered and
all fees current in order to attend RFMA meetings and conferences.
- Falsifying a membership
application and/or registration form is subject to an internal grievance
review and possible penalty.
- All members are prohibited from
attending or sponsoring any functions that are not sponsored by RFMA during
official hours at RFMA meetings or events.
- No vendor shall take advantage of
exhibiting time to bring restaurateurs from the aisles or other vendor
exhibiting areas to their own exhibiting area.
- Conference badges must be properly
displayed at all times and cannot be shared.
- Non-Exhibiting vendor members
are not allowed on the exhibit
floor.
Meeting Safety Responsibility Policy
RFMA is committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all meeting participants and RFMA staff. All participants, including, but not limited to, attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, RFMA staff, service providers, and others are expected to abide by this Meeting Safety & Responsibility Policy. This Policy applies to all RFMA meeting-related events, including those sponsored by organizations other than RFMA but held in conjunction with RFMA events, in public or private facilities. Click here to view RFMA's Meeting Safety Responsibility Policy.
Usage
Policy
- The RFMA logo shall
not be used without the express written consent of RFMA. Contact RFMA for
the required Licensing Agreement or click here to download the form for vendor
corporate allied members and click here to download the form for restaurant professional
members.
- RFMA
Conference Exhibitors may use the pre-attendee and post-attendee lists to
send emails. These emails may be sent one time before and one time after
the conference,
and lists are not to be shared with any third-party individuals or
companies
- The RFMA Member
Directory is for use only when making personal contact with another RFMA
member and is not to be used for bulk emails or shared with any
third-party individuals or companies.
Media
Policy
- The Restaurant
Facility Management Association (RFMA) reserves and exercises the right to
limit media involvement or participation at any or all of its functions.
- RFMA provides a
direct access contact for any magazine and/or media related questions
through its business office in Plano, Texas. Phone (972) 805-0905.
- Members may use
RFMA website materials for their or their company’s exclusive use,
provided that the materials are not republished without prior written
consent of RFMA. Furthermore, all
copyright and other proprietary notices must be kept intact.
Social
Media Policy
Social media has become extremely popular because
it allows people to connect in the online world instantly to form relationships
for personal and business purposes. It
can take many different forms, including internet forums, weblogs, social
blogs, podcasts, pictures, and videos. RFMA staff and members who use social
media channels are asked to exercise personal responsibility and to follow this
policy and any other guidelines that are in place to ensure effective and
appropriate usage.
All
defamatory postings will be removed from RFMA social media content, at RFMA’s
discretion. Defamatory postings include,
but are not limited to, those that are:
racist, sexist, threatening, insulting, unlawful, and violating
another’s privacy.
RFMA
staff and members shall:
- Respect their
audience
- Uphold the RFMA
Values and Code of Ethics
- Use good
judgment and appropriate language
- Ensure that
their profile and any content posted are consistent with the professional
image they present in respect to their association with RFMA
- When making comments or opinions, be
sure to identify these as their own and not those of RFMA. Consider using a disclaimer if
appropriate, such as "The views expressed in this blog are my own and not
those of RFMA”
RFMA
staff and members shall not:
- Upload content
deemed disruptive, threatening, abusive, harassing, obscene, libelous, or
an invasion of another's privacy
- Use RFMA’s name
in a derogatory manner nor defame or disparage RFMA or it’s members /
staff
- Upload content
deemed confidential by RFMA
- Infringe the
intellectual property of any organization, company or individual – this
can create liability
- Use RFMA logos,
brands, slogans or other trademarks without RFMA’s prior written consent
- Breach data
protection requirements (for example, never disclose personal information
about a colleague / member online)
- Breach any other
laws or ethical standards (for example, never use social media in a false
or misleading way, such as by claiming to be someone other than yourself
or by making misleading statements)
Please notify RFMA immediately at rfmamanagement@rfmaonline.com of any negative or
inappropriate postings that may jeopardize the association.
Grievance Reporting Policy
RFMA membership is a
privilege not a right and may be suspended or terminated with cause.
Grievances may be filed against individual RFMA members or companies for
violations of the Code of Ethics during RFMA functions or at any other time
outside of a RFMA event when a member feels that another member has violated
the Code of Ethics. Grievances must be filed in writing through one of the
following channels:
- Grievance forms are
located at the RFMA booth during conferences or on the RFMA Website under About
Us / Code of Ethics, at the bottom of the page.
- File grievance
by emailing form to rfmamanagement@rfmaonline.com or by faxing
form to (972) 805-0906.
Grievance Process
The following process
will be followed upon receipt of a filed grievance or when the staff or board
discovers a violation directly:
- Grievances shall
be reviewed by the Ethics Committee of the Board of Director’s, which is
chaired by the Immediate Past Chair and includes two other previous
Chairs.
- The Ethics
Committee may make further inquiries before determining how to proceed,
and will make a recommendation to the full Board of Directors if any
disciplinary action is advised.
- Should the Board
decide that further action is necessary, they may choose disciplinary
action up to and including suspension or revocation of membership.
The
Ethics Committee of the Board of Directors will also have the option to
recommend disciplinary action up to and including suspension or revocation of
membership against any RFMA member or company that submits or falsifies
allegations.
Download a GRIEVANCE FORM.