Acceptable Partner Behaviour Policy
Birdie Acceptable Partner Behaviour Policy
1. Purpose
We believe every person deserves dignity and respect at work. We are committed to being helpful, courteous, and professional in every interaction- and we expect the same in return.
This policy sets out the standards of behaviour we expect from partners and the actions we may take when those standards are not met.
Our goal is to enable fair, respectful and safe interactions while we deliver and support Birdie’s products and services.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all interactions with our people and systems, including:
- Phone calls, voicemails, and SMS
- Emails and ticketing
- Live chat and Intercom messages
- All other methods of digital, electronic or voice communication
- Social media and community spaces we operate
- Onsite visits, training sessions, events, and conferences
- Any user-generated content in our products (e.g., support forms, feedback tools)
It applies to anyone acting on behalf of an actual or prospective partner account, including employees, contractors, and consultants.
3. What We Expect
We ask that all interactions are:
- Respectful: Use courteous, professional language; focus on issues, not individuals.
- Safe: Do not use threatening, abusive, intimidating or inappropriate behaviour.
- Constructive: Share clear information, specific examples, and desired outcomes to help us support you effectively.
- Inclusive: Avoid discriminatory language or conduct of any kind.
- Boundaried: Respect our published contact channels, service hours, and escalation paths.
We understand that issues can arise and that from time to time emotions can run high due to the nature and importance of the work that you are undertaking. General frustration relating to product performance, provided it is communicated without aggression and is not a persistent pattern of behaviour, is likely to be tolerated. We will always seek to resolve issues fairly and promptly.
4. Unacceptable Behaviour
We will not tolerate any behaviour that undermines the dignity, safety, or wellbeing of our people. Unacceptable behaviour includes (but is not limited to):
- Abusive language or harassment
- Insults, personal attacks, name-calling, derogatory remarks
- Profanity, slurs, or demeaning comments
- Repeated communications intended to embarrass, shame, or belittle
- Discrimination or hate speech
- Racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, ageist, or otherwise discriminatory remarks
- Harassment related to protected characteristics (e.g. race, sex, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership, age)
- Threats, intimidation, or violence
- Threatening bodily harm, property damage, or doxxing
- Menacing tone, gestures, or conduct during in-person interactions or calls
- Legal intimidation without basis
- Aggressive or disruptive conduct
- Shouting, swearing, or talking over staff to prevent a conversation
- Repeatedly contacting multiple staff simultaneously to harass or pressure
- Spamming channels, mass-tagging, or flooding tickets and chats
- Sexual harassment
- Sexualised comments, innuendo, requests, or images
- Any unwanted contact of a sexual nature
- Stalking or privacy violations
- Obtaining or attempting to obtain private information about staff
- Contacting staff on personal numbers, emails, or social accounts
- Sharing staff personal details (doxxing)
- Vexatious and unreasonable persistence
- Repeatedly raising the same issue without new information
- Demanding immediate responses outside service hours
- Refusing to engage with our proposed resolution pathways
- Malicious behaviour affecting services
- Attempting to bypass security, hack, or disrupt our systems
- Encouraging others to harass our staff or interfere with operations
5. How we will respond
Where we reasonably consider behaviour to be unacceptable, we may take proportionate steps to protect our people and maintain service integrity. Depending on the seriousness and persistence of the behaviour, we may take one or more of the following actions:
- Issue a warning and set clear expectations/boundaries for future contact.
- Require you to use specified contact channels (for example, email-only support via a nominated contact).
- Restrict or suspend access to support (temporarily or permanently).
- In serious or persistent cases, suspend or terminate the services pursuant to the agreement with Birdie without notice or refund.
We may also:
- Pause or end a call/meeting if behaviour becomes unacceptable.
- Decline to respond to communications that are abusive or offensive.
- Report threats, hate incidents or criminal acts to law enforcement and take legal action where appropriate.
6. Fairness and Proportionality
- We will consider context, intent, impact, frequency, and the partner’s responsiveness to warnings.
- We will act consistently with our contractual terms, acceptable use policy, privacy notice, and applicable law.
- We will aim to maintain business continuity where possible, particularly where the behaviour is limited to specific individuals within a partner organisation. In such cases, we may request the partner assign an alternative representative.
7. Preservation of evidence and investigation
- We may retain records of communications (including but not limited to call recordings, emails, chat transcripts and social media posts) to assess incidents and support decision-making.
- Where appropriate, we may conduct a brief internal review and, for persistent behaviour, notify the partner’s contractual contact or escalation owner.
- We will act fairly and proportionately, taking into account context, severity, frequency and impact on our staff.
8. Proportionality, restoration and appeals
- Proportionality: We aim to apply the least restrictive measure necessary to protect our people and operations, escalating only if the behaviour continues or is serious.
- Restoration: If behaviour improves and reasonable assurances are given, we may lift restrictions.
- Appeals: If you believe a restriction or termination was applied in error, you may write to your Birdie account owner or support contact within 14 days explaining your position. We will review and respond in a reasonable timeframe. This process does not limit Birdie’s contractual or legal rights.
9. Relationship with other terms
This policy forms part of the terms governing your use of Birdie’s products and services and should be read alongside:
- Your master services agreement or other contract with Birdie.
- Our acceptable use policy
- Privacy notices describing how we process personal data (including in connection with incident management).
If there is a conflict between this policy and your signed agreement, the agreement will prevail to the extent of the conflict, except that Birdie’s rights to protect health and safety and comply with law remain unaffected.
10. Updates
We may update this policy from time to time. Material updates will be communicated via our website or via your Birdie contact. Continued use of the services constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
11. Contact
If you have questions about this policy or need adjustments to help you communicate with us, please contact support@birdie.care.
We appreciate your partnership and your commitment to maintaining a professional, safe, and respectful environment for everyone. Harassment, bullying, discrimination, or abuse will not be tolerated and may result in account termination.
