Code of Conduct protocol Explore the North pdf
Version autumn 2025
Introduction | About Explore the North
“Explore the North is passionate about polyphony, euphoria, moving people, and new forms. Preferably, we are in a place where all of those things occur at the same time, and that’s why we make a place. It is a place to feel at home, where you can be yourself, where it’s a safe place for people to be different from each other. Weird is nice. Here, you can play with a peaceful heart. You can be on a soap box with a megaphone, but you don’t have to per se: you can also just sit on the toilet and sing about dairy. You are allowed to just simply enjoy things. You are allowed to be furious about war. You can crack up laughing at a poem. Literature and art, in whatever language or form, are tools for expressing your humanity — or with which you can displace yourself into new worlds and other people. At Explore the North, this is the most important thing: that we watch and listen to each other, that we are people and see each other. This requires imagination. That’s why we make the most beautiful tools and put them in a shiny new toolbox for everyone to borrow.”
This is the vision of Explore the North as foreword in our policy plan for 2025-2028. To make all of this written vision possible, certain etiquette measures are in place to create a safe organization. We offer these tools for staff members at our festival, our productions, and at Podium Explore.
1. Safe Etiquette
1.1. Why this protocol?
As an employer, Explore the North aims to do its duty to provide care and safety to its staff. When preparing and implementing working conditions policy, she will also focus on preventing undesirable behavior at work and encouraging desirable behavior.
This protocol is in line with the NAPK Complaints Procedure (the NAPK is the trade association to which
Explore the North is affiliated) and also aligns with the NAPK’s ‘Safe on floor’ policy framework. Employees are expected to read this protocol carefully and act accordingly.
1.2. Code of Conduct, undesirable conduct at Explore the North
What constitutes ‘Undesirable Conduct’?
General
The starting point is provisions laid down in Dutch law:
- the Civil Code;
- the General Equal Treatment Act (Awgb);
- the Equal Treatment of Men and Women Act (Wgbm/v);
- the Working Conditions Act;
- the Risk Inventory & Evaluation and Action Plan.
Explore the North defines “undesirable conduct” as behavior—regardless of whether or not there is a hierarchical difference in function or position between those involved—that leads to psychosocial work stress, insofar as it concerns:
Intimidation
Conduct related to a person’s gender that has the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, insulting, humiliating, or offensive environment.
Sexual intimidation
Any form of verbal, non-verbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature that has the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person, especially when creating a threatening, hostile, insulting, humiliating, or offensive situation.
At Explore the North, for example, we do not tolerate employees making ambiguous remarks, touching each other unnecessarily or without permission, or engaging in intimidating behavior by getting too close physically or sending sexually suggestive messages to others.
Aggression and Violence
Incidents in which an employee is mentally or physically harassed, threatened or attacked under circumstances directly related to work.
For example, at Explore the North we do not accept employees threatening colleagues, raising their voices or grabbing each other roughly.
Bullying/Hazing
All forms of intimidating behaviour of a structural nature, by one or more employees (colleagues, managers) directed against an employee or a group of employees who cannot defend themselves against this behaviour.
For example, at Explore the North we do not accept that employees ignore a colleague, make fun of or make derogatory remarks, deliberately make work unpleasant or impossible, or gossip.
Discrimination
Direct and indirect discrimination, as well as the instruction to do so.
Direct discrimination: when a person is treated differently from another in a comparable situation, on the grounds of: religion, belief, political opinion, race, sex, nationality, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability or chronic illness, working hours (full-time/part-time), or type of employment contract (permanent or temporary).
Indirect discrimination: when an apparently neutral provision, criterion, or practice particularly disadvantages persons of a certain religion, belief, political opinion, race, sex, nationality, marital status, age, sexual orientation, or those with a disability or chronic illness, or with a full-time or part-time position, or a permanent or temporary employment contract, compared to others.
At Explore the North, for example, we find it important to show respect for each other’s backgrounds and faiths, and to address everyone in the way they wish to be addressed.
2. Notification and Procedure
Everyone who works at Explore the North—whether employed, freelance, or volunteering—participates in Explore the North programs, or provides a service is partly responsible for a safe environment. We encourage every employee to immediately report any undesirable situation as described above, even if there is any doubt.
If you, as an employee, experience inappropriate behavior, there are several ways to express, discuss, and/or report your concerns or experiences. You can contact your direct supervisor (for employees, interns, and volunteers) or the client (for freelancers).
If this is neither possible nor desirable for any reason, you can contact: the management of Explore the North; the board (if the complaint concerns the management/Directors); or the independent, external confidential counselor (vertrouwenscontactpersoon): Seema Ouweneel.
2.1. Intake, Guidance, and Initial Aftercare – Confidential Advisor on Professional Conduct
When a staff member is confronted with undesirable behavior, they may contact the internal and/or external confidential advisor for a listening ear and information:
Seema Ouweneel | seema@socialsafety.work | 06-46136150
Confidential advisors are bound by a duty of confidentiality. Where appropriate, they help the staff member consider possible steps to improve the situation. They will not take any action without the staff member’s explicit consent.
The confidential advisor stands alongside the staff member who seeks their support and therefore cannot mediate or conduct an investigation. A confidential advisor may guide the staff member during an informal or formal resolution process and provide initial aftercare once the case has been concluded.
Staff members may also initiate an informal or formal resolution process without first consulting the confidential advisor.
2.2. Employee Actions
Employees who experience undesirable behavior can take several steps, with or without consulting a confidential counselor, such as:
1) Address the employee exhibiting the undesirable behavior directly (provide feedback), possibly in the presence of the confidential advisor.
2) Report the undesirable conduct to the manager, director, or board (if the artistic or general director is involved in the undesirable conduct).
3) Initiate a mediation process; The confidential advisor can give advice and provide support on this matter.
4) File a formal complaint (see article 2.4).Over Explore the North
2.3. Employer Actions
If an employee reports undesirable conduct, the manager, directors, or board can, depending on the situation, determine what actions are appropriate, for example:
1) Address the (suspected) perpetrator when undesirable conduct occurs;
2) Remind employees who exhibit undesirable behavior of the code of conduct;
3) If the (alleged) perpetrator does not deny the behavior, guide the person involved, for example through a verbal or written warning, performance and assessment interviews, making agreements, offering a relapse prevention program / coaching of the perpetrator;
4) Arrange/conduct a mediation meeting;
5) Take practical measures if the situation allows and no one objects, for example: temporarily not working together;
6) Decide to conduct further investigations and, if necessary, take measures based on the results (see Article 3).
2.4 Formele klachtenprocedure
If unwanted conduct is too serious to handle informally, an employee can also choose to file a formal complaint. Explore the North uses the NAPK complaints procedure for handling complaints by the (independent) Complaints Committee. The complaints procedure can be found on the website of the Social Safety Performing Arts Foundation (www.socialeveiligheidpodiumkunsten.nl) under “documents.”
During and following the complaints procedure, all parties involved are bound by a confidentiality obligation.
After an investigation, the NAPK Complaints Committee sends advice to the Directors or (if the complaint concerns the Directors) to the Board. The Directors or (if the complaint concerns the Directors) the Board will reach a decision within two weeks of receiving the Complaints Committee’s recommendation and will send a copy of the NAPK Complaints Committee’s recommendation and a copy of the decision to the complainant and the defendant.
If an employee is not satisfied with the complaint handling, he or she can initiate legal proceedings or (in the case of sexual harassment or discrimination) contact the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights (https://www.mensenrechten.nl/).
3. Measures from the organization
The Directors or (if the complaint concerns the Directors) the board may:
(1) Take temporary measures for the duration of the investigation and/or complaints procedure, if this appears desirable for the organization or the complainant, or if the situation is untenable for one or more parties involved;
(2) Take action based on the outcome of the investigation and/or complaints procedure.
These temporary measures, for the duration of the investigation and/or complaints procedure, may include:
– Special leave;
– Suspending/temporarily suspending the assignment.
Based on the outcome of the investigation and/or the complaints procedure, the following measures may be taken, depending on the severity of the undesirable behavior:
– Official warning;
– Reprimand;
– Dismissal/termination of the assignment.
4. Evaluation
This protocol is evaluated by the management/Directors and board before July 1 annually. At the very least, the rules of conduct in the code of conduct will be discussed and instituted with staff members after that evaluation. In addition, interim evaluation and updates may take place, for example, following a report or complaint.
Contact information
Mark Hospers
General Manager mark@explore-the-north.nl
Marleen Nagtegaal
Artistic Director marleen@explore-the-north.nl
Sjoerd Feitsma
Chairman of the Board sfeitsma@me.com
Seema Ouweneel
External Confidential Advisor seema@socialsafety.work
06-46136150