Sandbox:SCCIA
CCIA is a branch of the Staff team that handles multiple in-character tasks, issues, and topics. Unlike the Moderation team, it does not handle Out of Character rule-breaks or topics with few exceptions. The goal of the team is to handle in-character disputes to regulate and ensure believability in the setting, and curtailing valid but otherwise unacceptable workplace behavior. It is, in essence, Aurora's representation of real life HR departments within the server's setting.
Organization
CCIA is made up of 3 positions: CCIA Agent (CCIAA), CCIA Leader, and Admin Liaisons. CCIAAs are under the authority of the CCIA Leader. The CCIA Leader is apart of the server upper administration alongside primary admins and the Lore Team Administration. Internal oversight is maintained by the Admin Liaisons and the Headmins of the server, however external oversight is maintained by staff complaints.
In most occasions, the CCIA Leader does not handle IR or RR investigations. Few exceptions exist for reports of significant impact or scale. They do retain final say on all investigation conclusions, and dictate any changes to Corporation Regulations, Standard Operation Procedure, and internal policy. CCIA Agents handle the majority of investigations, as well as other duties within the team.
Admin Liaisons exist to ensure incoming IRs and RRs are not invalid due to OOC concerns, as well as to determine when a certain situation crosses into the Moderation team's jurisdiction. They do maintain a level of oversight over the team as a whole.
Faxes
Whenever anyone sends a message using a fax machine, whether it was sent by the Horizon or an off-ship, CCIA receives and acts on the fax. In most cases, these faxes are handle by CCIA Agents. To this end, CCIA represents as a whole the nations and organizations of the setting, not just the SCC and the corporations within it. At times, an agent may ask for assistance from Lore Developers if a situation in particular calls for it.
Responses to faxes fall within one of two actions:
- Announcement
- Response Fax
Announcements can vary, but end up being "Fax Received" when a situation report is acknowledged, or "Fax Format" when a fax sent doesn't follow the standards set in the Guide to Faxes. Response faxes have no true standard as they vary based on the organization being portrayed and the topic of the message. Typically, CCIA avoids sending orders via faxes, preferring for Command players to handle situations.
Bear in mind that CCIA does not respond to faxes using OOC information. The only information relied upon comes from previous communications, whether it was an EBS or fax.
Incident Reports
An Incident Report is an in-character document that serves the purpose of reporting an issue to Human Resources (HR) regarding on-ship situations that have either 'not been resolved by on-duty personnel' or 'go beyond the power of command on board the SCCV Horizon'. Incident Reports are handled by Human Resources Assistants (HRA), personnel that serve the duties of collecting evidence and testimony of organized investigations into recorded and approved Incident Reports on behalf of Human Resources (HR), a sublet of CCIA.
If your character is employed by a mega-corporation that is partnered with the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, you are able to file Incident Reports at your discretion. Third party ghost spawn characters, merchants and other characters that are not affiliated with the SCCV Horizon and SCC are not allowed to file Incident Reports. Exceptions to this may arise from a lore arc.
The Process
Once an Incident Report has been filed, a member of CCIA will provide an automated message stating it has entered the queue. Upon review, the Incident Report may be deleted or denied by a CCIA Liaison depending on antagonist involvement and/or OOC considerations. If the incident report has been deemed valid, it will be assigned to an agent, noted in a reply to the report. The assigned agent will further review the report to decide if it will be pursued or binned. If not, the reporting party will be notified via the incident report thread. If proceeding, the assigned agent will reach out, as needed, to the parties involved for an interview in game. Once the agent has acquired sufficient testimony, the parties involved will be contacted with the appropriate in-character resolution.
At the close of an incident report, an in-game resolution will be completed and the verdict provided to the involved parties. The outcome of the incident report is at the discretion of the CCIA agent, who confers with the CCIA Lead as well as the CCIA team as needed. As each case is unique, the methods of resolution will vary, based on gathered testimony throughout the incident report and the evidence submitted with it.
CCIA Notes
The outcome of decisions made against characters is documented through CCIA notes, which are visible either on the web interface or in-game via character records for Command whitelist holders.
Web Interface link: https://byond.aurorastation.org/user
IR Rules
- Incident Reports must strictly be in IC format. This is not an OOC complaint section. To file an OOC complaint see the Character/Player Complaints board.
- Incident Reports must be made using the format provided on the forums.
- Incident Reports may only be submitted against standard Horizon characters.
- Merchants and third-party characters cannot be offenders. Exceptions may apply for lore arcs.
- Incident Reports may not be submitted against antagonists or situations heavily influenced by antagonist involvement.
- Events that occurred during expeditions in-round are considered to be covered by antagonist-related rules.
- Antagonists may not submit Incident Reports.
- You are expected to try and find a resolution to situations in the round within the chain of command. You may seek further action on unresolved issues via an IR. Attach what investigation findings you can in the additional info section. Making no effort to resolve an issue may cause the incident report to be closed without investigation unless a valid reason is provided.
- Examples of unresolved issues include offenders who leave the round via cryo or residential lifts before charges can be applied.
- In scenarios where the round ends before charges were applied, they may be handled by CCIA but will not require a full investigation if sufficient evidence is provided.
- Incident Reports are not public record, only the reporter or any individuals directly given information about an IR are allowed to speak about them ICly.
- This does not apply to the outcomes of Incident Reports. Command characters may view outcomes, which command players may access using the Web Interface.
- If you have a question regarding the Incident Report you wish to file, you may contact any CCIA team member or admin liaison.
- A report will be dealt with when feasible, do not bump the IR threads or post unnecessarily on them, even if they are unlocked.
- You are not allowed to lie to defend others. You can only lie to defend yourself. If you want to help others, you are allowed to refuse to comment. This also applies to the investigation process.
IR Guidelines
- Filing a report does not guarantee action will be taken. Your report will be noted and stored for reference purposes.
- If an investigation is opened, your own conduct will be investigated right along with everyone else's. An incident is treated as a single event from all perspectives, so there is no need to submit a report regarding the same event that was reported by another player. If you are not the reporter of an incident and have more information to add to a report, you may do so when meeting with a CCIA agent.
- When an incident report has been taken by a CCIA agent, the contacted parties will be given seven (7) days to respond to any contact attempts from the agent, otherwise their interview will be waived. A time extension may be requested if it is required, however, it should remain within a reasonable time frame.
- If you submit an incident report, you are expected to participate in the process. Failure to respond to a CCIA notice of investigation within a week after an agent is assigned to the report may result in rejection.
- Requesting extensions for unavailability and then frequently playing in rounds during the 'unavailability' may be considered evading CCIA action and spark additional action taken.
- Interviews may be conducted on server aboard the SCCV Horizon or through discord should circumstances make an on-server interview difficult. Please note that discord interviews are typically a last resort and are not preferred.
- On-server interviews are stored via the Web Interface and are not capable of being edited. Logging a Discord interview into the Web Interface is not possible, which is why it is a last resort method.
- Antagonists are expected to leave an agent's interview uninterrupted. Antagonists may only target an agent during the period after an interview has been completed.
- CCIA Agents will typically inform antagonists when an interview is planned and when it ends in AOOC.
- If you end up as an antagonist while escorting an agent, either ahelp or tell the CCIA in LOOC to excuse yourself from being an escort if this will significantly interrupt you.
- Whether an escort or interviewee, turn off antagonist preferences in the character setup menu before joining the round.
- Anyone violating an action resulting from an Incident Report will be subject to administrative action.
Outcomes
When an incident report has concluded, the involved parties will receive notice of the outcome. Categories of employee actions taken are listed below, which is not an exhaustive list. CCIA reserves the right to incorporate multiple as needed, or tailor outcomes to the cases at hand. If you have any questions about the results of your IR, talk with your agent or with the CCIA Leader.
At times, another organization other than the SCCIA may be handling a case, such as the Biesel Security Services Bureau for federal crime. In these cases, the effective actions are the same as below.
After actions have been take, the only method of changing these actions is by either appealing or making a staff complaint.
Coursework
- An employee can be assigned to attend in-person or virtual courses for anger management, sensitivity training, conflict resolution, etc.
- These are typically completed off-screen and players are encouraged to include it in their RP where possible.
Counseling
- A member of HR may choose to mediate over a personal dispute between employees to resolve the issue without further escalation. The offenders, victims, and reporter can attend, as well as any supporting roles such as a Head of **Staff or Corporate Liaison.
Reprimands
- Typically an official warning marked against an employee's record. In some cases, this can be probation for a period of time or include an injunction.
Position Changes
- Suspension, demotion, reassignments, and more can affect an employee's position on the Horizon. The range of time varies case to case. Where the employee is reassigned is determined by their record, their corporation, and their department.
- This won't always be enjoyable, we encourage players to talk with us OOC about what they're willing to reasonably play. An agreement that you're more willing to fulfill goes a long way.
Termination
- Contract termination for the employee who will no longer be employed on the SCCV Horizon. If all else fails in resolving a problematic record with repeat incidents, the employee will essentially be fired.
- Terminations are weighed heavily and something we keep in mind when reviewing a case, as it is the end of the character's story. We strive to stretch it out as much as possible, until the point where its no longer possible for someone of that level to be onboard.
Review Requests
Review Requests are a means of reporting problematic employee activity based on their records and arrest history that is not captured in a particular incident report. Through Review Requests, you reuqest CCIA to examine and take action as they see proper, based on the employee's records and arrest history. Unlike incident reports, interviews are not required unless a full investigation is deemed necessary by CCIA.
When a review request is submitted, a CCIA agent will be assigned. The CCIA agent will review the character's records, taking into account their arrests, charges, or any pertinent information available. Any charges that were the result of antagonist influence but not marked off will be removed. The agent will determine if an investigation is needed to gather more information. If no investigation is needed, the character in question will be notified of the outcome.
The possible outcomes of a review request are the same as those from an incident report.
Guidelines
- Review Requests must strictly be in IC format. This is not an OOC complaint section. To file an OOC complaint see the Character/Player Complaints board.
- Review Requests must be made using the format provided on the forums.
- Review Requests may not be submitted against antagonists or situations heavily regulated by antagonist action.
- Events that occurred during expeditions in-round are considered to be covered by antagonist-related rules.
- Review Requests are not public record, only the filer or any people who are directly given information about a RR are allowed to speak about them ICly.
- If you have a question regarding the Review Request you wish to file, you may contact any CCIA team member or liaison.
- A request will be dealt with when feasible, do not bump the RR threads or post unnecessarily on them, even if they are unlocked.
Commendation Reports
Commendation Reports are a method by which characters can recommend other characters for acknowledgement and rewards for heroic actions. The review process for commendation reports is often simpler than other reports, rarely going beyond what is reported in the request itself. The team as a whole discusses the commendation report and determined one of the following actions:
- Nothing
- Mentioned in Despatches - The most basic recognition, and perhaps the most common one. For employees that are recognised for efforts or participation in them, that do not warrant a medal.
- Corporate Medal - The most basic medal, awarded to all staff for meritorious acts.
- Wound Ribbon and Medal - The award for loss of limb, physical integrity or life in service to the Corporation. The wound ribbon is preceded by the wound medal.
- Medal for Merit - The Medal for Merit is a two class medal, the second class being followed by the first class. Usually awarded to security staff for courageous and meritorious acts.
- Sciences Award - In Silver or Gold, awarded for innovative ideas, discoveries, inventions or breakthroughs in the field of science and robotics.
- Miranda Cross - The highest honour bestowed upon an employee for services to the company, meritorious acts or extraordinary feats.
Other Duties
CCIA has many other smaller duties than just the ones listed above. Typically these come and go based on various ideas agents may have, or depend on events and lore.
CCIA handles the majority of Employee Update bulletins on the relay, although Lore Developers use the same system on occasion. These bulletin posts are designed to offer RP hooks, immersion, and even highlight lore of the sector the Horizon is in.
Corporate figures in events are typically shared among CCIA agents, lore developers, and admins. Who gets assigned what largely relies on who will be present, and who is most relevant for the role. Almost all CCSAs, for instance, are played by CCIA agents.
Department Audits are relatively uncommon, but are a spontaneous "event" that agents can start. The audits have essentially no impact, however they exist to ensure that certain Procedures are reinforced, such as the uniform regulation, and to introduce an RP hook. Audits are performed exclusively by HRAs.