Host Company Code
As of the 2021 fellowship, each production company which hosts a Multitrack fellow is required to sign on to our host company code, which you can read below.
We expect this code to evolve over future years, as Multitrack and everything we do is a constant work in progress. We are publishing the code on our website for transparency and in the hope that it may provide a useful template for any company which is working to address issues of representation and inclusion within the audio industry.
Training and On-boarding
Will commit all staff and long-term freelancers to inclusion and diversity training regularly, including at least once in the 12 months before the Multitrack fellow starts.
Will onboard all staff and freelancers to Multitrack, its ethos and aims through: an all-staff meeting which a Multitrack representative can attend, all-staff email, internal digital comms, team catch ups, etc
Will ensure senior leadership are engaged with the fellowship and welcome the Fellow with appropriate action such as a personal email or brief introduction.
Will have a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to all discrimination, ableism and bias within office culture. Will take an active stance against microaggressions.
Will ensure the company is building an active response to address concerns around inclusion and accessibility, in addition to taking part in Multitrack, in terms of office culture and impact on the wider audio community, e.g. recruitment practices.
Work/ Office Environment
Will provide the Multitrack fellow with all the tools they need to complete the jobs set for them such as laptop/ access to a computer, office systems, editing software, etc
Will ensure the working/ office environment is comfortable and conducive to working: i.e. desk space, chair, access to natural light.
Will ensure the company meets its legal obligations to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the working environment if required by the Multitrack fellow. Access requirements can change, e.g. in regards to physical or mental health, and employers should be flexible and responsive to this.
Will ensure Multitrack fellow is able to take a full lunch break, away from their desk each working day.
Will ensure Multitrack fellow is included in all relevant staff comms and mailing lists for the duration of their internship.
Will ensure the Multitrack fellow has a friendly point of contact outside of their line manager to whom they can ask questions, share concerns, etc
Will ensure the fellow is introduced during meetings where they may be shadowing or sitting in.
Will encourage the Multitrack fellow to be part of the social side of workplace culture and will include them in any appropriate group activity, without pressure or fear of repercussions if they aren’t able to attend.
Will ensure effective policies and procedures are in place to monitor staff complaints and respond to them, and ensure the fellow is aware of these systems. This includes but is not limited to formal systems such as HR related policies, but also more informal forums for staff to raise issues/concerns.
Production and Creativity
Will ensure the Multitrack fellow is able to offer ideas and work on projects that sit outside their personal identity.
Will ensure the Multitrack fellow is encouraged to bring their full experience and identity into the workspace. We need to create respectful areas for creative and editorial discussions where people can safely disagree and challenge each other in order to make better work. In practice this means that in creative discussions the Multitrack fellow is heard when offering ideas or feedback, especially when speaking into areas of which they have a personal experience in which the company may be lacking.
Will be cautious and thoughtful in how ‘development’ tasks are approached with fellows.
If a fellow is asked to work on programme / show development, it should be clear to everyone whether ideas put forward by the fellow will belong to the production company or the fellow
Fellows should be treated the same as any other freelance producer in this regard. For example:
Fellows can be set development related tasks, where research and ideas will ultimately belong to the company. But it is important to make sure fellows and companies have the same expectation about this
If a fellow is asked to pitch original ideas to e.g. a documentary commissioning round, the idea should belong to the fellow (as with any other freelancer), and if successfully commissioned, the fellow should be hired to produce it
If in doubt, think of fellows the same as any other freelancer, and apply the same principles in how you work with them on ideas
Host companies should be aware that fellows may be new to pitching and commissioning processes, and therefore it is always beneficial to talk about matters of idea ownership in a transparent way, to avoid any misunderstandings
Host companies should be cautious about making promises they can’t be sure to keep, regarding the possibility of fellows coming back in the future to work on ideas if they are commissioned - for example, if a fellow works on development tasks during their placement, don’t promise them the opportunity to work on the idea in the future, unless you are very certain this can be honoured
Host companies should also have transparent conversations with fellows about intellectual property rights (IP) - it should be clear who owns the IP in any given situation, and/or whether there needs to be a deal negotiation around IP and fees
As above, fellows should generally be treated the same as any freelancer pitching an idea
Host companies should be aware that fellows may be new to the concept of IP and its importance in the audio economy - so it shouldn’t be assumed that fellows will know what questions to ask about IP rights
Host companies should take some time to explain how IP plays into the agreements between producers, production companies, broadcasters and other distribution platforms
Payment
Will pay the fellow on time, in line with legal obligation to pay all freelancers and contracted staff on time. Delayed payment, like unpaid internships, is a major barrier to access to the audio industry.
Multitrack Point of Contact
Host Companies will assign a key company contact for oversight of the fellowship to stay in touch with the Multitrack Host Companies Organiser regarding any issues which might arise during the fellowship
This person will attend Multitrack meetings (approx 4 per year)
Will provide feedback at the end of the fellowship
