Staff & player
handbook.

The handbook intentionally uses useful ideas found in public-service codes of ethics and collective bargaining agreements: a clear duty statement, defined management authority, member protections, written work rules, representation or support during serious meetings, progressive accountability when appropriate, grievance steps, written outcomes, and limited appeal.

Element Esports is not a government agency, law-enforcement body, labor union, or public employer. The handbook does not create employment, wages, civil-service status, union representation, contractual tenure, or legal due-process rights beyond applicable law and separately executed agreements.

I will serve the team and community with integrity; treat people with dignity; act honestly in competition and operations; use authority only for legitimate organizational purposes; protect private information, resources, accounts, and vulnerable participants; disclose conflicts; reject retaliation, cheating, exploitation, and favoritism; accept responsibility for my decisions; and report serious risk in good faith.

• Written role, reporting line, duties, and access scope
• Access to governing policies and reporting routes
• Reasonable notice and an opportunity to respond when safety permits
• Neutral review when the normal decision-maker has a conflict
• A support person during qualifying formal meetings
• Good-faith grievance, reconsideration, accessibility, and time-away routes
• Need-to-know privacy and non-retaliation

Ordinary first-time performance or communication concerns should generally begin with instruction or coaching. Repeated, knowing, dishonest, harmful, or high-risk conduct may justify stronger action. Decisions should consider severity, intent, impact, pattern, role authority, prior notice, cooperation, accountability, mitigation, consistency, safety, and organizational capacity.

1. NoticeIdentify the concern and applicable expectation when doing so will not create a safety or evidence risk.
2. ResponseGive the affected member a meaningful opportunity to provide context, records, witnesses, and corrections.
3. Neutral reviewMove the matter when the normal reviewer has a personal, financial, or organizational conflict.
4. Proportionate outcomeUse coaching, written expectations, warning, improvement planning, restrictions, probation, suspension, or separation according to the facts.
5. Written resultRecord formal action, required next steps, review dates, and available reconsideration without exposing unnecessary private information.

Target timelines guide the process without becoming forfeiture traps. Safety, integrity, availability, evidence, complexity, and volunteer capacity may require documented extensions.

A member may request one reasonable support person for a scheduled formal investigatory, disciplinary, grievance, or appeal meeting. The support person may help the member understand the process, take notes, request clarification or a short break, and provide quiet support.

This is inspired by the stabilizing role representation can play in labor procedures, but it does not create union status or bargaining rights. The support person may not intimidate participants, answer every question for the member, disclose protected information, disrupt the process, or create an unreasonable conflict.

The handbook applies to Ownership, Management, staff, formal players, Academy and Development players, creators, and other appointed members. Official safety, safeguarding, privacy, minor-participation, travel, reporting, and conflict-resolution policies control their subjects. Completed agreements and addenda control their specific negotiated terms.

The PDF contains the complete article text, ethical decision check, grievance intake record, and acknowledgment page. Acknowledgment confirms receipt and responsibility to follow applicable standards; it does not waive legal rights, create employment, or guarantee continued membership.