Bylaws of the Global Organisation for Humanitarian Work Psychology
Approved by the Membership, October 2013

There has been an amendment to the By-Laws, please view the amendment discussion in PDF format here.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Article I: Name and Purpose

Section 1 – Name
Section 2 – General Definitions of Humanitarian Work Psychology
Section 3 – Mission Statement and Goals

Article II: Organisational Structure and Leadership

Section 1 – Organisational Form
Section 2 – Organisational Structure
Section 3 – Leadership
Section 4 – Leadership Terms, Duties and Elections
Section 5 – Nomination Process
Section 6 – Voting Process

Article III: Membership

Section 1 – Membership
Section 2 – Becoming a Member
Section 3 – Membership Dues
Section 4 – Rights and Duties of Members
Section 5 – Resignation and Termination

Article IV: Meeting & Decision Making

Section 1 – Meetings
Section 2 – Minutes and Notice of Meetings
Section 3 – Decision-Making

Article V: Affiliates and Other Groups

Section 1 – Affiliates
Section 2 – Other Groups

Article VI: Adoption and Amendments

ARTICLE I: NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1 – Name

Global Organisation for Humanitarian Work Psychology (herein referred to as ‘the organisation’)

Section 2 – General Definition of Humanitarian Work Psychology

Humanitarian work psychology concerns the synthesis of industrial-organisational (I-O), work, and other areas of psychology with deliberate and organised efforts to enhance human welfare.

This definition includes a consideration of how issues in I-O/work psychology interface with activities that are traditionally associated with humanitarian assistance and international development and also with the promotion of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO’s) concept of decent work, poverty-reduction, and the humanitarian treatment of all people in their place(s) of work – whether in low-, middle-, or high-income settings.

Section 3 – Mission Statement and Goals

  1. Mission: Understanding and supporting organised and deliberate efforts to enhance human welfare through the study and application of organisational, industrial, work, and other areas of psychology.
  2. Goals

Goal 1. To develop, promote and support the field of humanitarian work psychology and its participants, by, among other things:

  1. Driving academic research, applied projects, education, and training efforts;
  2. Promoting representation from local communities across the globe; and
  3. Assisting in the development, adoption, and observance of best practices within the field of humanitarian work psychology.

Goal 2. To promote our values in the disciplines, organisations, and societies with which we engage – prominently including the discipline of psychology, the sub-discipline of organisational psychology, and actors involved in enhancing human welfare.

Goal 3. To promote and engage in humanitarian activities as organisational psychologists, including contributing to poverty reduction and the empowerment of marginalised groups.

  1. Values
    1. Social Justice – procedural, distributive, and interactional justice;
    2. Self-Determination – an opportunity and power to direct one’s life;
    3. Respect for Diversity – respect and acceptance of unique social identities;
    4. Cooperation – working with existing efforts and priorities;
    5. Accountability – working with and being accountable to those who are subjected to inequality, injustice, and poverty;
    6. Empowerment – supporting and facilitating marginalised groups to participate fully in society.

ARTICLE II: ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE & LEADERSHIP

Section 1 – Organisational Form

The organisation will be a hybrid of a non-profit organisation and a professional association.

Section 2 – Organisational Structure

The organisation will be centralised, with leadership by an Executive Board (see Section 4).

Section 3 – Leadership

Leadership roles will include the following:

  • Chair;
  • Vice-Chair;
  • Six (6) Executive Board members;
  • Student Representative.

Section 4 – Leadership Terms, Duties and Elections

a. Chair

i. Term

Tenure in the role of Chair will be one year with the opportunity for re-election.

ii. Duties

The Chair is responsible for:

(1)  The leadership and continued advancement of the organisation;
(2)  Promoting the mission, goals, and values of the organisation;
(3)  Overseeing the day-to-day functionality of the organisation;
(4)  Delegating tasks to others in order to carry out the above duties;
(5)  Chairing regular Executive Board and full membership meetings.

iii. Requirements for Eligibility

To stand as Chair a member must:

(1)  Hold full membership of the organisation and be in good standing.

iv. Election and Vacancy

(1)  The Chair will be elected by a vote of full members of the organisation;
(2)  Elections will be held annually in October, with the term of office beginning 1 November;
(3)  The Chair may resign their post by written notice to the Executive Board;
(4)  In the case of a vacancy in the position of Chair, the Vice Chair will fill her/his position

b. Vice-Chair

i. Term

Tenure in the role of Vice-Chair will be one year with the opportunity for re-election. ii. Duties The Vice-Chair is responsible for:

(1) Supporting the efforts of the Chair when appropriate and needed;

(2) Stepping in for the Chair when they are unavailable;

(3) Fulfilling the role of an Executive Board member, as outlined in section 5.3 (below).

iii. Requirements for Eligibility

To stand as Vice-Chair a member must:

(1) Hold full membership of the organisation and be in good standing.

iv. Election and Vacancy

(1) The Vice-Chair will be elected by a vote of full members of the organisation;

(2) Elections will be held annually in October with the term of office beginning 1 November;

(3) The Vice-Chair may resign their post by written notice to the Executive Board;

(4) In the case of a vacancy in the position of Vice-Chair, the Chair will call for nominations for an interim Vice-Chair from the organisation’s membership. The list of nominees will be 5 circulated to the membership for feedback to the Executive Board, and the Executive Board will vote for the Interim-ViceChair at the next monthly meeting. If the vacancy arises within 2 months of the next election, the position will remain open until the election.

c. Executive Board Members

i. Term

Tenure in the role will be two years with the opportunity for re-election.

ii. Duties

(1)  Executive Board members are elected to general positions and must be willing to fill any of the portfolios that are vacant at the time of the election.
(2)  At the first meeting of the new Executive Board portfolio(s) of work will be divided up amongst the Board members.  Portfolios might include one or more of the following areas:

–          Web manager;
–          External relations;
–          Communications;
–          Treasurer;
–          Secretary;
–          Marketing;
–          Programs;
–          Advocacy;
–          Membership.

iii. Requirements for Eligibility

To stand as an Executive Board member a member must:

(1)  Hold full membership of the organisation and be in good standing

iv. Election and Vacancy

(1)  Executive Board members will be elected by a vote of full members of the organisation;
(2)  Elections will be held annually each October with three Board Members being elected each year. The term of office will begin 1 November;
(3)  Executive Board members may resign their posts by written notice to the Chair;
(4)  In the case of a vacancy, the Chair will put out a call to the organisation’s membership for nominations as an Interim-Board Member.  The list of nominees will be circulated to the membership for feedback to the Executive Board, and the Executive Board will vote on the Interim-Board Member at the next monthly meeting. If the vacancy arises within 2 months of the next election, the position will remain open until the election.

Section 5 – Nomination Process

  1. Subject to the outlined Requirements for Eligibility, members wishing to stand for any of the above positions can nominate themselves.  Members can also nominate others for any of the positions.
  2. A nomination includes a description of why the member wishes to stand for the position and their experience which supports their nomination.  In the case of a member nominating someone else, no supporting documentation is required – the nominee will be contacted by an existing Board member to clarify their desire to stand and to request the above statement.
  3. Members wishing to stand for Chair are required to provide additional information about their vision and approach to leading GOHWP.
  4. Members may be nominated for more than one position concurrently but can only hold one position at a given time, except in the case of an Executive Board member standing as Interim Vice-Chair or the Vice Chair standing as Interim Chair.

Section 6 – Voting Process

  1. Each year full members of the organisation get one vote for Chair, one vote for Vice-Chair and up to three votes for Executive Board Members.  Members cannot vote for one person to fill a position as an Executive Board Member more than once.
  2. In the instance where a member stands for multiple positions, they will be elected to the highest position and removed from the ballot for the remaining positions.  For example, if a member stands for and is elected Chair, but also stands as an Executive Board member, the votes given to their Executive Board nomination will be disregarded, and the nominee with the next highest number of votes will be elected as a member of the Executive Board.
  3. In the instance where more than one person is running for Chair/Vice-Chair and an Executive Board position goes unfilled, the person with the most votes out of this group (and the person after her/him if there is more than one unfilled position) will be offered the opportunity to take that unfilled position.
  4. Each year full members who are students, and student members get one vote for Student Representative.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1 – Membership: 

  1. There are two membership levels in the organisation:
    1. Full membership: The eligibility for full membership in the organisation is limited to those who are ‘normally’ working or studying in the area of industrial/organisational/work psychology or a closely related area, or to those who are engaged or planning to engage in HWP and are accredited, enrolled, or associated with an organisation/discipline to that end. Students should ‘normally’ be studying at least at the postgraduate level (honours/masters or above).
    2. Student membership: Is available for undergraduate students (or those who have graduated with an undergraduate degree within the past two years) with an interest in pursuing HWP. Student members may participate in meetings and committees but will not have voting rights in the organisation beyond electing the Student Representative.

Section 2 – Becoming a member:

Prospective members must submit a short document outlining their interest and experience in humanitarian work psychology-related work/study. The Executive Board will nominate an Executive Board member to review the applications. Applicants that do not meet the prerequisites for membership in their application will be asked to submit more information that provides support that they meet the requirements for membership. After further information is collected, the Executive Board will vote on whether or not they are eligible for membership.

Section 3 – Membership dues

Dues will be set by a vote of the Executive Committee and will be scaled to accommodate students and members from lower-incomes settings.

Section 4 – Rights and Duties of members:

  1. Members will not engage in research or projects under the auspices, or make decisions on behalf, of the organisation without the express consent of the Executive Board.
  2. Members are required to be actively involved in the organisation. Active involvement means regular participation in meetings and discussions.
  3. Members agree to abide by the values and best-practices of the organisation.

Section 5 – Resignation and termination:

  1. Members may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Chair; or by another method stipulated by the Executive Board;
  2. Resignation is not permanent and past members may re-join the organisation at a later time;
  3. Membership, including for those in leadership positions, may be revoked by a majority vote of the members of the Executive Board upon finding that the member has knowingly and wantonly violated the values and/or undermined the mission/goals of the organisation.

ARTICLE IV: MEETING & DECISION MAKING

Section 1 – Meetings

  1. General meetings: At least one general meeting per year will be held; this meeting can take place in a physical location, but the Executive Board must make an effort to provide virtual access to the meeting for members who cannot be physically present.
  2. Executive Board meetings: Meetings of the Executive Board will be held virtually, at least once per month.
  3. Meetings will be called for by the Chair, or in his/her absence, by the ViceChair.
  4. Meetings will be run by the Chair, in his/her absence by Vice-Chair, or in the absence of a Vice-Chair by someone else designated for that role.

Section 2 – Minutes and Notice of Meetings:

  1. Except in extraordinary circumstances, notice of a meeting, including the proposed agenda, will be distributed to all members at least one week in advance of executive board meeting dates and at least one month in advance of general meetings.
  2. Minutes of the meeting will be archived by a representative of the Executive Board.
  3. Minutes will be distributed to all members within two weeks following a meeting.

Section 3 – Decision-Making

Whenever possible, decisions will be made by consensus instead of voting. When voting is needed, unless otherwise noted, votes on important matters will be decided by a majority vote of members that participated in the vote. Unless stipulated elsewhere in the by-laws, all decisions besides an amendment of the by-laws can be made by the Executive Board. However, wherever appropriate and feasible the Executive Board should seek feedback for its decisions through online discussion with the general membership.

ARTICLE V: AFFILIATES AND OTHER GROUPS

Section 1 – Affiliates

  1. The Executive Committee will maintain a list of individuals and organisations that can be considered affiliated with the organisation  – that is a list of those individuals/organisations without expertise/focus on humanitarian work psychology but who have an important voice concerning humanitarian work (e.g., those in other disciplines, organisations, community members, etc.).
  2. Affiliates may participate in meetings and committees but will not have voting rights.

Section 2 – Other Groups

Further groups can be formed as needed by a vote of the membership.

ARTICLE VI: ADOPTION AND AMENDMENTS

The adoption of, and amendments to, the by-laws must be formally presented to members electronically, and members must be given a minimum of two weeks to review the by-laws before voting for their approval. A two-thirds vote of members that participated in the vote is needed to adopt and/or amend the by-laws. When adopted and/or amended, the by-laws will be posted electronically in a place where all members can view them. All amendments to the by-laws will take effect immediately.

*** By-law Amendments effective October 2019 ***

i. By-law Amendment 1

Summary of Proposed Changes:

    1. Reduce the board size to six
    2. Vice-Chair and Student Rep positions discontinued
    3. All roles become two-year terms

Implications of amendment:

No election will be held in October 2019. Instead those in positions with one year terms will be automatically extended for a second year (Chair, vice-chair, student rep) – Board member positions will no longer be staggered – Elections will be held every two years

ii. By-law Amendment 2

Summary of Proposed Changes:

Addition of the following text to the by-laws:

“In the event the Board member fails to meet their agreed upon duties, they could potentially face being removed from the board.

This may consist of, but is not limited to, the following:

    1. Failure to attend three consecutive meetings
    2. Failure to respond to emails after missing a meeting
    3. Failure to respond to emails checking in on status for a period of more than three months

If these behaviors occur, this lack of response will be considered an implied resignation of their position. Such consideration must be agreed by 2/3 of the current board. In this case, the board would proceed without them following the protocol for board member resignation outlined in the by-laws.”

Implications of amendment:

Three existing board members will be assumed resigned