People:MozSpaces Guidelines

MozSpaces Guidelines

We want to give you some guidelines to help navigate in our MozSpaces (offices).

MozSpaces are each designed to feel unmistakably Mozilla – bright, open places where folks can come together to hack, code, design, research, create, engage, have fun, celebrate and contribute to building a brighter future for the Web. They are not open to the general public and are not used as a co-share space for uninvited guests.

To make sure our spaces are cared for, safe, and available to Mozillians in a way that makes sense and is clear, we’ve put together some general use guidelines for our spaces and a few policies -- stuff we’ll stand firm on that ensure our spaces are safe and protect Mozillians.

The primary goal for any MozSpace is always to:

Increase participation within the Mozilla community by providing opportunities to interact, learn and collaborate together in one space.

Enhance the Mozilla experience globally by expanding our footprint, recruiting world-class Mozillians.

Increase Mozilla mindshare and connection with local communities.

These guidelines are in place so that we all understand:

Who can use MozSpaces and when
What's required when using the Space
Which types of events are okay and,
The process to reserve space in our Spaces.

Space inside the space

Within each of our offices, there is at least one large, open “common space” that can be reserved by a Mozilla employee for any one of our contributors, volunteers or event organizers. A Core Contributor is someone who has a leadership position in one or more Mozilla project areas. These spaces have varying capacities and packing more than that into the area just isn’t safe. If you have an event that’s bigger than what capacity can hold, Mozilla Spaces simply cannot accommodate it.

Events that work

In addition to an attendees list that sticks to our capacity constraints, there are a few other things to consider if you would like to host an event in one of our spaces:

Its purpose must align with our mission, goals, and objectives.
It must be free to attend and open to Mozilla employees.
It cannot conflict with bookings or other activities (work) happening in other parts of the space.
Every event hosted in a Mozilla Space must have an approved sponsor* present the entire time. This is one of the “policies” we mentioned above, that help to keep Mozillians, and our spaces safe. Sponsors are Mozilla paid staff only.

Sponsors are ultimately accountable for the event. They are required to be present during the whole event, will file "Event Designer Requests" (a Mozilla tool for Event Management) for support and/or catering, will ensure all safety, noise, and security policies are honored and will care for the facility and those using the space.

Nobody likes a conflict

Occasionally, we’ll get requests that conflict with paid staff meetings or other events. To help with that, here’s a breakdown of the types of events that qualify in our spaces, when they can be booked and how we juggle conflicting requests for the same dates.

Event Types: (that qualify)

Work Weeks & Trainings: Team meetings inclusive of core contributors (paid and volunteer) to align on hack on project roadmaps and initiatives.
Core Contributor Community Events: Large group business meetings involving mostly paid staff for purposes of meeting strategic initiatives.
Community Space Events: Events hosted for other Open Source/Tech Communities by core contributors (and sponsor) as well as partner organizations.
- Events hosted in the community space must not impact the ability of paid staff to work.
- If a situation occurs where the Space has conflicting events, the primary use of the space must go to work weeks or core contributor meetings.
- These events can only be hosted in the community space and not exceed the maximum room capacity in that space. (Paid staff area is off limits for events)

Our Guests

A guest is any non-Mozillian who comes to one of our spaces for a meeting or to work with a team for the day, on a Mozilla-related project (this includes candidates onsite for interviews).

Your guest must have a Mozilla Sponsor onsite, vouching for them to be in the common space.
Your guest must sign-in when entering a Mozilla Space using Lobby Connect at the front desk of each office. This part is critical from an emergency-planning perspective so please insist and ensure this happens.
Your guest must be at least 18 years of age unless their parents are with them or have given their written consent.
Your guest is expected to be respectful of our space. If they need to move furniture around or use AV equipment in conference rooms, please do it for them. If that means contacting Workplace Resources (WPR) or Service Desk, please be courteous and give them proper notice of at least 24 hours.

If you have a guest visiting a Mozilla Space for more than one day, please reach out to the local WPR for more details.

No catering will be provided for “meetings” and meeting rooms are booked through Google Calendar. WPR is not involved.

Who are Workplace Resources (“WPR”)?

WPR is a group of amazing folks who support Mozilla Spaces (they may have been called “facilities” at your last job). They are the protectors of our Spaces. They keep our building and furniture working, keep snacks and supplies stocked along with countless other things. They also get asked to do many things that aren't part of their job, like find sponsors for community events or order food for meetings.

And so, in support of the folks who do most of the supporting, here's a list to help us all work in the most effective way with this team. For Paid Staff, they take care of the following requests managed through The Hub:

Access Cards/Badges
Building Maintenance/Janitorial
Business Cards
Ergonomics + Furniture
Office Supplies
Shipping/Receiving
Space Planning and Moves
Travel
Vending/Snacks/Beverages

Volunteers should work with their sponsor for any space needs they have while visiting or during their events. It's not that they don't want to help, it's that they are a small team supporting 1000+ paid staff in our spaces to keep them open for Mozillians around the world.

These Mozilla guidelines and policies are subject to change as needed.