It is defined in the IEEE-SA Standards
Board Bylaws, 5.2.1.5 as: “An individual
is deemed “affiliated” with any
individual or entity that has been, or will
be, financially or materially supporting that
individual’s participation in a particular
IEEE standards activity. This includes, but
is not limited to, his or her employer and any
individual or entity that has or will have,
either directly or indirectly, requested, paid
for, or otherwise sponsored his or her participation.
Why am I being asked to record my affiliation?
IEEE standards development is based on the
principles of openness and balance. Standards
development meetings are to be open to all interested
parties and are not to be dominated by any particular
entity or interest category. The disclosure
of affiliation allows all participants the information
necessary to assure these principles are adhered
to.
How will this benefit me?
Industry participants and users of the standard
will benefit from an open and transparent development
process. The disclosure of this information
adds to openness and transparency.
What is the difference between employer and
affiliation?
They may be the same or different. Your employer
is typically the entity that would be reporting
you as an employee for tax purposes. If you
are consulting or contracted with another entity,
your employer and affiliation will typically
be different [e.g., your employer, self-employed,
or your consulting firm name as the employer;
the client(s) as the affiliation].
Will you assume that affiliation is the same
as employer?
No, you must declare any affiliation even if
it is the same as your employer.
What if I am a consultant - How do I determine
my affiliation?
The general answer is in the definition. It
is the person or entity that is financially
or materially supporting your participation.
Other questions in this set of FAQ address some
possible cases in which a consultant might find
him or herself.
When should I disclose my affiliation?
Whenever asked as part of the IEEE-SA process.
How do I disclose my affiliation?
It will be required at various points in the
standards development process. When joining
a technical activity area in myProject, you
will be asked to declare your affiliation. At
an in-person meeting, it will typically be included
in the meeting attendance sign-in, but on a
teleconference meeting may be done verbally.
When joining a Sponsor ballot group, you will
also be asked about affiliation
Will this information be shared with anyone
else other than IEEE-SA?
Yes, employer and affiliation of participants
is to be included in the minutes of a standards
development meeting. Because minutes are to
be available to all participants, the declarations
are considered public information.
How will this information be used?
All standards development group employer and
affiliation declarations will be considered
if there is an appearance of dominance in the
standards development project or governance
body.
What if I refuse to disclose my affiliation?
As outlined in IEEE-SA governance documents,
you will lose certain rights. In a working group
where voting rights are gained through attendance,
no attendance credit will be granted if affiliation
isn’t declared. Similarly, voting rights
are to be removed if affiliation isn’t
declared.
What happens to people who make a false declaration?
If it is determined that a person has made
a false or misleading declaration of affiliation,
their participation privileges may be suspended
or revoked. This may be limited to the particular
project or may, if warranted, cover all IEEE-SA
activities. Similarly, if warranted, penalties
may extend to the participant's employer and/or
any person or entity that is considered an affiliate.
I’m participating in IEEE-SA activities
as an individual. Why are you asking me for my
affiliation?
The requirement applies to both individual
and entity-based standards development projects.
It is consistent with the IEEE Code of Ethics
requirement to disclose conflicts of interest.
The employer and affiliation of a participant
is usually perceived by other participants to
be a potential conflict of interest and therefore
is to be disclosed.
What if I represent more than one affiliate?
If they are financially or materially supporting
your participation you should declare all of
them.
I consult for multiple companies but none
are paying my time or expenses for attending the
standards development meetings. Am I affiliated
with those companies?
If they are influencing what positions you
take on issues (e.g., continued work is probably
dependent on taking an agreeable position),
then you are materially supported by that affiliate.
Multiple companies are funding my participation.
Do I list them all?
A small number of entities are more likely
to be influencing your positions. With a large
number of entities, with none explicitly or
implicitly influencing your positions through
financial or other incentives, it is less likely
that your positions would be influenced by the
relationship. The person disclosing has to honestly
judge if their positions are “materially
supported” and if so, declare it.
If someone invited me to the meeting is that
the same as having “requested” my
attendance?
That depends. How much influence does the person
who invited you have in terms of influencing
your actions? If you are independent of that
person or their employer (e.g., you are a supplier
to the inviter as well as their competitors
at the meeting), then there usually wouldn’t
be an affiliation. If, on the other hand, you
are a captive supplier of the inviter then you
probably are affiliated. If the inviter is paying
your expenses and/or time, then certainly you
are affiliated with that person or entity.
What if I am retired - Who do I list as my
affiliation?
If you are not financially or materially supported
by another person or entity (e.g., you participate
as a volunteer for the good of the industry),
you could declare employer as self employed
and affiliation as the same.
What if I work for a subsidiary and am being
funded by them - Do I need to disclose its parent
affiliation as well?
If parent entities are not obvious and are
material to the standards development activity,
certainly you may disclose them. This is one
area that is likely to be pursued in the event
there is ever an investigation of domination
of a standards development activity.
What if the parent affiliate is not financially
supporting participation - Are they still considered
my parent affiliate?
In the event of an investigation on possible
domination, this information may be required,
independent of financial support of your activity.
I'm employed, but my employer isn't funding my participation. What should I record for affiliation?
It is recognized that some IEEE-SA participants
may participate on their own time on standards
development projects (e.g., Sponsor ballot participation).
In this case, it may be factually accurate to
list your employer but for affiliation indicate
that you represent yourself or are self-funded
on that particular IEEE-SA activity. A
participant is encouraged to check with their
employer or legal advisor that this participation
is consistent with any employee agreement to
which they are subject.
What is the Sponsor’s responsibility related to affiliation declarations in a Sponsor ballot group?
These are detailed in the IEEE-SA Standards Board Bylaws, 5.2.2.3.
What is the Chair’s responsibility for validating declarations of affiliation?
It is not the Chair’s responsibility to question a participant's declaration of affiliation. A faithful and complete declaration of affiliation by participants is required by the rules of IEEE-SA and expected under the IEEE Code of Ethics.
What do I do if I believe another participant has made a false declaration of affiliation?
As indicated in the IEEE-SA Standards Board Bylaws,5.2.1.5, any participant, including an officer of a standards development group, “who believes that a participant’s disclosure is materially incomplete or incorrect should report that fact to the Secretary of the IEEE-SA Standards Board and the appropriate Sponsor(s).”
Is there any exception for publishing declared affiliations in the minutes?
There are none defined. If though, a participant makes a declaration that is obscene, defamatory to an individual or group or otherwise through publication would be likely to be injurious to IEEE, the issue of publishing the declaration should be escalated to the Sponsor.
