Template:CommandSOP

Command Policy

2.1 - General Expectations

As command staff, generally your job is to oversee the people working under you and ensure they are following the law and Standard Operating Procedure. They maintain authority over all other staff regarding their department and workplace, even the Captain.

Command Staff are role models and are generally promoted for a reason, and are mainly expected to direct staff and provide guidance, as well as ensure corporate regulations are adhered to. They should defer to their underlings in cases where it is not necessary for them to act, even if it may slow down the speed of work.

Command Staff are also generally expected to take part in communications with the rest of the station, and direct projects as needed for the general well-being of the crew.

In an ideal circumstance, Heads of Staff would need to do no work at all, however this is far from an ideal station. However, they should still know the majority of the jobs in the department they are serving. If the RD knows nothing about techwebs, then there's certainly cause for concern.

Generally, use common sense: You are a MANAGER, not a worker, and should only step in when your help is needed, and not to replace someone who's making a reasonable effort to do their job. To this end, Command staff should not leave the Station unless it is an emergency, this includes going to the Interlink. Clock out first.

2.2 - Hiring, Promotions & Demotions

Due to extensive lobbying, Nanotrasen is an at-will employer. You may lose your position for any lawful reason at the discretion of your department head. The Captain is the head of the Command department.

Policy for Promotions	Policy for Demotions
Department heads determine who is hired to their department. The Head of Personnel must consult a department's Head of Staff before hiring any staff to that department.	Department heads determine who is fired from their department, but must fire for a lawful reason.
The Captain (acting or otherwise) determines who is hired to a department in the absence of Command. A crewmember should be a member of the relevant department and receive a mindshield to be promoted to Command.	The Captain is the head of the Command Department, and determines who is fired from it or from any departments currently lacking a department head, for a lawful reason. The Consultant and Blueshield are not exceptions to this.
The Head of Personnel determines who is hired to a department in the absence of both. They also mediate disputes on hiring. The Consultant represents Nanotrasen in these disputes, and serves as the point of appeal for them.	The Head of Personnel mediates disputes on firing or hiring and serves as the first point of appeal for a fired employee. The Consultant represents the second point of appeal for a fired employee.
A new Captain should generally be hired internally from Command staff when possible.	An attempt to remove a seated Captain is called a vote of no-confidence. A simple majority (>50%) of present Command staff (excluding the Captain) must agree that they no longer have confidence in the seated Captain for a lawful reason. In such a case, the next in line for Captaincy takes command as Acting Captain.

_{Central Command is not obliged to respond to station disputes, but may choose to intervene. The Security department processes any charges for abuse of authority involved at any step in the process.}

It is considered self-antagging to lethally resist a lawful demotion. The core purpose of this policy is to ensure chain of Command is respected.

What constitutes a lawful reason to terminate?

A lawful reason to terminate must involve a violation of Space Law or a breach of applicable Operating Procedures. Crimes not committed in the workplace are not necessarily justification to demote, but committing a crime major or worse can usually result in a demotion.

A reason to terminate that is not lawful would involve discrimination based on race, sex, gender, religion, social class, or other traits deemed immutable and fundamental to a person by their genetic sequence.

Captain

The captain has absolute authority over the station, but is generally expected to defer responsibility in most cases. The captain should not be consulted for things, unless in extreme cases, or when a Head of Staff is not present. Captains are still beholden to Space Law, and can be arrested for failing to follow it. In this case, the role falls to the next in line.

Captains are also expected to look good and entertain foreign dignitaries, where reasonable. If a captain fails to properly maintain appearances in the presence of CENTCOM or any other high forces, they may be demoted.

Other than that, the NAD should be secured at the closest available opportunity. The succession order goes like this:

Captain -> Head of Personnel -> Research Director -> CMO -> Chief Engineer -> Quartermaster -> Head of Security -> Blueshield -> Nanotrasen Consultant

This is the highest role in the entire station. You are a big target for any antagonists, you are expected to take responsibility for the command team's actions, and coordinate the entire station. Not only are you held to a higher standard, should you fail to meet it, the consequences can be dire. If you act like an Assistant or Security Officer as captain, expect to be harshly warned.

With that said, you also have the most access and authority in turn. A good captain can and will turn a terrible situation into a much more manageable one. If you're already a great player, Captain is likely the role for you.

Head of Personnel:

As the Head of Personnel, you are responsible for the station's paychecks and ensuring everyone is adequately paid for the work they do. Additionally, your console is allowed to give anyone who requests it limited access.

You're the first in line to become Captain, and in cases where the captain is too busy to handle foreign dignitaries or secure the NAD, the responsibility may fall to you. Consider yourself the Captain's second in command in most cases, they may request you handle things in their stead, particularly minor issues they can't be bothered with.

Generally, use common sense: Check in with the relevant head of staff or department and give reasonable time to respond before granting anyone access. If there's no strong reason to refuse the access requested, then you should probably give it.

Your employees are independent, don't get in their way unless they break Space Law or SoP. Look good, warn people before you leave your post, and don't grant yourself All Access.

For a more thorough breakdown, see the Service section of the SoP (6.1)

Nanotrasen Consultant:

You are assigned as the head of the station's Internal Affairs department, and may be asked to act as a mediator in disputes, should any arise. You have no true authority besides that over your subordinates (the NTCT, assistants) and your status as a member of command. Your primary job is to help crewmembers with questions and support them in growing in the workplace. When acting as a mediator, your word is binding, but this can only be the case if all parties have agreed to have you as the mediator of any given dispute. In no other circumstance can the Nanotrasen Consultant hold power over other members of command. This may change if issued orders directly from Central Command.

Blueshield:

As blueshield, you have two primary functions. The first is to ensure that the Nuclear Authentication Disk (NAD) is secured by a member of command, yourself, or security (in that order). If protecting the NAD conflicts with protecting a member of command, you should favor the NAD; even if this requires restraining a member of command, such as the Captain, from running into danger with the NAD. You do not have say over who should possess the NAD unless you are the only person able to possess it.

Your second function is to protect ALL members of Command, including with lethal force (if necessary), in the order of priority prescribed by the Chain of Command. This includes things such as beating up an Assistant for throwing a toolbox at the CMO, or breaking into departments if a Command member is actively being harmed inside. Your top priority is their lives, if a member of Command loses their gear, that is not your concern.

You are encouraged to give a verbal warning if possible before attacking, and you shouldn't go straight for your gun-- much like with Security, you shouldn't play this job just to kill people.

However, Blueshields are decidedly not security, and should not enforce Space Law or attempt to protect anything other than heads of staff. If a threat runs off after attacking members of Command, you should not pursue-- you should stay with command to defend them. That said, if a member of Command is being suicidal or otherwise making a choice that would harm them, and thus their ability to do their job, you are well within your rights to stop them from doing so. Use your best judgement.

You should not harm members of command when attempting to secure the NAD, as doing so may lead to your lawful arrest. You have ultimate authority over the protection of command members, and you cannot be ordered to the protection of any one command member (if you believe it would be best to protect another command member, for example) except by Central Command.

• The Head of Security is an exception to this; they should not be hindered in doing their job, which includes running into danger.
• The Nuclear Authentication Disk is your ultimate priority. If you have to choose between saving a command member and the Nuclear Authentication Disk, you should choose the disk in every scenario.