NOTE – These are the original Bylaws of the WFRN, saved for archival purposes.   The current Bylaws have been substantially revised and restructured.

Bylaws of the Work and Family Researchers Network

  • Drafted December 2012
  • Approved January 2013
  • Amended March 2016 (Article III, Sections 3 & 4)

BYLAWS

Article I – Charter

Section 1

This scholarly academic membership organization shall be known as the Work and Family Researchers Network (WFRN).

Section 2

The Work and Family Researchers Network’s mission is to facilitate virtual and face-to-face interaction among academic work and family researchers from a broad range of fields as well as engage the next generation of work and family scholars. The WFRN also will welcome the participation of policy makers and workplace practitioners as it seeks to promote knowledge and understanding of work and family issues among the community of global stakeholders.

Section 3

The WFRN shall be a non-profit body, no part of the net earnings of which shall inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. It shall be organized and operated exclusively for educational and scientific purposes within the meaning of Section 501-c-3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Section 4

No member, committee or subgroup of members of the WFRN may take any action or issue any statement in the name of the Network except through the authorization of the Executive Committee, the Executive Officer, or the President.

Article II – Membership

Section 1

Membership shall be open to anyone interested in furthering the mission of the WFRN. Although the primary audience is international work and family scholars and academics, anyone with an interest in work and family research (e.g., policy makers, human resource professionals, work and family consultants, working parents) can join the WFRN. No specific academic degrees or disciplinary affiliations will be required for membership.

Section 2

Membership categories shall be defined as follows:

  1. General Members are work and family scholars/academics/practitioners and other interested individuals who have paid their regular membership dues.
  2. Student Members are undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students who have paid student-rate dues.
  3. Founding Members have made a commitment to help build the WFRN and to support it with additional financial contributions over a three year period.
  4. Sponsoring Members have made a commitment to help build the WFRN and to support it over a three year period.
  5. Additional membership categories, such as Sustaining Members and Emeritus Members, may be created as deemed appropriate by the Executive Committee. These additional membership categories may have different dues structures but members in good standing in all membership categories will have full voting and participation rights.
  6. All members in good standing will have full voting and participation rights.
  7. Affiliates are defined as individuals who have registered with the former Sloan Work and Family Research Network, but are not currently regular dues-paying members. Affiliates are not members and will not be eligible to vote to elect the leadership of the Network and will not be eligible to be on the conference program of the biennial meetings.
  8. Organizational Partners (non-profit and for-profit/corporate) are entitled to recognition on the website and in the biennial conference proceedings and discounted conference attendance rates for up to two employees. However, only individuals will be considered members and eligible for voting right. Thus, organizations will not be eligible for voting rights.

Section 3

All members shall be entitled to attend and to be included on the program at the biennial meetings of the WFRN, to receive its publications, and other communications authorized by the WFRN. All members shall have voting rights and are eligible for elective office.

Section 4

Annual membership dues for the various classifications shall be determined by the Executive Committee. Failure to pay dues will result in suspension of membership privileges.

 

Article III – Officers

Section 1

  1. The Officers of the WFRN shall be a President, a Past-President, a Vice-President, a Secretary-Treasurer, an Executive Committee, and an Executive Officer. The President shall serve for three years: the first two years as President, the last year as Past-President. The Vice- President shall serve a two-year term. The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve for a two-year term. The term of the Executive Officer shall be set by the Executive Committee.
  2. The President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, and members of the Executive Committee shall be elected by secret ballot by a plurality of the legal votes cast as specified in the Bylaws.
  3. New officers of the WFRN will assume their duties one month after the election results are announced.
  4. New officers and Executive Committee members shall be expected to attend the Business and Executive Committee meetings and to carry out the duties spelled out elsewhere in the Bylaws.

Section 2

The President shall preside at all Business Meetings of the WFRN and shall chair the Executive Committee. The President shall perform all the duties assigned to him/her by the WFRN and the Executive Committee. In the event of absence, resignation, or death, the duties of the President shall devolve upon the Vice-President. The Past-President shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee.

Section 3

The Treasurer shall be nominated by the President and appointed by the Executive Committee for a three-year term. The Treasurer shall review the periodic financial statements received from the WFRN accountant and the Executive Officer and shall oversee the preparation of the financial statements and budgets to be presented at the meetings of the Executive Committee and the Business Meeting of the WFRN. The Treasurer shall work with the WFRN accountant and the Executive Officer to insure compliance with the reporting requirements for the maintenance of the tax free status of the WFRN in accordance with the 501-c-3 provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

Section 4

The Executive Officer shall, under the direction of the Executive Committee, carry on the general correspondence of the WFRN, receive, have custody of and disburse the funds of the WFRN, provide periodic financial statements to the Treasurer and all financial information necessary for the preparation of the annual budget. The Executive Officer, in conjunction with the President, shall prepare agendas for all official meetings of the Executive Committee. The Executive Officer shall delegate to an appropriate member of the WFRN staff the taking of minutes at all official meetings of the Executive Committee, and at the biennial Business Meeting, and make sure that the transcribed minutes are prepared and distributed in a timely manner to all officers and Executive Committee members. The Executive Officer shall maintain a complete file of the official minutes of the WFRN as well as of all official correspondence, maintain the membership records of the WFRN, and assist in planning and operating WFRN’s biennial meetings. In addition, the Executive Officer shall perform other duties as the Executive Committee or the President may assign.

 

Article IV- Elections

Section 1

  1. The President shall name a Committee on Nominations of five members. One of the members shall be designated by the President as the Chair. The Past-President and the Vice-President may serve on the Nominations Committee.
  2. A call for nominations shall go out to the membership no later than July 15.
  3. The Committee on Nominations shall submit a list, nominating two candidates for each office to be filled, to the Executive Officer no later than October 15. All candidates must be members in good standing of the WFRN.
  4. Any 30 or more members of the WFRN may also submit a nomination for any of the offices to be filled to the Executive Officer by October 15 for inclusion on the ballot.
  5. The Executive Officer shall provide an appropriate ballot to each member of the WFRN at least 14 days prior to ballot closing.
  6. Balloting shall be conducted during December or January. Only dues paying members of WFRN will be entitled to vote. In the event that the nominees for any office receive the same number of votes, the Executive Committee shall be polled and the nominee receiving a majority of their votes shall be elected.
  7. Vacancies that arise between elections shall be filled by appointment of the President in consultation with the Executive Committee.
  8. Any officer or agent may be removed by action of the Executive Committee whenever in its judgment the best interests of the WFRN will be served thereby, but such removal shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the person so removed. Election or appointment of an officer or agent shall not of itself create contract rights.

Article V – Committees

Section 1

  1. The Executive Committee shall be the governing body and administrative agency of the WFRN.
  2. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, the Past-President, the Vice-President, the Secretary-Treasurer and six at-large elected members. The Executive Officer shall be an ex-officio member.
  3. The term of office of the elected members of the Executive Committee shall be three years. Terms will be staggered, with two members elected each year.
  4. The Executive Committee shall have charge of the general interests of the WFRN, shall be empowered to call regular and special meetings of the WFRN, and shall select the WFRN’s Executive Officer. The actions of the Executive Committee shall be decided by majority vote.

Section 2

  1. The President of the WFRN, with the assistance of the Executive Committee, shall provide a program appropriate to the purpose of the WFRN for the biennial and other stated meetings.
  2. The Executive Committee shall be convened by the President regularly, at least annually, at a time and place to be designated by the President in consultation with the other members.
  3. The Executive Committee may create, or delegate to the President to create, such special committees as may be needed to promote the work of the WFRN. This may include, but are not limited to, a Program Committee, an Awards Committee, an Open Access Repository Committee, and a Website Committee.
  4. The Executive Officer shall make an annual report to the Executive Committee and to the WFRN at the regular Business Meeting covering the operations of the office and the WFRN’s budget and financial status as reviewed by a certified auditor.
  5. The Executive Officer is authorized to approve the expenditures necessary for the transactions of business by the WFRN and its committees, including the following:          a. Necessary expenses of the President incurred in conjunction with organizing the conference of the WFRN.                                                                                            b.Transportation expenses of members of the Executive Committee to meetings of the Committee other than those held at the time and place of the biennial meetings of the WFRN.                                                                                                                                                    c. The necessary expenses of the Executive Officer in handling business of the WFRN. d.The hiring of staff as needed to carry out the functions of the WFRN.
  6. The Executive Committee will designate conference registration fees to be paid by members and non-members attending biennial meetings of the WFRN.
  7. The Executive Committee may approve the creation of awards and prizes as it deems appropriate.

Section 3

Other committees may be created as needed. These may include a Membership committee, a Respository committee, an International committee, and an External Affairs/Outreach committee. Members and chairs of these committees will be recruited by the President, Executive Officer and the Nominations Committee. Committee chairs and committee membership will rotate so that the opportunity to serve on these committees will be open and fresh ideas may be introduced.

 

Article VI -Meetings and Sessions

Section 1

The WFRN shall hold its biennial meetings at a time and place determined by the Executive Committee, and such other meetings as shall be designated by the Executive Committee. Notification shall be made to the members for all regular and special meetings at least thirty days prior to the date of the meetings. Announcement may be made via email, postings to the website, and by standard mail service when necessary.

Section 2

The term “Business Meeting,” as used in the Bylaws of the WFRN, shall refer to a gathering of the WFRN at which business is transacted and there is a quorum of at least fifteen (15) members of the WFRN.

Section 3

Resolutions passed by a majority vote at a Business Meeting are automatically placed on the agenda of the Executive Committee, which must respond during the ensuing twelve months and report its action to the membership at large.

 

Article VII-Conflicts of Interest

Section 1

  1. Whenever there is a conflict of interest involving financial or personal interest in any matter coming before the WFRN, the affected person shall 1) fully disclose the nature of the interest and 2) withdraw from discussion, lobbying, and voting on the matter.
  2. Any transaction or vote involving a potential conflict of interest shall be approved only when a majority of disinterested members determine that it is in the best interest of the WFRN to do so.
  3. The minutes of meetings at which such votes are taken shall record such disclosure, abstention, and rationale for approval.

 

Article VIII Amendments

Section 1

The Bylaws may be amended by a majority of those members voting in response to a ballot sent to the entire membership.

Section 2

Amendments may be proposed by the Executive Committee, by a special committee appointed for such purpose, or upon petition to the Executive Officer signed by at least five percent of the members of the WFRN.

Section 3

All proposed amendments of the Bylaws shall be circulated to the members of the WFRN at least thirty days prior to the voting date.

 

Article IX – Enactment

Section 1

The Bylaws take effect when approved by a majority of voting members for the WFRN.

 

Article X – Dissolution

Section 1

Upon dissolution of the WFRN or the winding up of its affairs, the assets of the WFRN shall be distributed exclusively to such charitable, scientific, literary or educational organization(s) selected by the Executive Committee and qualifying at the time as tax exempt organization(s) under applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and its Regulations then in effect.