Where age is just a number

Speak to seniors, teammates, and every member with patience, warmth, and dignity.

• Be respectful even when you disagree. Disagreements are healthy, disrespect isn’t.
• If someone is rude to you, do not respond with rudeness. Their behaviour is their responsibility; your response reflects yours and HFC’s and affects the larger picture.
• If you cannot be polite, be quiet rather than being disrespectful.
• Treat everyone as an equal contributor and create an environment where people feel comfortable participating.
• Celebrate others' contributions and help your teammates shine.

Communication gaps create unnecessary problems.

• Respond in HFC groups and do not allow communication gaps to grow.
• Work-related communication and positive compliments should happen in the relevant HFC groups so that everyone has context and visibility.
• If something is unclear, ask. Do not make assumptions about what others know or understand.
• Explain instructions and ideas in simple, clear language. Speak as though you are explaining something to a person unfamiliar with the topic.
• Be candid. If you do not understand something, say so. If you made a mistake, acknowledge it.
• Communicate according to your audience. Learn how to present an idea without unnecessarily triggering, offending, or alienating people.
• If you need help, ask for it early instead of allowing the problem to grow.
• All discussions, follow-ups, updates, and task-related communication must be conducted in the group. Avoid taking discussions to DMs unless absolutely necessary. Any important information discussed privately must be brought back to the group so that everyone remains informed, accountable, and on the same page.

Call Etiquette

• If someone does not answer your call, do not repeatedly call them.
• Send a polite message instead and wait for a response.
• Respect people's time and availability.

Jo dikhta hai, vo bikhta hai - What you see is what sells Good work deserves visibility, but visibility must always come from genuine work.

• Share meaningful progress, updates, outcomes, and completed work.
• Communicate your contributions so that your superiors and teammates know what you are working on.
• Visibility is important for professional growth, recognition, opportunities, promotions, and building trust.
• Never fabricate, exaggerate, or falsely report work to make yourself appear productive.

Also, don't just wait for tasks to be GIVEN. Seize your moment too!

• Do not abandon a task after accepting responsibility for it.
• Seek help when necessary, but do not transfer responsibility simply because something becomes difficult.
• Do not assume that a task is completed until you have solid proof that it is actually completed.
• Follow through until the required outcome is achieved and communicated.
• If you are unable to complete something, communicate early rather than disappearing.
• Do not wait for repeated reminders to complete work you have already committed to.

If nobody takes accountability, the work will not happen.

• Do not wait for a leader to tell you every next step.
• Identify what needs to be done and step forward.
• Volunteer for responsibilities when appropriate.
• Ask questions, suggest solutions, and bring ideas to the table.
• If you notice a problem, do not merely point it out, think about how it can be solved.
• Do not stop thinking simply because someone else is leading the task or group.
• Maintain a leader's mindset regardless of your designation.

HFC is a team. Individual growth should not come at the expense of someone else's growth.

• Support your teammates.
• Share knowledge and help others improve.
• Do not pull someone down to make yourself look better.
• Do not complain about another person's lack of work merely to highlight your own contribution.
• Focus on creating value rather than competing for attention.
• Celebrate collective progress.
• Conflicts and differences may happen, but they should never break the team.

Upto 2 breaks are allowed in a typical internship, but they must be requested for, 24 hours in advance, BY RAISING A TICKET.

• In these 14 days, your responsibilities must be temporarily shifted to someone else, and you must ensure that work happens smoothly during your break.

• Listen to all sides before forming conclusions.
• Do not react impulsively.
• Ask questions patiently and seek clarity.
• Address disagreements respectfully and transparently.
• Do not retaliate when someone is rude.
• Criticism or sensitive disagreements may be addressed privately through appropriate DMs rather than creating unnecessary public conflict.
• Never allow personal conflicts to affect HFC's work, reputation, or team environment.
• Keep the larger picture in mind: the organisation comes first.

Nobody gets everything right the first time. What matters is whether you learn.

• Accept constructive feedback without taking it personally.
• Correct mistakes when they are pointed out.
• Do not repeatedly make the same mistake after receiving clear feedback.
• Be stubborn about improving, not stubborn about defending your mistakes.
• Do not twist one mistake into a larger issue or use it as an excuse to stop trying.
• Ask for clarification when feedback is unclear.
• Treat feedback as an opportunity to become better.

Excellence lies in fulfilling your responsibilities with dedication, regardless of whether you immediately receive recognition or rewards.

• Do your work because it is your responsibility, not merely because someone is watching.
• Give your best even when the outcome is uncertain.
• Do not measure your contribution only by immediate rewards.
• Take pride in doing things properly.
• Consistent effort, integrity, and dedication create better long-term outcomes.

Be remembered for the value you create, not merely the resources you consume.

• Contribute meaningfully to the organisation.
• Bring solutions, ideas, energy, and reliability.
• Be someone the team can depend on.
• Look for ways to make processes, projects, and people better.
• Ask yourself: "What value did I create today?"

Time management is a fundamental part of this internship.

• Complete tasks on time.
• Plan your leaves responsibly and provide at least 14 days’ notice for planned leave.
• Leave requests with less than 14 days’ notice may not be approved, except in genuine emergencies or unforeseen circumstances.
• Before taking leave, ensure pending responsibilities are completed or properly handed over and communicated to the relevant team members or Head.
• Do not consider leave approved merely because you have informed someone. Obtain approval through the appropriate HFC process before taking leave.
• Send updates without fail.
• Check the HFC portal and relevant groups regularly.
• Stay updated on tasks, announcements, deadlines, and responsibilities.
• Do not wait until the last moment to communicate a problem.
• If you have multiple responsibilities, prioritise and manage them instead of allowing communication or commitments to suffer.
• Everyone has a full plate. The ability to manage that plate is part of the learning experience.

Attendance is not something to negotiate; it is earned through genuine participation and contribution.

• Complete your responsibilities sincerely.
• Participate actively in meetings and HFC activities.
• Your commitment and contribution should naturally reflect in your attendance and overall internship engagement.
• Do not focus only on completing hours. Focus on creating value.

Before the Meeting

• Join HFC-related online meetings at least 5 minutes before the scheduled start time.
• Keep a note-taking medium ready: either paper and pen or a notes app.
• Come prepared with the necessary information, files, and updates.

During the Meeting

• Keep your video ON.
• Turning your video off briefly when genuinely necessary is acceptable.
• If you are unable to keep your video on for the meeting, you may leave the meeting.
• Pay attention and actively participate.
• Avoid zoning out. Interaction, questions, reactions, and participation help keep meetings productive.
• Do not simply agree or nod. Speak up when you have something meaningful to contribute.
• Take notes and ensure that important information is captured.
• If you are leading a team, encourage your team members to take notes as well.

Offline Events

• Be present at the venue at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start time.
• Be prepared to contribute rather than simply attend.

• Check the portal and relevant HFC groups regularly.
• Admins must ensure that interns are added to the appropriate groups.
• Relevant group and portal responsibilities should be checked and managed on a daily basis.
• Do not rely solely on verbal communication for important work-related information.
• Keep yourself updated with the latest tasks, announcements, and instructions.

• Any material, content, sheet, file, or link shared for HFC work must either have public access enabled where appropriate or have access granted to the respective Head.
• Do not assume that someone has access to a file simply because you shared the link.
• Verify that the required people can actually view or work on the material.
• Phone numbers and contact information of interns available through the HFC dashboard must be used responsibly and only for legitimate HFC-related communication.

Mandatory emails to have edit access to the information shared

• happyfolksclub@isbr.in
• siddharth@isbr.in
• siddharthmkothari@gmail.com

• Keep HFC data, photographs, documents, internal discussions, contact information, and other sensitive information confidential.
• Do not share internal information outside the organisation without permission.
• Do not use HFC information for personal benefit.
• Respect the privacy of fellow interns, seniors, members, and other people associated with HFC.

Don't use HFC work as an excuse in front of your parents or any other committment.

• Do not misuse HFC's name, identity, information, resources, or affiliation for personal purposes.
• Do not represent yourself as speaking on behalf of HFC unless you are authorised to do so.
• Do not use HFC's name to gain personal credibility, access, influence, or advantage.
• Maintain the dignity and reputation of HFC in both online and offline spaces.

500 to 300 - 30% hours lost 300 to 60 - 30% hours lost 60 to 30 - 30% hours lost 30 to 60 - IS POSSIBLE with certification 60 to 300 - IS POSSIBLE with certification 300 to 500 - NOT POSSIBLE

Bring positivity into the organisation.

• Support your teammates.
• Be inclusive.
• Encourage participation.
• Celebrate seniors and their experiences.
• Create opportunities for bonding and networking.
• Use appropriate humour to make interactions enjoyable without compromising respect or professionalism.
• Remember that people may remember how you made them feel long after they forget the details of a meeting.

• Uphold HFC's values.
• Respect and celebrate seniors.
• Contribute to building a happier and more connected Bharat.
• Approach your work with empathy, responsibility, and purpose.
• Remember why the work matters, not just what task you were assigned.

Every intern represents HFC.

• Be punctual and respectful.
• Communicate professionally.
• Honour your commitments.
• Maintain appropriate behaviour online and offline.
• Protect confidential information.
• Treat seniors, teammates, and members with dignity.
• Never allow personal behaviour to damage HFC's reputation.

HFC may have a lenient recruitment process, but it has a quick and unforgiving termination process. Policy violations, consistently low commitment, poor ownership, repeated communication gaps, dishonesty, or behaviour that damages the organisation may result in immediate termination of the internship.

• Duty over outcome.
• Ownership over excuses.
• Growth over ego.
• Team over self.
• Value over validation.