Tribunals
It makes me sick to think that Teresa will be hauled in front of a Tribunal. But there's no way in hell that I won't be watching on TV.
Tayler Miedes, Line Worker with Hegemony International
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tribunal is a quasi-judicial formal review process conducted within
Hegemony International. It is always administered by a panel of HERs. While Tribunals are typically convened for matters that are deemed to be "private" and/or "sensitive" (e.g., determining whether an employee's actions are grounds for termination), they frequently involve at least one spinster and are often filmed to be broadcast in one of Hegemony's myriad "reality shows". Although the HERs are usually granted final say in the Tribunal's conclusions, those verdicts are sometimes determined by the live vote of viewers.
History
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ribunals have been an integral part of Hegemony's corporate culture since the earliest days. However, their execution has evolved greatly over the years. They're favored by Reginald Howell as an "impartial" way to reach judgment on harsh or difficult matters.
Execution
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ribunals, in their current format, are conducted by a panel of three judges - with all three of those judges being HERs. A prosecutor is assigned to state the case against the employee in question. The prosecutor is typically the same person who called for the Tribunal in the first place. Employees can choose to defend themselves, or they can nominate any other employee to serve as a defender. Witnesses can be called and evidence can be presented - although this is up to the discretion of the participants, and such requests can be denied by the HERs.
Reality Spectacle
Tribunals are often attended by spinsters, frequently accompanied by a camera crew. In such cases, the resulting footage is usually aired on one of the company's many reality shows. Spinsters often push hard to have Tribunals televised, although this can be denied if the matter at hand is deemed to be potentially embarrassing to the company. Defendants have no ability to halt the event from being televised merely because they feel the matter could be embarrassing to them.
Participants
ERs are the most powerful participants in a Tribunal. The collective group of three HERs serves as judge and jury. For someone to be found "guilty", all three HERs must be in agreement. Once judgment has been passed, there is no opportunity to appeal the verdict.
Staging
While spinsters are not technically part of the Tribunal itself - they do not impose judgment and they can't participate directly in the proceedings - they are still a central part of the experience. This is because many Tribunals are televised. The spinsters, along with their associated camera crews, are allowed to intercede in the process whenever they need to better "stage" the event. They will often coach the participants on what to say or how to act, always with the goal of creating a more compelling viewing experience.
Observance
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ribunals are distinct from 360s in that they are not conducted periodically and they are not designed to gather general feedback on an employee. They're designed to determine someone's guilt-or-innocence with regard to a specific charge. They're also distinct from cullings in that cullings offer no chance for soon-to-be terminated employees to defend themselves. Tribunals are not, ostensibly, initiated for the express purpose of culling an employee - although a vast majority of them end in such a conclusion.
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