Firmwide: EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK

Transcription

1 EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page # Revision Date Welcome to inspire!!... 5 About inspire!!... 6 KNOWING THE BASICS... 7 The Employee Handbook... 7 Employment at Will... 7 GENERAL EMPLOYMENT POLICIES... 8 Disability Accommodation... 8 Equal Employment Opportunity... 8 Immigration Compliance... 8 E-Verify /20/2015 Affirmative Action... 9 Employment Classifications... 9 Exempt and Non-Exempt Employees Progressive Discipline Procedures Performance and Conduct Issues Not Subject to Progressive Discipline Documentation Timekeeping and Payroll Performance Management Employment Information Personnel Files Employment Reference Policy THE WORKPLACE Harassment Sexual Harassment Defined Other Types of Harassment Complaints of Harassment and/or Retaliation Protection Against Retaliation Investigations State and Federal Agencies Employees Supervisors Human Resources Resolutions Procedures Confidentiality Other Available Procedures Administration Voluntary Open Door Policy Appearance and Dress Code Electronic Communications and Other Technology Privacy and Monitoring i

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page # Revision Date Use of Information Systems and Communication Resources HEALTH AND SAFETY Safety Program Reporting Workplace Injuries Workers Compensation Communicable Illness Reasonable Accommodation for Qualified Individuals with Disabilities Drug Free Workplace Policy Alcohol in the Workplace Smoking in the Workplace Violence in the Workplace Concealed Weapons Workplace Searches COMPENSATION Overtime Payday Employee Referral Bonus Plan Payroll and Benefit Information Employee Self-Service Paycheck Deductions Garnishment/Child Support PAID TIME OFF (PTO) /20/2015 Holidays Sick Days Vacation /11/13 Transfers Jury Duty Witness Leave Voting Leave Military Leave Notice of Leave Reinstatement Bereavement Leave Family and Medical Leave General Provisions Eligibility Type of Leave Covered Amount of Leave Notice and Certification Bonding, Family Care, Serious Health Condition, and ii

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page # Revision Date Military Caregiver Leave Requirements Military Emergency Leave Requirements Failure to Provide Certification and to Return from Leave Compensation During Leave Benefits During Leave Job Reinstatement Fraudulent Use of FMLA Prohibited Additional Information Regarding FMLA State Law Personal Unpaid Leave of Absence Job Protection and Returning to Work After a Personal LOA Long Term Disability Insurance Maternity and Paternity Leave BENEFITS Anniversary Date Company Paid Benefits Health Insurance Benefit Effective Dates Benefit Claim Forms and Plan Documents Medical Information Confidentiality Policy COBRA Life Insurance Flexible Spending Account Employee Assistance Program (EAP) (k) Qualified Retirement Plan HOUSEKEEPING Inclement Weather Personal Property Important Contact Information Employee Conduct Protecting Company Information Conflict of Interest/Code of Ethics Gift Policy Talk to Us ENDING THE RELATIONSHIP If You Must Leave Us POLICIES & PROCEDURES TRAVEL AND BUSINES EXPENSE POLICY Travel Policy Purpose and Enforcement Air Travel Reservation Procedures Class of Service iii

5 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page # Revision Date Electronic Ticketing Cancellations and Unused Tickets Traveler Profiles Lodging Making Hotel Reservations Room Guarantee Hotel Cancellation Procedures Hotel Payment Procedures Rental Car Making Rental Car Reservations Class of Service Rental Car Insurance Rental Car Cancellation Procedures Rental Car Payment Procedures Rental Car Accidents Other Transportation Complimentary Shuttle Service Taxi Service Parking Personal Car Usage Reimbursement for Personal Car Usage Meals and Entertainment Personal Meal Expenses Tipping Telephone, Fax, Internet/Wi-Fi Non-Reimbursable Travel Expenses Payment Methods Personal Use of Corporate Card Corporate Card Billing and Payment Responsibility Reporting Lost/Stolen Cards Cash Advances Business Expense Payments ERPO Documentation Terminology Format How to Write an Expense Report Purchase Order (ERPO) In WebVantage CELL PHONE POLICY SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK ACKNOWLEDGMENT FORM iv

6 Welcome to inspire! We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to inspire!. We hope your work experience will live up to your expectations and that your association with us will be rewarding. We are pleased to provide you with your Employee Handbook ( Employee Handbook ) that outlines most of the personnel policies and practices currently in effect at inspire!. This handbook will be a helpful reference tool during your employment here. We also encourage you to freely ask questions of your supervisors and co-workers. By doing so, you will learn about your job and INSPIRE!! philosophy more quickly. During your employment with us, you will realize that we have set very high standards for you. These are necessary if we are to sustain our growth and commitments to our clients and staff. At the same time, we are committed to providing you with challenge, recognition, and appropriate compensation and benefits. Please accept our personal best wishes for your success and happiness at inspire!. Sincerely, About inspire! Page5

7 ABOUT inspire! inspire! is an award-winning independent marketing agency focused in helping clients connect with today s Latino consumer. Established in 1997, inspire! specializes in full service dual language marketing. Services include: strategic planning, and media planning/buying, 360 creative, social engagement, digital strategy and public relations for clients such as McDonald s, Sprint, Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Tecate, Tecate Light, Indio Beer, and Visionworks among others. For more information, visit Page6

8 KNOWING THE BASICS The Employee Handbook This Employee Handbook contains information about the employment policies and practices of inspire! We expect each employee to read this Employee Handbook carefully as it is a valuable reference for understanding your job and inspire!. This Employee Handbook supersedes all previously issued Employee Handbooks and inconsistent verbal or written policy statements. Except for the policy of at-will employment, inspire! reserves the right to revise, delete, and add to the provisions of this Employee Handbook. All such revisions, deletions, or additions must be in writing. No oral statements or representations can change the provisions of this Employee Handbook. None of inspire!'s personnel documents and benefit plans, including this Employee Handbook, constitutes, or is intended to constitute, an express or implied contract guaranteeing continued employment for any employee. No manager or supervisor has any authority to enter into a contract of employment - express or implied - that changes or alters the at-will employment relationship. Only the CEO of INSPIRE! has the authority to enter into an employment agreement that alters the at-will employment relationship and any such agreement must be in writing signed by the CEO of inspire!! Benefit plans, if offered to you by inspire!, and available if premiums and contributions are paid and if participation and other requirements are met, are defined in legal documents such as insurance contracts and summary plan descriptions. If you are offered benefits, and if a question arises about the nature and extent of plan benefits or if there is a conflict in language, the formal language of the plan documents govern, not the informal wording of this Employee Handbook. Plan documents, if applicable, are available for your inspection. Not all of our policies and procedures are set forth in this Employee Handbook. We have summarized only some of the more important ones. If you have any questions or concerns about this Employee Handbook or any other policy or procedure, please ask your supervisor or another member of management. Nothing in this Employee Handbook or in any other document or policy is intended to violate any local, state or federal law, including but not limited to the National Labor Relations Act. This Employee Handbook may apply to employees in multiple states. If you work in a state with greater or different rights, the Company will comply with all requirements. Please contact the Human Resources Department for more information. Employment at Will Employment with inspire! is at-will. This means that employment may be terminated for any or no reason, with or without cause or notice at any time by you or by inspire!!. Nothing in this Employee Handbook or any oral statement shall limit the right to terminate at will. This employment policy is the sole and entire agreement between you and the Company as to the duration of employment and the circumstances under which employment may be terminated. Only the CEO of inspire! has authority to enter into an agreement for employment other than at will and then only in writing. Unless you have a written agreement for continued employment signed by CEO of inspire!, you are an at-will employee. Page7

9 GENERAL EMPLOYMENT POLICIES Disability Accommodation Reasonable accommodation will be provided to individuals with a known physical or mental disability if such accommodation would not impose an undue hardship on the Company, and would enable the individual to apply for, or perform, the essential functions of the position in question. Any applicant or employee who requires an accommodation in order to perform the essential functions of the job should notify his or her supervisor or another member of management and request such an accommodation. inspire! will then identify possible accommodations, if any, that will help to eliminate the limitation or barrier. If the accommodation is reasonable, will not impose an undue hardship, and will not pose a direct threat to the health and/or safety of the individual or others, the Company will make the accommodation. The individual is required to fully cooperate with inspire! in seeking and evaluating alternatives and accommodations. The Company may require medical verification of both the disability and the need for accommodation. Equal Employment Opportunity inspire! is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with applicable law, we prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, creed, gender, pregnancy or related medical conditions, age (40 and over), national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information or any other consideration protected by federal, state or local laws. Our commitment to equal opportunity employment applies to all persons involved in our operations and prohibits unlawful discrimination by any employee, including supervisors and coworkers. If you believe you have been subjected to any form of discrimination, or if you are aware of an incident of discrimination involving another individual, please provide a written or verbal report to your supervisor, another member of management, or the Human Resources department. The report should be specific and should include the names of the individuals involved, the names of any witnesses and any documentary evidence ( s, notes, etc.). inspire! will conduct a thorough and objective investigation and attempt to resolve the situation. The investigation will be completed and a determination made and communicated to you as soon as practical. inspire! will endeavor to protect the privacy and confidentiality of all parties involved to the extent possible consistent with a thorough investigation. If the Company determines that this policy has been violated, disciplinary action, up to and including immediate discharge, will be taken. Disciplinary action may be taken when an investigation reveals conduct on the part of an employee that does not rise to the level of unlawful discrimination, but is nevertheless inappropriate. Appropriate action may also be taken to deter future discrimination or misconduct. Immigration Compliance We are committed to employing only United States citizens and aliens who are authorized to work in the United States and who comply with applicable immigration and employment law. As a condition of employment, every individual must provide satisfactory evidence of his or her identity and legal authority to work in the United States. The most common forms of identification are a driver s license and social security card; however, other official forms of identification can be used. Page8

10 E- Verify E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility. inspire! currently participates in this practice throughout inspire!. Affirmative Action inspire! has been and will continue to be an equal opportunity employer. To assure full implementation of this equal employment policy, we will take steps to make sure that: a) Persons are recruited, hired, assigned and promoted without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, veteran status, uniform service member status, age, disability or any other legally recognized protected personal characteristics. b) Similarly, all other personnel actions, such as compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs and recall from layoffs, access to training, education, tuition and social recreation programs are administered without regard to race, religion, color, veteran status, uniform service member status, national origin, citizenship, sex, age, disability or any other legally recognized protected personal characteristics. inspire! has appointed the CEO to take on the responsibility of Company EEO coordinator. The EEO coordinator will be responsible for the day-to-day implementation and monitoring of our Affirmative Action Plan. As part of that responsibility, the EEO coordinator will periodically analyze INSPIRE! personnel actions and their effects to ensure compliance with our equal employment policy. If you have any questions about this policy, or would like to review or be considered under our Affirmative Action Plan, please contact the CEO. I have reviewed and fully endorse our Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity program. In closing, I ask for the continued assistance and support of all of inspire! personnel to attain our objective of equal employment opportunity for all. Chief Executive Officer Employment Classifications Benefit eligibility and certain personnel policies apply to employees based on the employee s employment classification. a) A regular full-time employee is one who is not in temporary status and has a regular workweek of at least 30 hours. b) A regular part-time employee is one who is not in temporary status and has a regular workweek of at least 15 hours but fewer than 30 hours. c) A temporary employee is a full-time or part-time employee who is hired to temporarily supplement inspire! workforce to work on a specific project. Temporary assignments are of a limited duration (i.e., usually no longer than 6 months). Employment beyond the initially specified period does not in any way imply a change in employment status. Temporary Page9

11 employees retain that status unless and until notified of a change in writing by Human Resources. All legally mandated benefits such as Social Security (FICA) and Workers Compensation insurance are provided to temporary employees. Temporary employees are not eligible for any other benefits. An employee who works less than 30-hours for four (4) consecutive weeks will be reclassified to a part-time status. Exempt and Non- Exempt Employees inspire! classifies each employee as exempt or non-exempt in accordance with federal and state law. Exempt employees are generally paid on a salary basis and are not eligible for overtime pay. Non-exempt employees are paid for hours worked and are eligible for overtime pay. inspire! will inform you upon hire or transfer whether you are considered an exempt or non-exempt employee and whether you are eligible for overtime pay. Progressive Discipline Our progressive discipline policy and procedure is designed to provide a structured corrective action process to improve and prevent a recurrence of undesirable behavior and/or performance issues. It has been designed consistent with our organizational values, HR best practices and employment laws. Outlined below are the steps of our progressive discipline policy and procedure. inspire! reserves the right to combine or skip steps depending upon facts of each situation and the nature of the offense. The level of disciplinary intervention may also vary. Some of the factors that will be considered depend upon whether the offense is repeated despite coaching, counseling and/or training, the employee's work record and the impact the conduct and performance issues have on our organization. Procedures Step 1: Counseling and Verbal Warning Step 1 creates an opportunity for the immediate supervisor to schedule a meeting with an employee to bring attention to the existing performance, conduct or attendance issue. The supervisor should discuss with the employee the nature of the problem or violation of Company policies and procedures. The supervisor is expected to clearly outline expectations and steps the employee must take to improve performance or resolve the problem. Within five business days, the supervisor will prepare written documentation of a step 1 meeting. The employee will be asked to sign this document. The employee s signature is needed to demonstrate the employee s understanding of the issues and corrective action needed. Page10

12 Step 2: Written Warning While it is hoped that the performance, conduct or attendance issues that were identified in step 1 have been corrected, inspire! recognizes that this may not always be the case. A written warning involves a more formal documentation of the performance, conduct or attendance issues and consequences. During step 2, the immediate supervisor and a division manager or director will meet with the employee and review any additional incidents or information about the performance, conduct or attendance issues as well as any prior relevant corrective action plans. Management will outline the consequences for the employee of his or her continued failure to meet performance and/or conduct expectations. A formal performance improvement plan (Commitment to Improve) requiring the employee s immediate and sustained corrective action will be issued during the meeting. A warning outlining that the employee may be subject to additional discipline up to and including termination if immediate and sustained corrective action is not taken may also be included in the written warning. Step 3: Suspension and Final Written Warning There may be performance, conduct or safety incidents so problematic and harmful that the most effective action may be the temporary removal of the employee from the workplace. When immediate action is necessary to ensure the safety of the employee or others, the immediate supervisor may suspend the employee pending the results of an investigation. Suspensions that are recommended as part of the normal progression of this progressive discipline policy and procedure are subject to approval from a next-level manager and the Human Resources Director. Depending upon the seriousness of the infraction, the employee may be suspended without pay in full-day increments consistent with federal, state and local wage-and-hour employment laws. Nonexempt/hourly employees may not substitute or use an accrued paid vacation or sick day in lieu of the unpaid suspension. Due to Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) compliance issues, unpaid suspension of salaried/exempt employees is reserved for serious workplace safety or conduct issues. The Human Resources Director will provide guidance so that the discipline is administered without jeopardizing the FLSA exemption status. Pay may be restored to the employee if an investigation of the incident or infraction absolves the employee. Step 4: Recommendation for Termination of Employment The last and most serious step in the progressive discipline procedure is a recommendation to terminate employment. Generally, inspire! will try to exercise the progressive nature of this policy by first providing warnings, final written warning and/or suspension from the workplace before proceeding to a recommendation to terminate employment. However, inspire! reserves the right to combine and skip steps depending upon the circumstances of each situation and the nature of the offense. Furthermore, employees may be terminated without prior notice or disciplinary action. Management must notify the Human Resources Director for a recommendation to terminate employment. Final approval may be required from Executive Management. Page11

13 Nothing in this policy provides any contractual rights regarding employee discipline or counseling nor should anything in this policy be read or construed as modifying or altering the employmentat-will relationship between inspire! and its employees. Performance and Conduct Issues not Subject to Progressive Discipline Behavior that is illegal is not subject to progressive discipline and may be reported to local law enforcement. Theft, fighting and other acts of violence are also not subject to progressive discipline and may be grounds for immediate termination. Documentation The employee will be provided copies of all progressive discipline documentation, including all performance improvement plans. The employee will be asked to sign copies of this documentation attesting to their receipt and understanding of the corrective action outlined in these documents. Copies of these documents will be placed in the employee s official personnel file. Timekeeping and Payroll inspire! employees are required to report their time daily using Advantage time entry software. Supervisors are responsible for providing new employees with their login and password for Advantage (time keeping software), and for training employees on the system as it pertains to their department. Time is recorded beginning on Monday of each week and ending on Sunday. Timesheets should be completed by all employees each Friday close-of-business. The supervisors will review the timesheets and approve them each Monday of the following week. In addition to maintaining an accurate record of overtime, absences and vacation for payroll purposes, our time reporting procedures provide the basis for inspire! cost accounting system. Client time reporting is one of the most important responsibilities of an employee. The amount of compensation due to inspire! for services rendered may be dependent on your hours recorded. Strict compliance with the inspire! procedure is required. Performance Management Managers and employees are strongly encouraged to discuss job performance and goals on an informal, day-to-day basis. Formal, written performance evaluations are also conducted to provide both managers and employees with the opportunity to discuss job tasks, identify opportunities for development and career growth, encourage and recognize strengths, and discuss positive, purposeful approaches for meeting goals. Compensation adjustments are based on personal performance, level of responsibility as well as the overall business health of inspire!. Compensation reviews are scheduled annually however are subject to change and are decided annually by the CEO. Managers are responsible for ensuring that every employee receives a performance evaluation during the specified timeframe. We reserve the right to make any personnel changes (including termination) before or after performance evaluations. Page12

14 Employment Information Generally, information about an employee is not released to individuals outside inspire!! without the employee s prior written authorization. If an employee wants inspire! to provide information for a mortgage or other credit application, the employee must provide written authorization for inspire! to release the information. Unless an employee provides such authorization, INSPIRE! will only provide routine information (i.e., dates of services and position held) in response to outside inquiries. Personnel Files inspire! keeps certain records relating to your employment in an e-file personnel file. The documents contained within that file are the property of inspire! and must be maintained for government and Company recordkeeping purposes. Some employment records are kept in separate e-files, such as records relating to medical conditions and leave, records relating to investigations, and records relating to I-9 requirements. All files connected with an employee are considered strictly confidential, and access will be limited only to those who have a job-related need to know the information and who have been authorized to see the file in question. If you wish to view the contents of your personnel e-file, a written request must be made in advance. The employee should report during off-duty time or, with permission from his or her immediate supervisor, during work time to the Human Resources office. Inspections will be held on Company premises in the presence of the Human Resources Department. You will be permitted to review records related to your qualification for employment, compensation and disciplinary action. You are not permitted access to any letter of reference maintained by inspire! If you disagree with the accuracy of any statement in the records and no correction can be agreed upon, you may submit an explanatory statement, which will be attached to the records. For more information, contact the Human Resources Department. Only authorized managers and management personnel have access to your personnel file. However, we will cooperate with and provide access to your personnel file to law enforcement officials or local, state, or federal agencies in accordance with applicable law. Employment Reference Policy Upon receipt of a reference request for a current or former employee, the request must be sent to Human Resources and inspire! will provide only dates of employment and job title unless compelled to provide more information by law. INSPIRE! does not provide other employment reference information. THE WORKPLACE Harassment We are committed to providing a work environment free of harassment. As a result, we maintain a strict policy prohibiting sexual harassment and harassment because of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, disability, age or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law. All such harassment is prohibited. Our anti-harassment policy applies to all persons involved in our operations and prohibits harassment by any employee of inspire! including managers and coworkers. Page13

15 Sexual Harassment Defined Sexual harassment includes unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favors or visual, verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when: Submission to such conduct is made a term or condition of employment; or Submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as a basis for employment decisions affecting the individual; or Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an employee's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment. Sexual harassment includes various forms of offensive behavior. The following is a partial list: Unwanted sexual advances. Offering employment benefits in exchange for sexual favors. Making or threatening reprisals after a negative response to sexual advances. Visual conduct: leering, making sexual gestures, displaying of sexually suggestive objects or pictures, cartoons or posters. Verbal conduct: making or using derogatory comments, epithets, slurs, sexually explicit jokes, comments about an employee's body or dress. Verbal sexual advances or propositions. Verbal abuse of a sexual nature, graphic verbal commentary about an individual's body, sexually degrading words to describe an individual, suggestive or obscene letters, notes or invitations. Physical conduct: touching, assault, impeding or blocking movements. Retaliation for making harassment reports or threatening to report harassment. This policy also protects employees from harassment by vendors or clients. If harassment occurs on the job by someone not employed by inspire!, the procedures in this policy should be followed. This policy applies to males who sexually harass females or other males, and for females who sexually harass males or other females. Page14

16 Other Types of Harassment Prohibited harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, physical or mental disability, age, or other protected basis, includes behavior similar to sexual harassment such as: Verbal conduct including threats, epithets, derogatory comments or slurs. Visual conduct including derogatory posters, photography, cartoons, drawings or gestures. Physical conduct including assault, unwanted touching or blocking normal movement. Retaliation for making harassment reports or threatening to report harassment. Complaints of Harassment and/or Retaliation Any employee who believes that he or she has been harassed or discriminated against by a coworker, supervisor, agent, client, vendor or customer of inspire!, or who is aware of the harassment or discrimination of others, should immediately provide a written or verbal report to his or her supervisor, any other member of management, or the Human Resources department to report such incidents. inspire! will endeavor to protect the privacy and confidentiality of all parties involved to the extent possible, consistent with a thorough investigation. After a report is received, a thorough and objective investigation by management will be undertaken. The investigation will be completed and a determination made and communicated to you as soon as practical. inspire! expects that all employees fully cooperate with any investigation conducted by the Company. If we determine that this policy has been violated, remedial action will be taken, commensurate with the severity of the offense. Appropriate action will also be taken to deter any future harassment or discrimination. If a complaint of harassment or discrimination is substantiated, appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including discharge, will be taken. Protection Against Retaliation Retaliation is prohibited against any person by another employee or by inspire! for using this complaint procedure, reporting harassment, or for filing, testifying, assisting or participating in any manner in any investigation, proceeding or hearing conducted by a governmental enforcement agency. Prohibited retaliation includes, but is not limited to, termination, demotion, suspension, failure to hire or consider for hire, failure to give equal consideration in making employment decisions, failure to make employment recommendations impartially, adversely affecting working conditions or otherwise denying any employment benefit. Please report any retaliation to your supervisor, and the Human Resources department to report such incidents. Any report of retaliatory conduct will be investigated in a thorough and objective manner. If a report of retaliation is substantiated, appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including discharge, will be taken. Page15

17 Investigations Upon receipt of a complaint of harassment, inspire! will promptly conduct a thorough investigation in such a way as to maintain confidentiality to the extent practicable under the circumstances. Any employee who is found to have harassed or retaliated against another employee will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. Any employee making a dishonest complaint of sexual or other harassment may also be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. State and Federal Agencies For a listing of federal and state agencies responsible for enforcing employment discrimination laws in your area, please refer to the U.S. Department of Labor website at Employees If employees believe that they have been subject to sexual harassment or any unwanted sexual attention, they should make their unease and/or disapproval directly and immediately known to the harasser whenever possible. If the situation is not immediately resolved or if the employee is unable to or uncomfortable to address the alleged harasser directly, he or she should report the incident to the employee s manager, Human Resources or his or her own supervisor. It may be helpful to make a written record of the date, time and nature of the incident(s) and the names of any witnesses. It is important to report concerns of sexual harassment or inappropriate sexual conduct regardless of the seriousness to Human Resources or a supervisor/manager as soon as possible. Management cannot assist in stopping the harassment from continuing if it is unaware of the problem. Publicizing information about alleged harassment without following the reporting procedures might be considered evidence of a harassing intent on part of the accuser. Supervisors Supervisors must deal expeditiously and fairly with allegations of sexual harassment within their departments whether or not there has been a written or formal complaint. Supervisors must: Take all complaints or concerns of alleged or possible harassment or discrimination seriously no matter how minor or who is involved. Ensure that harassment or inappropriate sexually oriented conduct is reported to Human Resources immediately so that a prompt investigation can occur. Take any appropriate action to prevent retaliation or prohibited conduct from reoccurring during and after any investigations or complaints. Supervisors who knowingly allow or tolerate sexual harassment or retaliation are in violation of this policy and subject to discipline. Page16

18 Human Resources The Human Resources department is responsible for: Ensuring that both the individual filing the complaint (hereafter referred to as the complainant) and the accused individual (hereafter referred to as the respondent) are aware of the seriousness of a sexual harassment complaint. Explaining employer s sexual harassment policy and investigation procedures to the complainant and the respondent. Exploring informal means of resolving sexual harassment complaints. Notifying the police if criminal activities are alleged. Arranging for an investigation of the alleged harassment and the preparation of a written report. Resolution Procedures Incidents of sexual harassment or inappropriate sexually oriented conduct should be reported following the above complaint procedures. To initiate a formal investigation into an alleged violation of this policy, employees will often be asked to provide a written sexual harassment complaint with Human Resources. Complaints should be submitted as soon as possible after an incident of alleged sexual harassment. To ensure the prompt and thorough investigation of a sexual harassment complaint, the complainant should provide as much of the following information as is possible: The name, department and position of the person or persons allegedly causing the harassment. A description of the incident(s), including the date(s), location(s) and the presence of any witnesses. The alleged effect of the incident(s) on the complainant's position, salary, benefits, promotional opportunities, or other terms or conditions of employment. The names of other employees who might have been subject to the same or similar harassment. The steps the complainant has taken to try to stop the harassment. Any other information the complainant believes to be relevant to the harassment complaint. Confidentiality All inquiries, complaints and investigations are treated confidentially. Information is revealed strictly on a need-to-know basis. Information contained in a formal complaint is kept as confidential as possible. However, the identity of the complainant usually is revealed to the respondent and witnesses. The Human Resources department takes adequate steps to ensure that the complainant is protected from retaliation during the period of the investigation. All information pertaining to a sexual harassment complaint or investigation is maintained in secure files by the Human Resources department. The Human Resources department can answer any questions relating to the procedures for handling information related to sexual harassment complaints and investigations to complainants and respondents. Page17

19 Other Available Procedures The procedures available under this policy do not preempt or supersede any legal procedures or remedies otherwise available to a victim of sexual harassment under state or federal law. Administration This policy will be administered through the Human Resources department. inspire! prohibits harassment of one employee by another employee, supervisor or third party for any reason including, but not limited to: veteran status, uniform service member status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age and physical or mental disability. Harassment of third parties by our employees is also prohibited. The purpose of this policy is not to regulate the personal morality of employees. It is to ensure that in the workplace, no employee harasses another for any reason. While it is not easy to define precisely what harassment is, it includes: slurs, epithets, threats, derogatory comments or visual depictions, unwelcome jokes and teasing. Any employee who feels that he or she is a victim of such harassment should immediately report the matter to a member of management that has been designated to receive such complaints. inspire! key contact person for harassment reporting is the Human Resources department. Voluntary Open Door Policy We recognize that employees will have suggestions for improving the workplace, as well as complaints about the workplace. The most satisfactory solution to a job-related problem or concern is usually reached through a prompt discussion with your supervisor. Please feel free to contact your supervisor with any suggestions and/or complaints. If you do not feel comfortable contacting your supervisor or are not satisfied with your supervisor's response, please contact another appropriate member of management. While we provide you with this opportunity to communicate your views, please understand that not every complaint can be resolved to your satisfaction. Even so, we believe that open communication is essential to a successful work environment and all employees should feel free to raise issues of concern without fear of reprisal. Appearance and Dress Code Workplace attire and grooming must be neat, clean and appropriate for the work being performed and the setting in which the work is performed. Departments may determine appropriate workplace attire and grooming for their area. Supervisors should communicate their department s workplace attire and grooming guidelines to staff during the orientation and evaluation period. Any questions about the department s guidelines for attire should be discussed with the immediate supervisor. Electronic Communications and Other Technology inspire! provides information technology and communication resources (e.g., computers, computer files, , telephones including cell phones, facsimile, a voic system, Internet access and Page18

20 software, tablets and/or other electronic communication media) to you for business purposes. The electronic communication media and resources provided to you, including the information therein, are the property of inspire! and are intended for Company work-related uses only. Systems, services and resources provided and/or paid for by inspire! for use by employees, such as personal digital assistants, are subject to this policy even if not owned by inspire! and even if used while not on Company property. All employees are required to comply with this policy. Privacy and Monitoring Employees should have no expectation of privacy for their use of, or for the information contained in, inspire! information systems, including, without limitation, any infrequent personal use of such systems by employees. The use of information technology and communication resources may be monitored by inspire!. inspire! has the right to access, retrieve and print information and may conduct unannounced inspections of these information systems. Internet-related firewalls and proxy servers (security systems designed to prevent unauthorized access to inspire! private network) create detailed audit logs reflecting every request for service. If monitoring reveals inappropriate usage of the system, this information will be provided to Company management for follow-up. Use of Information Systems and Communication Resources All employees are required to comply with the following guidelines: Information technology and communication resources provided by inspire!! should be used primarily for Company business. Any personal use of such systems should be minimal and must not interfere with your or any other employee s work-related activities or performance. Voic greetings and signatures should be professional and business-like and reflect an appropriate business-like image. The listing of a personal website or address as part of inspire! is not permitted. You are expected to exercise judgment in the use of inspire! information systems and to refrain from inappropriate use, regardless of your location at the time of use. Communications (e.g., , text and voic messages) may be inadvertently intercepted by someone who was not meant to receive them. For that reason, when sending confidential information, you must use good judgment and ensure the protection and the non-disclosure of information which is confidential. Sensitive communications should be clearly labeled Confidential. You are prohibited from using inspire! information systems in any way that may be disruptive, offensive or harmful to others, including, but not limited to the surfing of web sites, downloading the display or transmission of cartoons, gossip, profanity, vulgarity, material with a sexual content or any other material that would violate inspire! policies or be construed as offensive, harassing, discriminatory or disrespectful to a reasonable person (e.g., a racial or ethnic slur, sexual comments or images). To be clear, inspire! policies against sexual and other types of harassment fully apply to use of inspire! information systems, including the use of instant message programs. Page19

21 You are prohibited from using inspire! information systems for solicitation of non-company related business, selling non-company related products or otherwise engaging in non-company related commercial activities other than those expressly permitted by inspire! management. You are prohibited from non-business use of inspire! information systems that taxes the systems bandwidth and speed such as installing or downloading software to inspire! equipment without written approval by the IT Department (e.g., streaming audio or video for personal use). You are required to follow inspire! guidance to ensure that IT accounts assigned to you are protected including: selecting a password and keeping it secret, taking reasonable steps to protect your files and media (CDs, diskettes, printouts, USB peripherals, etc.) and password protecting your workstation when you leave it. You are prohibited from stealing, using or disclosing another employee s login or password and from accessing any or voic other than your own, except when a password is shared in a business critical case and in accordance with the IT administrators are required to use the administrator accounts for administrative functions, reserve administrative access to the administration machines and reserve administrative action on the servers only to the authorized IT administrator(s). IT administrators are required to keep confidential all data and information of which they become aware in performing their jobs. You are responsible for ensuring that use of inspire! communication resources does not compromise the security of inspire! computer systems and networks or risk disclosure of confidential, proprietary, sensitive, or personal information. These duties include taking reasonable precautions to prevent intruders from accessing inspire!! network (e.g., logging off of the network before leaving the office, following all password and user authentication protocols and complying with inspire! firewall and anti-virus and spyware requirements). For confidential information obtained from third parties (e.g., customers or partners), employees are required to comply with any applicable confidentiality agreement in effect with such third party. All material received on disk or other magnetic or optical medium and all material downloaded from the Internet or from computers and networks not belonging to inspire! must be scanned for viruses and other destructive programs before being placed on the computer system. In addition, because home computers and laptops may contain viruses, disks transferred from home computers or laptops to inspire! network must be scanned for viruses. Employees are prohibited from infringing on the rights of third parties, including intellectual property rights, whether relating to trademarks, copyrights, logos, multimedia creations, software, text, photos, or images of any kind. Any statement with respect to copyright may not be deleted and reproduction, adaptation or modification of the work of an author without his or her consent is prohibited. Employees are prohibited from using links to websites which violate the law or infringe on third party rights. Any use of personal IT equipment (e.g., USB key, mobile phone, etc.) in combination with INSPIRE! equipment should be approved in advance by the IT Department. If such use has been approved in advance by the IT Department, users are required to take all necessary precautions so as not to damage or alter the functioning of the information technology equipment and communication resources provided by inspire!. Employees are required to comply with inspire! policies concerning the use of inspire! equipment, including that only authorized persons are permitted to install and repair such equipment, employees must use inspire! anti-theft systems, employees must exercise vigilance when equipment is used outside of INSPIRE! premises and employees must return all inspire! equipment when the employee leaves the employ of inspire! In the event of theft or Page20

22 other loss of inspire! equipment, the employee should immediately notify his or her manager, as well as the IT Department. In the event that you are made aware of inappropriate use of inspire! systems, including information security violations or the possible introduction of a virus, you should immediately notify the IT Department. HEALTH AND SAFETY Safety Program inspire! makes every effort to provide employees with safe working conditions; however, a safe and healthy work environment is everyone s responsibility. Employees who become aware of any workplace security hazards, or who have suggestions for increasing security in the workplace, should speak with their supervisors or the Human Resources Department. inspire! encourages employees to help make the workplace as safe and secure as possible. inspire! provides information to employees regarding workplace safety and health issues through regular internal communication channels such as manager-employee meetings, bulletin boards, memoranda and other written communications. Employees are expected to obey safety and health rules and to exercise caution in all workplace activities. Employees must immediately report any unsafe condition to their manager. Employees who violate safety standards; who cause hazardous or dangerous situations; or who fail to report or, where appropriate, remedy such situations, may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. Reporting Workplace Injuries Employees are required to report all workplace injuries as soon as possible to the Human Resources Department and to their manager, regardless of how insignificant the injury may appear. This will enable inspire! to process any workers compensation claim that may be associated with the accident or injury. It may also help prevent a similar accident or injury in the future. Failure to report a work-related accident or injury is a serious violation of Company policy and will result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. Workers Compensation On-the-job injuries are covered by our Workers Compensation insurance policy. This insurance is provided at no cost to you. inspire! pays for all costs associated with providing Worker s Compensation coverage, and the insurance carrier makes all decisions pertaining to compensable illnesses and injuries. If you are injured on the job, no matter how slightly, report the incident immediately to your supervisor and the Human Resources Department. Consistent with applicable state law, failure to report an injury within a reasonable period of time could jeopardize your claim. We ask for your assistance in alerting management to any condition that could lead to or contribute to an employee accident. You also may receive some salary compensation if you cannot work because of a job-related injury or illness and you are not receiving your regular salary from inspire!. Page21