POLICY MANUAL (UPDATED 6-1-2022)
The Service Solutions Center Policy Manual contains our company’s personnel policies and procedures. It is designed as a working guide for employees to understand the company’s rules, regulations and goals. It should also help minimize the need for personal decisions on matters of company-wide policy and help to assure uniformity throughout the organization. Not everything can be covered in this handbook. We expect our employees to think about the decisions that they make and use “good judgment” that is in the best interest of our company, our clients and our profitability. Always feel free to discuss any questions you may have regarding any aspect of your job with your supervisor. We encourage you to ask questions.
Employment is at will and can be terminated at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice, either by the company or by the employee. All non-exempt employees will work for a 90-day probation period before they are classified as regular employees. During this time, employment may be terminated by the employer or employee without obligation of either party.
All employees hired will receive a manual at Orientation (hard copy or digital). If given a hard copy, then the manual is to be returned to Service Solutions Center if the employee leaves the company. Management, at any time without notice, may change the policies and procedures in this manual. The Policy Manual is not an employment contract or an offer to enter into an employment contract.
MISSION
To provide full service cleaning & maintenance services to all segments of our market
and to do it better than any of our competitors.
To deliver the exact services our customers want, listen closely to their expectations, take a proactive approach in defining their requirements, build the best partnering relationship possible and continually improve our products and services.
To create a company that rewards dependability, integrity and safety and provides for the training and development of all employees.
VALUES
A commitment to act with honesty and integrity at all times in all aspects of our business, to be professional in doing our job and to deliver a consistent, high-level quality of work.
PARTICIPATION
An understanding that improved performance comes by all employees working together toward a common vision and requires treating all employees with fairness, respect and dignity, providing required training and recognizing risk taking and innovation.
PROFITABILITY
A realization that job security, career advancement, recognition, and personal financial growth ultimately depends on the ability of our company to consistently generate a profit.
Air Quality Solutions of Rochester LLC (Service Solutions Center)
is owned and managed by Matthew Kitzmann.
Please reference the current hierarchy flowchart.
Our strength and future growth depend directly upon the contribution made by every employee in our organization. We also know that high productivity and efficiency result from your individual job satisfaction. Our policy is to be frank, fair and honest with personnel and to respect their rights as employees. We shall continue to strive to achieve mutual respect in our working relationship. We insist that our supervisors do all in their power to carry out such a policy.
Every employee is expected to be considerate of fellow employees, whether they are supervisors, subordinates, or co-workers. Employees must not work in a manner that willfully obstructs or hinders another employee from completing his/her duties.
Employees must work in a manner safe to both themselves and their fellow workers. Personal problems between employees should not be pursued at work.
Any personal online account used by an employee in connection with a company credit card must not be shared with anyone outside the company.
Gossip
Gossip can be dangerous and destructive in the workplace. Gossip is defined as: (a) any conversation about another person which is held in their absence or (b) any conversation about another person in which there is no first-hand knowledge or about which the individuals cannot affect the outcome. This doesn’t mean the company discourages conversation or chatter. How does one tell the difference between idle chatter and gossip? While idle conversation can be “value neutral,” gossip is often negative, inflammatory and embarrassing to the person being spoken of. It is of a personal and demeaning nature. “Gossip” so defined here does not include matters protected by law for employees, who may among themselves – if employees wish, without compulsion – discuss wages, hours worked, hours scheduled, promotions, etc).
Gossip can have many adverse side effects on an organization. It can increase conflict and decrease morale. It can result in strained relationships and break down trust levels within the group which results in employees second-guessing each other. Gossip is the death of teamwork. The group breaks into cliques and employees start refusing to work with others.
Gossip amongst employees will not be tolerated. Failure to comply with this policy will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.
As an Service Solutions Center employee, you are able to say what you want to online, but it’s good to be aware that what you post publicly can be seen by many people. Freedom of speech allows you to say what you want, but it doesn’t protect you from others reacting to what you say.
Admin guidelines for interacting with Service Solutions Center’s social media
Some more guidelines for social media use
Service Solutions Center Employees
If you are a day shift Service Solutions Center employee, you have less privacy than other employees because you are more visible. Representing Service Solutions Center as a day shift employee applies to online activity as well.
Be careful what you post about Service Solutions Center and what information you share online. If you have a public Twitter account, be aware that anyone can search and find your account. If you mention Service Solutions Center in a tweet, and someone searches for those terms, they may end up following you once they realize you are an employee of Service Solutions Center .
Respectfulness is the best policy if your accounts are public – a good measure is if you would want your family to read your post or tweet. If you would like to remain out of the public social media eye, it’s recommended that you make your accounts private and be discriminating when accepting follower and friend requests.
Service Solutions Center Social Media Account Administrator Policy
Expectations – You are going to be admin to our official account that represents Service Solutions Center on social media, there are some general guidelines that you must follow. We expect updates on our page at least once a week and would like to see updates to the tune of three or more a week
As an admin, please be the person who posts to our account. If you have a trusted employee who you think would make a good admin for your accounts, you can give them access to the page, but ultimately you are responsible for what is posted to the accounts It’s recommended that you do NOT give your personal account logins to employees; give their personal accounts content creator access.
Tips and Tricks – A few tips and tricks to get you started posting on your accounts.
Copyright – Never post copyrighted photos, video, music, cartoons, etc. as your own when it contains the work of a person who has not granted you permission to use it. You can link to videos and other websites containing copyrighted material. Images you find on the Internet are probably copyrighted so do not use these photos unless you pay for them or get written permission from the owner. If you do get written permission, it’s a good idea to credit the creator or photographer. Contact the Service Solutions Center office with any questions on content BEFORE you post.
Content – You shouldn’t be all business all the time. In order to get more fans and people interested in your page, you need to share content that is likeable and shareable. It’s just a fact of life that people aren’t that interested in reading about deadlines, even if it’s something they need to know.
The Service Solutions Center Facebook analytics do trend toward certain posts getting more engagement: memes, photos, everyday observations, trends, holiday and no class announcements, videos, and employee accomplishments.
Inappropriate content – Inappropriate content will and should be removed. Examples of this are: illegal activities; wagering, betting or selling; harassment; illegal discrimination; non- Service Solutions Center-sponsored fundraising; political or religious promotion or activities. Commercial offers may be removed based on content. Under no circumstance will a minor appear in a posted photo without signed release and consent.
Cross-promote – You don’t have anything to post for the week? Well, Service Solutions Center posts at least once a weekday on its Facebook page, so you can share any of its posts on your personal page. If you are scrolling through your newsfeed and notice a cute picture that would be perfect for your department’s page, share it! If you know that there’s a Homecoming football game this weekend, post on our wall.
Voice – When posting for Service Solutions Center, each admin should have an individual voice attached to it. Facebook posts shouldn’t exceed more than two or three a day. Ultimately, there should be a consistent trend to the voice across all admins that defines Service Solutions Center and its core values. Try to be:
Converse and Engage – In addition to pushing content out into the world, we need to converse with our fans and followers.
Facebook messages or questions posted to your page NEED to be responded to within 24 hours if it comes in during a weekday. Any negative reactions or posts on your page should be handled in a timely manner as well by someone who is knowledgeable in the subject. You should not delete negative comments in any way unless they are offensive or contain hate speech – this is a perfect opportunity to show professionalism by an explanation and solution.
Company – There is no tolerance for unauthorized disclosure of business ‘secrets’ or other confidential information, such as company financial data, business partners, vendors, or customers. Knowledge of the company’s affairs gained through access to office information not generally available to the public is to be considered confidential information. As such, it is not to be passed on to outsiders or discussed with other employees at any time. In contrast, knowledge an employee possesses regarding their own personal employment (e.g. wages, hours worked, hours scheduled, promotions, etc.) may be discussed with fellow employees if the employee so chooses.
Customer – Knowledge of a customer’s affairs gained through access to information not generally available to the public is to be considered confidential information. As such, it is not to be passed on to outsiders or discussed with other employees at any time. We are “guests” in a customer’s facility – please respect the privacy of our customers’ information.
Employee – All information on an employee application is considered confidential by management and is to be used for the hiring of personnel only. Personnel files are kept confidential by management and available only to management, legitimate government interests, and the employee himself/herself. An employee’s own personnel file is open to his/her examination at any time. Knowledge an employee possesses regarding their own personal employment (e.g. wages, hours worked, hours scheduled, promotions, etc.) may be discussed with fellow employees if the employee so chooses, but management will keep personnel file information confidential.
The rights of employees are to be protected at all times.
All questions regarding employee information are to be referred to management.
Children, family and friends are not permitted on the job site without approval from the President of Director of Operations. Unauthorized persons are not permitted in or around the job site.111
Please make sure to report any suspicious person or events to your supervisor immediately. Make sure that all doors that are locked when you enter or leave a work area. Make sure all lights that are to be turned off are in fact off. Do not let any unauthorized person into a building or office, even if the person claims to be an employee of that facility (the person would have their own key or access). When in doubt, contact a supervisor immediately.
In most cases, you will need keys/FOBs or access cards in order to perform your job. You will be required to sign for all keys/FOBs issued to you and will assume full responsibility for them. Protect the keys issued to you. Keep the keys/FOBs with you on the job site at all times – do not leave them on a desk , table, countertop, etc. Keys/FOBs should never be left in an unattended vehicle. Should the keys/FOBs become lost or stolen, report it to your supervisor immediately. Buildings should never be left until properly secured. If someone loses a customer’s badge/fob/keycard, the employee who lost it will pay the fee for it.
Keys Procedures
All keys must be checked thru management.
Field exchanges are strictly prohibited without management’s approval.
If a key ring chain breaks, the employee must report to management immediately.
The Client’s Facility
The Client’s Property in the Facility
Service Solutions Center welcomes suggestions from employees and supervisors. If you have a suggestion for a more productive way to do your job that will save time and/or money, or if you have any other suggestion that may save time or money, let your supervisor or manager know.
Employees who have a grievance are encouraged to first talk to their supervisor. If that is not possible or if the grievance has to do with the supervisor, then the employee is encouraged to speak with the manager above the immediate supervisor. If that is not possible or if the grievance has to do with that particular manager, then the employee is encouraged to speak with the President of Service Solutions Center.
All employees of Service Solutions Center must be neat, clean and in the appropriate uniform at all times when on the job. Any employee failing to present a professional appearance or reporting to work out of uniform may be sent home.
It is our attempt to make your working environment as comfortable as possible. We only ask that you use good taste in dress such as clean jeans or walking shorts (no holes or cut-offs). Shoes should be sturdy, comfortable, work or athletic shoes. Open-toed shoes and leather-soled shoes are not permitted. Steel toe or safety toe shoes are required at all factory where OSHA safety rule apply.
The employee’s ID badge must be visible from the front (shirt pocket or pants pocket).
An employee is expected to exercise due care in his/her use of company property and to use such property only for authorized purposes. Willful misuse or negligence in the care and use of company property will be considered cause for suspension and/or dismissal. Unauthorized removal of company property from the premises or its conversion to personal use will be considered cause for suspension and/or dismissal.
It is the employee’s responsibility to learn where equipment is stored and to keep the equipment and storage area neat, clean and organized. Make sure all equipment, materials, and supplies are in the storage area when you report to work and put everything back when you complete your shift. Do not leave any cleaning materials out overnight. No trash is to be left in the storage closet overnight. Report any faulty equipment to your supervisor and tag the item so no one else uses it.
Employees may be required to transport equipment to secondary locations.
Employees must read and understand the warning labels on all cleaning chemicals that you will be using at Service Solutions Center and follow all safety measures on the labels. MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) are located in all storage areas. Employees must understand that chemicals are not to be mixed.
If an employee makes a purchase that is either to be reimbursed or using a company card, and it is a Non-Company Vendor purchase, if no receipt is submitted, that amount will either not be reimbursed or will be deducted from the paycheck of the company card holder. Company Vendors are defined as any purchasing account linked to a company email that you can download purchase information from. Exceptions may be made based on the president’s discretion if receipt options are limited or unavailable.
Cell phones/smartphones may be given to supervisors to use so that management can reach the employees when needed. Should the cell phone/smartphone become lost or stolen it must be reported to management immediately. As noted above, cell phones/smartphones are not to be used while driving. Personal mobile phone calls may be made on breaks or, in the case of an urgent situation, employees are expected to make a brief phone call and go back to work.
All employees are required to have a cell phone/smartphone with text messaging capabilities. All Supervisors on up are required to have a smart phone with internet capabilities. All required phone services and plan services, etc. are the responsibility of the employees.
An employee must be a minimum of eighteen (18) years old to clean alone in a facility.
Any specific requests from a customer regarding age or criminal history overrides this handbook’s requirements and may prohibit management from placing a given employee in a given facility.
We are open to hiring applicants with felonies, but like all applicants they are hired at the discretion of the hiring manager. The customer may also require certain felons be barred from working in their facility. For example:
We may disqualify for hiring if committed within the last ten years:
We are open to hiring:
No employee of Service Solutions Center shall engage in the same or similar line of business as that carried on by Service Solutions Center without the knowledge and approval of the president. An employee shall not have a financial interest in a company that is a competitor of or supplier to Service Solutions Center. Financial interests held by immediate family members in such companies are to be disclosed to Service Solutions Center so that a determination can be made as to whether a conflict exists. Members of the employee’s immediate family include spouse, children and any other relative sharing the same home as the employee.
Nepotism
Service Solutions Center believes it is not in the best interest of the company to hire “relatives” of any current employee. This practice is normally prohibited. Special circumstances may be considered to make an exception to this rule.
A relative is defined as but not limited to “an employee’s immediate family member including a spouse, child or any other relative sharing the same home as the employee.” Individual circumstances may be reviewed by the management team.
Inter-company and Intra-company Dating/Physical Relations
Dating/Physical relations amongst employees are strictly prohibited. Violation of this rule may result in the termination or reassignment of one or both employees.
No employee may have relations with an employee of the customer – or an employee of another vendor servicing the customer at the same location – unless management has been informed and has given approval. Otherwise such relations are strictly prohibited and may be grounds for immediate termination or reassignment.
It is the policy of Service Solutions Center not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, national origin or ancestry. This policy not to discriminate in employment includes but is not limited to:
It is the policy of Service Solutions Center to maintain a working environment free from all forms of sexual harassment or intimidation. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature are serious violations of our policy and will not be condoned or permitted. Not only is sexual harassment a violation of our policy but it may also violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Examples of Misconduct:
Reporting Complaints
Any employee who is subjected to sexual harassment or intimidation should immediately contact management. All complaints of sexual harassment will be promptly and confidentially investigated. If the company discovers that sexual harassment has occurred, the following disciplinary actions may be taken: oral/written warning; demotion; suspension; termination. Disciplinary action may also be taken against any employee who in bad faith makes a false or dishonest claim of harassment or discrimination. Any supervisor or manager who has knowledge of such behavior yet fails to take appropriate action is also subject to discipline.
Full-Time – Regular full-time employees are those employees who work at least 40 hours per week and who maintain regular employment status. Regular full-time employees have also completed the 90-day probation period.
Part-time – Regular part-time employees are those employees who work less than 40 hours per week and who maintain continuous regular employee status. Regular part-time employees have also completed the 90-day probation period.
Service Solutions Center provides equal opportunity to all applicants on the basis of demonstrated ability, experience and training. Service Solutions Center shall determine the availability of qualified candidates within the company as positions become available within the company. Outside recruitment may also be conducted through schools, employment agencies, and company advertising.
Employees who terminate employment with Service Solutions Center may be re-hired provided they left in good standing with the company. The Company will not rehire a former employee who was involuntarily terminated. Management will decide if a former employee may be re-hired.
Employees that are re-hired by the company will lose their original anniversary date for all purposes and be assigned a new date corresponding to their first day on the job after re-employment.
Any employee with a company email address cannot change the password for that email address. Such an employee must request a password change from the President. The President of the company must be immediately provided the new password in any event or circumstance. Anyone with a company email should also expect that their company emails are not private.
Company email addresses are not to be used for personal correspondence, but for business correspondence only. The severity of the reprimand will be based on the offense. Special severe action will be considered for activities that violate company standards. Illegal activities will result in termination
All documents and information available for employee use on the Service Solutions Center App is the sole property of Service Solutions Center. At no time should digital or electronic information be shared with anyone outside the SSC Company. Access to this information is solely for the use of employees to perform job requirements. Abuse of SSC digital property may result in immediate termination and/or legal action.
Recording devices may be active on or in company property, including office, shop, and vehicles. Recording devices may also be active in a client’s facility. SSC management reserves the right to review recordings at any time. Personal business must be conducted during non-work hours.
Resignations
Although not required, it is customary to give as much advance notice of resignation as possible (usually two weeks).
The following are voluntary termination procedures:
On the final day of employment, the supervisor or president/manager must receive all keys/FOBs, uniform, manual, photo ID and any other company property from the employee. Keys are to be returned immediately. The employee has 72 hours to return shirts, photo ID and manual. If not returned, the former employee will be expected to pay the following:
(as of 10/18/2017 this is a $22.50 total charge)
keycard/fob Customer’s billed replacement cost
As per state law, wages will be paid to any discharged or laid off employee the earlier of the next regular scheduled payday or within ten days of the termination, weekends and holidays excluded. An employee who resigns his or her position will be paid on the next regular scheduled payday unless he or she makes a written request for earlier payment. All wages then due will be paid within 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays. All final checks must be picked up at the office by the employee.
PTO will be forfeited unless a two-week notice is given upon notification of termination. PTO will also be forfeited upon involuntary termination.
Service Solutions Center is committed to providing a safe working environment for its employees. Service Solutions Center will provide all safety devices such as gloves, protective glasses or lift belts. If an employee notices a potential safety hazard on a job site, you are to notify your immediate supervisor as soon as possible so we may contact the client in order to have the hazard removed. Employees must adhere to a customer’s emergency action plan as needed if the customer has one.
Report any injury to yourself or to others to your supervisor immediately. If it is an emergency that requires immediate medical attention go to the nearest immediate care facility right away. Injury must be reported to your supervisor as soon as possible. If you injure yourself while working, you and your supervisor must fill out an accident report. The office is required to fill out Minnesota State Form 300. No report of injury can be properly processed unless it is detailed and complete (including date, time, location, circumstances and witnesses).
If you have an accident which results in damage to property, report the damage immediately to your supervisor. Do not conceal or withhold the information.
If you must leave work to go to the emergency room, you will be required to bring in the paperwork when returning to work along with a note from the doctor clearing you to return to work.
If an employee threatens harm to him/herself, harm to another employee, or to commit a crime, management will report this incident to law enforcement.
All employees will also receive additional safety training at orientation. Review of safety procedures and training videos are to be watched yearly.
Drug and alcohol possession, sale, transfer or use during work hours is a serious violation of the Service Solutions Center Policies. Our customers and employee’s safety and health are important. Therefore, any employee under impairment from the use of drugs or alcohol while working may cause harm to other SSC staff and/or our customers and is strictly prohibited.
It is the policy of SSC to conduct employee random and/or reasonable suspicion testing for drug and/or alcohol use. If SSC has a reasonable suspicion that an employee is under the influence of drugs or alcohol while on the job, at the job site, or while operating any vehicles or equipment, we may require an employee to take a drug test.
The employee will be provided this written policy prior to being asked to undergo a drug test to acknowledge having knowledge of the SSC Drug & Alcohol Policy. The employee will be suspended without pay pending the results of the drug test to protect the employee, other SSC employees and the public. A positive drug test will require a second confirmatory test. In the event an employee’s drug test (or confirmatory test) is negative, the employee will be reinstated with back pay.
SSC will use an accredited, certified, and licensed testing laboratory. The employee will be provided a written notice of the test result report within 3 working days of the employer’s receipt of the result. Upon a positive result, we may request disclosure of any medications that he/she are taking that might affect the reliability of the result. At this time, the employee will be provided the opportunity to explain the positive result. A second confirmatory retest will be requested and shall be paid for by the employee.
Upon the confirmation of a positive test, the employee will be offered the opportunity to participate, at the employee’s own expense, in a drug or alcohol treatment or counseling program. If the employee refuses to participate, fails to participate or does not successfully complete the program, he/she may be terminated.
To ensure internal equity, starting salaries are determined based on the applicant’s prior experience and/or education directly related to the position.
The compensation program is designed to reward staff members for developing skills and competencies in their current jobs. It also supports career development by giving a staff member the opportunity to move into a different job within a career path.
Staff members are eligible for a merit increase annually. Merit increases are based on the staff member’s performance during the prior year as well as if a salary increase is available within the pay range for their position. Janitorial/cleaning staff have a salary range based on the buildings they are cleaning. Other positions are left to the discretion of the President.
It is the responsibility of the employee to follow the work schedule given to them by their supervisor. Employees are to be on time to work locations and are to be clocked in at their scheduled time – excuses for tardiness will not be tolerated.
Employees must contact their supervisor or manager as soon as possible if they are not going to make it to work on time or if there is an emergency that is preventing them from working that day. The longer the employee waits to contact Service Solutions Center, the more of a burden he/she puts on the rest of the employees that have to cover the work for that day. If an employee needs to start outside the scheduled start time, said employee must get approval from management
Employees requesting a day off must have approval of management. Time off must be requested at least two weeks in advance. This is considered an excused day off. Unexcused days off (taking a day off without giving a two week notice) will not be tolerated unless it is an emergency situation. Calling in sick the day of work will be considered an unexcused absence.
Procedure for requesting day(s) off:
Employees must keep all phone numbers with them so they can contact management or their supervisor when needed. If an employee needs to call because they will be late or cannot make it to work, they should call the Service Solutions Center office first. If no one is there, a message should be left and then contact the supervisor on call, by cell phone/smartphone. You are required to add these numbers to the contact list in your cell phone/smartphone.
Service Solutions Center uses a computerized telephone timekeeping system. All employees are required to clock in and clock out of the locations to which they are assigned using this system. All employees are required to own and use a smartphone that has the capacity to operate the scheduling app. All employees of SSC are required to have a smart phone and allow the timekeeping software to use their personal data and any needed battery power to enable the GPS tracking system in the timekeeping software. SSC requires this GPS tracking, smartphone usage, and phone plan data usage for employees.
Time will be calculated daily by the computer. All employees will receive instruction for the timekeeping system. Employees must clock in and out only at the facility for which they are claiming to clock in and out. Employees who clock-in to a location, leave the building, and then return later to clock-out, (without their supervisor’s knowledge or permission), will be terminated.
Employees that work at multiple locations will be paid as follows:
time starts when they start work at their first location, time ends when they finish work at their last location. As long as the employee travels from one job to the next they will be paid for that time – however, there is to be no unreasonable lapses between locations. The company will only pay for the time it takes to drive from one location to the next (see below for “travel time” compensation).
Employees who travel from one job to the next:
You will be paid for travel time between clocking out of one building and clocking into the next building. The timekeeping software utilizes google maps (or comparable mapping services). These travel times dictate the amount of time the employee is compensated for travel. Times in excess of the allotted time will not be compensated, unless otherwise approved by management, as the assumption is the employee is using personal time.
Lunch Breaks: Full-time employees that take a lunch break must clock out of the building they are working in and then clock in when they return to work. Please refer to mandatory breaks and dinner break exceptions elsewhere in this document.
Failure to Clock in or Clock Out: Failing to clock in or clock out will not be tolerated. When an employee fails to clock in or clock out the system cannot compute the time worked which may cause a delay in processing your pay for that pay period. Any employee who fails to clock in or clock out twice during any one pay period will receive a verbal warning. A third failure to clock in or clock out in that pay period may result in a written warning. More than three failures to clock in or clock out in any one pay period may result in probation. If this becomes a continual problem each pay period, the employee may be terminated.
Failure to Clock in or Clock Out from assigned location: Employees must clock in and clock out from the assigned location. Employees that falsify their time cards may be terminated.
Power Outage or Equipment Failure: In the event that clocking-in and -out is not available, employees are expected to contact a supervisor as soon as possible and to include this information in your nightly report – including start and end times at each facility cleaned.
Overtime is to be avoided whenever possible. When overtime is absolutely necessary to serve the needs of our customers, the company compensates its employees for overtime in accordance with state and federal legislation.
The following holidays are days off: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Should New Year’s, Independence, or Christmas days fall on a Saturday, then the Friday before the holiday is also a day off. Salaried employees receive their regular rate of pay for any of these holidays that fall on weekdays and for any compensation holidays.
Breaks will be taken as follows:
Employees who work less than 4 hours are not allowed to take a break. Employees who are allowed a break are expected to take it about midway through their shift. Employees who forego a paid rest break may not shorten a workday to make up for it. Remember that smoking is permitted only outside in designated areas . Smoking and eating are not allowed while working.
Service Solutions Center does allow an employee to skip a half-hour meal break at their own discretion – please reference the policy page signed upon hiring signature waiver form.
Employees of Service Solutions Center are paid every other week, typically on fridays.
We have direct deposit and will collect your bank account information on your first day of employment. Pay will be deposited every other Thursday. Pay Stubs are distributed via email. Employees who choose to have a physical check mailed to them cannot be guaranteed payday arrival. Such employees receive their paycheck at the delivery speed of the US Postal Service.
Advances
Pay advances are not normally allowed, but may be granted by discretion of the President of Service Solutions Center. These may include, but are not limited to, advances on hours work payments, salaried bi monthly payments, or advances on expected bonuses due to any retention, performance, or holiday program. If an advance is approved, the terms of payment will be up to the discretion of the president and any applicable taxes will be deducted on their normal payday schedule. If an employee receives an advance and voluntarily quits or is fired before the balance has been fully paid off, the remaining balance will be deducted from their final paycheck. If the final paycheck does not cover the outstanding balance, monies owed will be due back to Service Solutions Center and is to be paid within 10 days of the end of the employment or legal action may be pursued. Any legal costs incurred in relation to collection will be owed by the employee.
Management expects its employees to report to work on time on a regular basis. While we recognize that there are circumstances that may cause an employee to be absent from work, absences must be kept to a minimum in order to provide our customers with steady, quality service. Therefore, management retains the right to deny authorization of any requested absence, the right to investigate any absence and the right to take disciplinary measures up to and including dismissal for excessive absence. These absentee policies have been developed to ensure that all employees are treated in an equitable manner and that company production will not suffer because of absenteeism. Frequent absence causes hardship for others and cannot be tolerated. These policies apply to all classes of employees.
An employee must contact his/her supervisor or manager if he/she is going to be late or absent for any reason. Explain why you are going to be absent and when you expect to return to work. It is your responsibility to ensure that proper notification is given. Prior notice should be given to your supervisor or manager if you know in advance you are going to be absent.
No more than 2 unexcused absences will be allowed in a calendar quarter. Please see “major violations section” for further information on consequences.
Excused – Anytime an employee requests time off by giving a two-week notice that is approved by management.
Unexcused – Any employee absence that has not been requested with a two week notice.
An employee is to contact his/her supervisor when sick or when personal leave is needed because of illness. Calling in sick the day of work will be considered an unexcused absence.
It remains the employee’s responsibility to keep the supervisor informed as to his/her condition and when he/she will return to work. A medical statement from the employee’s doctor may be requested by the company when an employee is absent from work for three or more working days. If you must leave work to go to the emergency room, you will be required to bring in the paperwork when returning to work along with a note from the doctor clearing you to return to work.
Leave of Absence
Leave of Absence is time off in a non-pay status. An employee must submit a Request for Leave of Absence in writing to management. The employee is expected to request a leave of absence with as much advance notice as possible. The Leave form can be obtained by contacting the office. Leaves of absence will not be granted for periods less than four weeks in duration. PTO should be used for such absences.
The reason for leave should fall into one of the following categories: Medical (including pregnancy related), Military, or Personal. The state of Minnesota guarantees 12 weeks of unpaid pregnancy/parental leave if the employee has worked for at least 12 months and works at least half-time.
The employee has the responsibility to keep his/her supervisor advised of the leave situation and to contact his/her supervisor at least two weeks prior to the expiration of the approved leave to discuss return to work. If the employee desires voluntary termination, this should be reported as soon as possible. The company will make a reasonable effort, consistent with good business practices and company needs, to reinstate an employee to the same position he/she previously occupied, or to a similar position following a leave of absence. However, the company cannot guarantee that the same or similar position will be available at the time an employee desires to return to work, or thereafter.
No PTO hours are earned during the leave period. Employees requesting a leave of absence for medical or military may choose to use all earned PTO before beginning the leave of absence. Employees requesting a personal leave of absence must use all earned PTO before beginning the leave of absence.
The Merit Review date will be delayed equal to the number of days the employee is gone on leave of absence. An employee on leave of absence who fails to return to work will be terminated effective his/her last day of work, or paid leave, whichever is later.
As a joint protection to the employee and the company, employees who have been absent from work because of serious illness or injury are required to obtain a doctor’s release specifically stating that the employee is capable of performing his/her normal duties or assignments. A serious injury or illness is defined as one that results in the employee being absent from work for more than three consecutive days or one which may limit the employee’s future performance of regular duties or assignments.
Upon returning to work, employees will be returned to their same duties and locations at which they work if at all possible. However, depending on the length of illness or injury this may not be possible. Service Solutions Center will make every effort to keep duties and/or locations the same or similar to which the employee was accustomed.\
Job Descriptions
The purpose of a Job Description is to define a position’s duties and set requirements for filling the position. The status and wage type of employment is decided at the discretion of the President and Director of Operations.
All job descriptions are continuously evolving and are determined by the management team and will be given to employees upon hire, promotion, demotion, or change of status. Employees must expect their job title, description, and/or duties could change at any time. Employees should refer to the company structure hierarchy flowchart for whom to report to.
An employee may be asked to clean at any facility and upon accepting employment acknowledges that their schedule and locations may be subject to change.
Minnesota Wage Disclosure Protection Law
“Under the Minnesota Wage Disclosure Protection law, you have the right to tell any person the amount of your own wages. Your employer cannot retaliate against you for disclosing your own wages. Your remedies under the Wage Disclosure Protection law are to bring a civil action against your employer and/or file a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry at (651) 284-5070 or 1-800-342-5354.”
Salaried Employees
Salaried Employees are paid a pay period rate as determined by their package. As such, salaried employees are expected to work long hours and weekends when the workload requires it.
When a salaried employee is unable to work 80 hours in a pay period, the time will be deducted from their “PTO balance”. If the salaried employee is out of PTO days or has not yet earned PTO, the employee’s salary will be adjusted by the hourly rate the salary was based upon.
Individual circumstances may be considered by the President and be adjusted.
Promotions and Reviews Procedures
Reviews are the discretion of the management team and generally are given at 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 6 months, 12 months, and as employment continues.
Promotions are at the discretion of the management team and may vary greatly dependent on a number of factors.
PTO (Paid Time Off) Policy
It is the policy of Service Solutions Center to grant time off with pay to provide qualifying employees with periods for rest and recreation in recognition of services performed.
Eligibility:
New Employees (worked less than one year)
New Employees qualify for PTO benefits after their 90-day review. PTO accrues at the rate below.
Existing Employees (worked more than one year)
Existing Employees must work a minimum of 1820 hours between anniversary dates to qualify for each year.
How PTO is calculated:
Hourly Employees:
90-days to 3 years of employment: PTO rate: .01923 hours of PTO per hour worked.
40 hours PTO maximum may be earned. Hours start to accrue after the 90-day review.
4-9 years of employment: PTO rate: .03846 hours of PTO per hour worked.
80 hours PTO maximum may be earned.
10-19 years of employment: PTO rate: .05769 hours of PTO per hour worked.
120 hours PTO maximum may be earned.
20+ years of employment: PTO rate: .07692 hours of PTO per hour worked.
160 hours PTO maximum may be earned.
Salaried Employees:
Salaried employees do not accrue personal time off (PTO) per pay period. Instead vacation days are based on the schedule as stated below. Should any manager go over their allotted days then a daily rate will be subtracted.
First year of employment: ten (10) days PTO
Second thru fifth years of employment: fifteen (15) days PTO
Sixth thru nineteenth years of employment: twenty (20) days PTO
Twenty or more years of employment: twenty-five (25) days PTO
All PTO is done on a case-by-case basis upon the president’s decision, discretion, and authority.
Each salaried employee has a job description which contains specific benefits per that employee.
Salaried employees may take up to one week of PTO off at a time. Extended time off beyond this requires approval from the president.
Salaried employees may only take two weeks of their PTO during the months of June, July, and August. Any additional time off requires approval from the president.
Scheduling:
Employees are responsible for planning ahead for PTO and working out a complete schedule with their supervisor. Employees are expected to give as much notice as possible with a minimum of two weeks advance notice of PTO is necessary to ensure scheduling of work. PTO Requests MUST be done in writing and require approval from management.
Termination of employment:
PTO will be forfeited unless a two-week notice is given upon notification of termination. PTO will also be forfeited upon involuntary termination.
CORRECTIVE COUNSELING, DISCIPLINE, TERMINATION
Corrective counseling may be initiated when Service Solutions Center believes that an employee’s performance problem can and will be resolved through adequate counseling. Corrective counseling is completely at the discretion of company management. The company desires to protect its investment of time and expense devoted to employee orientation and training whenever that goal is in the company’s best interests.
It is essential that all disciplinary action be adequately and appropriately supported by written documentation to protect both the rights of the company and the rights of the employee.
The supervisor will determine the course of action best suited to the circumstances. The steps in corrective counseling and performance improvement are as follows:
If the problem continues, the second step is to define the problem in more specific terms and work with the employee to identify the requirements for performance improvement or change of conduct. The seriousness of the performance or misconduct should be indicated by stating that a written warning, probation or possible termination could result if the problem is not resolved.
The employee should be asked to review what has been discussed to ensure his/her understanding of the seriousness of the problem and corrective action necessary. Immediately after the second step in verbal counseling, the supervisor should document the verbal counseling for future reference.
The employee’s supervisor, after review of the employee’s corrective counseling documentation, will determine the length of probation. Typically, the probation period should be at least two weeks and no longer than 60 days. The length of the probation will depend on the circumstances. The supervisor prepares a written probationary notice to the employee. The notice should include a statement of the following:
The supervisor should personally meet with the employee to discuss the probationary letter and answer any questions. The employee should acknowledge receipt by signing the notice. If the employee should refuse to sign, the supervisor may sign attesting that it was delivered to the employee and identifying the date of delivery. The probationary letter becomes part of the employee’s personnel file.
On the defined probation counseling date or dates, the employee and supervisor will meet to review the employee’s progress in correcting the problem which led to the probation. Brief written summaries of probation/counseling meetings should be prepared. Should probation be completed successfully, the employee should be commended while being cautioned that any future recurrence may result in further disciplinary action and/or termination.
The company believes that each employee should be totally aware of the behavior expected while he/she is employed. The following are classifications of violations for which corrective counseling, performance improvement or other disciplinary action, including termination, may be taken but are not limited to these examples. A particular violation may be major or minor depending on the surrounding facts or circumstances. Any employee must be willing to accept redirection and/or constructive criticism from any other employee regardless of hierarchy in matters of personal safety, sanitation, and policy compliance.
Minor Violations: Are less serious violations that have some effect on the continuity, efficiency or work, safety and harmony within the company. They typically lead to corrective counseling unless repeated or when unrelated incidents occur in rapid succession. Some examples of minor violations are as follows:
Major Violations: More serious violations. Major violations include any deliberate or willful infraction of company rules and may preclude continued employment of an employee. Following are some examples of major violations:
Terminations are to be treated in a confidential, professional manner by all concerned. The supervisor must assure thorough, consistent and even-handed termination procedures. This policy and it’s administration will be implemented in accordance with the company’s Equal Opportunity Statement.
Employment with the company is normally terminated through one of the following actions:
Resignation – Voluntary termination by the employee.
Dismissal – Involuntary termination for substandard performance or misconduct.
An employee desiring to terminate employment, regardless of employee classification, is expected to give as much advance notice as possible. Two weeks or ten working days is generally considered to be sufficient notice time for resignations.
Substandard Performance: An employee may be discharged if his/her performance is unacceptable. The supervisor shall have counseled the employee concerning performance deficiencies, provided direction for improvement and warned the employee of possible termination if performance did not improve within a defined period of time. The supervisor is expected to be alert to any personal problems or substance abuse. Documentation to be prepared by the supervisor shall include reason for separation, performance history, corrective efforts taken, alternatives explored and any additional pertinent information.
Misconduct: An employee found to be engaged in activities such as, but not limited to, theft of company property, insubordination, conflict of interest, or any other activities showing willful disregard of company interests or policies, will be terminated as soon as the supervisor and president/manager have concurred with the action.