General Policies

These policies apply to all The Garden Company full-time and part-time employees. If you have questions on any of these policies, please discuss them with your manager.

The purpose of this document is to outline the policies and procedures associated with employment at The Garden Company. It is not meant to take the place of open communication. We strongly support an open-door policy, and encourage you to discuss ideas or raise concerns you may have with any member of the management team at any time.

We want everyone to feel comfortable working at The Garden Company. At the same time, we want to convey an image of professionalism and inspire in our clients the confidence that we can do outstanding work. We ask for your cooperation in maintaining a balance between these two goals.

Although we are often up to our elbows in the muck, please maintain a "tidy casual" standard of dress, and keep your work area presentable.

Take special care with your appearance when you will be attending client meetings and offsite classes. You will be given corporate logo apparel to wear while you are at work. We encourage you to wear this for client meetings and offsite classes as well.

The Garden Company has signed Nondisclosure Agreements with various clients. When you were hired, you signed a Nondisclosure Agreement with The Garden Company under which you agreed to keep confidential the information shared with you in the course of your work. We take these Nondisclosure Agreements very seriously. Confidential projects must not be discussed outside the company.

Any information kept in your personnel file will be regarded by the management team as confidential. We will disclose such items of information as your date of employment, your job title, and your pay rate when this information is requested by banks, loan officers, etc., but no additional information will be released without your permission.

We recruit and hire people without regard to gender, race, religion, marital status, age, national origin, sexual orientation, or any handicap that does not impair their ability to do the job.

The Garden Company supports a non-smoking environment. We do not hire smokers.

The Garden Company will not tolerate any form of sexual harassment, not only because it is illegal but because it is morally offensive. The following actions are among those considered to be sexual harassment:

• Unwelcome sexual advances.
• Requests for sexual favors.
• Offensive verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, including teasing.
• Sexual innuendoes.
• The display of sexual materials such as cartoons, posters, etc.

It is the responsibility of all employees to verbally communicate when they feel that they are being harrassed. Each person's interpretation of what constitutes harrassment may not be the same, so it is important that you make it known when you feel that someone's behavior is inappropriate. If this is not possible or safe to do directly, a member of the The Garden Company management team should be contacted.

If you have any questions as to what constitutes sexual harassment or if you are distressed by any such behavior, please contact a member of the management team.

Paid Time Off
If you work full time (40 hrs/wk), you receive 20 (8 hour) days' Paid Time Off (PTO) per year, accrued at a rate of 6hrs and 40mins per pay period. If you work part time, you receive the appropriate fraction for the time you work (i.e. if you work four days per week, you receive 4/5 of the PTO of full-time employees). Paid time off includes vacation, sick days and statutory holidays, and is paid at your normal rate of pay x 8 hours per day.

Time off may be taken at your discretion, in accordance with the following guidelines:

• Please provide advance notice.
• Your responsibilities must be covered.
• A minimum number of staff must be in the office.

If you are sick, please phone your manager as soon as possible. Provide a list of responsibilities that need to be taken care of.

Taking PTO In Advance
PTO may be taken in advance of being earned as deemed reasonable. Advance PTO must be approved by the entire management team. If you leave The Garden Company prior to earning the PTO you have taken in advance, those hours will be deducted from your final paycheck at your rate of pay at the time of separation.

Carrying Over Unused PTO
Up to five days of unused PTO may be carried over into the next calendar year. Up to three days of unearned PTO may be carried over.

Unpaid Time Off
After all of your paid time off has been used, additional unpaid time off may be taken, if approved in advance by your supervisor.