Flexible Work Policy
As a service-based business that is built on creative knowledge work, we support a flexible work day and endeavour to create a positive workplace and approach to work that serves our employees and clients alike.
Work Hours
The typical work day is an 8-hour day; the typical work week is a 40-hour work week. It is therefore expected that, for a minimum 8 hours during a day, staff will be focused on work-related activities. Time taken during the work day to do non-related work activities should be made up correspondingly. A sample list of activities considered non-work related are listed below.
We think of the work week on a weekly basis - if one day you are short, but make up the time another day in the same week, you will be considered to be compliant to this policy. For production staff, it is expected that a 40 hours per week be logged in the Everhour (or other time trakcing software).
Examples of activities that are not considered work-related:
Personal activities on social networks (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) including:
Status Updates
Sharing funny links
Engaging in civic / political debate
Watching videos (unless directly related to your job function)
Chatting about the latest video game release with your peers
Personal phone calls
Personal emails
Examples of activities that are considered work related:
Watching videos related to your core expertise
Professional Development activities
Engaging in social media to share information about our company, trade skills, etc
Work-Related Email
Time Entry
Internal Meetings
We recognize that there may be a fine line between some of these activities being personal time versus professional time; if you're ever unsure of the type of activity please check with your team lead.
Failure to comply with the above policy may face disciplinary action ranging from written warnings to termination of employment.
Flex Hours
We are a results-oriented workplace and recognize that creative work is not a simple matter of hours to output. As such, we offer some flexibility within our work day. As a client services agency, however, we have some core hours during which we expect our team to be available (10 AM to 3 PM), and there may be client meetings that require attendance outside of those core hours.
In the event of illness or the inability to work due to illness or other ailment, employee shall provide notification prior to 9:30 AM in accordance with the Time Off policy. Failure to do so will count as being late. In the event of a medical emergency whereby sending notification is not practical or endangers the health and safety of an employee, employee shall provide notification in accordance with the aforementioned policy at the earliest time that it is safe to do so.
Failure to comply with the above policy may face disciplinary action ranging from written warnings to termination of employment.
Summer Flextime
The summer flextime policy at rTraction allows employees to work extra time Monday through Thursday in order to leave at 1:00 p.m. on Friday during the months of July and August. The time of arrival and departure may not differ from the standard operating hours by more than two hours, except for the Friday early departure. For example, a typical summer flextime arrangement might be Monday through Thursday arriving at 9:00 a.m. and departing at 6:00 p.m. and on Friday arriving at 9:00 a.m. and departing at 1:00 p.m.
During summer hours, rTraction will continue to run on a standard 40-hour work week, and work is planned accordingly. Clients are to be notified of the summer hours schedule.
Overtime Expectations
As part of the Information and Technology sector defined by our federal and provincial workforce laws, employees of rTraction are not entitled to overtime pay, nor are they subject to daily / weekly limits to hours worked.
It is expected that any task or deadline is accepted by the employee and that any task agreed to should be delivered on the timeline agreed. In the case that an employee did not agree to the assigned work schedule or timeline/deadline, then overtime / time in lieu may be an appropriate consideration.
On-Call Expectations
As a client-based, business-to-business digital agency, what rTraction creates is “always on” and some projects may require 24/7 support. With this is mind, some clients may wish to have our team on-call and available for emergencies at all times, including weekends. In such a case, a rotating weekly On Call schedule will be in place to ensure that the required support is available, if necessary.
The On Call schedule will be set up by the VP of Production and Director of Sales to ensure that all aspects of the studio are covered. This service will be for emergencies only, but it will be expected that the employee On Call will be available as required. If the employee cannot be available for any reason, it will be up to the employee to clear it with either the Director of Sales or VP of Operations.
Family-Friendly Workplace
rTraction recognizes the importance of family and that, at times, employees might need to look after family members during regular office hours. In the case where a family member will be in the office during regular office hours, the employee must ensure that an email stating the fact has been sent to their appropriate lead addressing length and time.
In the case of children, the employee must ensure the following conditions are met:
They are not sick or if they are they are here only for a brief time (e.g., waiting for a doctor's appointment or for someone to pick them up) to avoid spreading illness.
The employee must ensure that the child is/children are set up outside of the main work areas within the office.
While office materials (e.g., paper, pens) and devices (e.g., iPads) may be available for entertainment use, they are generally intended for work use, and their use is prioritized as such. If these materials are used for entertainment purposes, it is the employee’s responsibility to ensure the materials/devices are respected as company property; if they are needed for business purposes, it is expected that the employee responds accordingly.
At any point in time, the leadership team may request that other arrangements be made for the care of the particular person(s) if they are deemed to become a distraction.
This policy is not to be used as a daycare substitute and should be seen as a way to provide flexibility to an employee's work-life balance.
Dog-Friendly Workplace
rTraction has implemented a bring your dog to work policy intended to help promote employee morale, job satisfaction and a more enjoyable work environment. This policy will extend to all responsible dog owners in allowing them to bring one dog with them to work.
We expect all participating dog owners to take full responsibility for the following:
All vaccinations are up-to-date, including bordetellosis, with documentation to verify this.
Parasite control (fleas/ticks) is being done on a regular basis, and the dog has been free from infection the prior 6 months.
A copy of the animals medical records will be provided to keep on file, and the employee must agree to sign an Authorization and Release form which will also include a Waiver of Liability.
Dog is fully house trained.
Accidents happen; if they do, it is the owner’s responsibility to clean up.
Dogs well-socialized with people and other animals, and respectful (e.g., respects personal space, no excessive barking).
The owner will not bring an animal to work that is behaving abnormally or ill.
The animal is not in a mating season.
The owner of the animal will be solely responsible for the cleanup of the animal (within the studio and outdoor surroundings). This will include immediate attendance to any accidents or messes caused using the appropriate cleaning and disinfectant products that will be provided by rTraction.
If the above expectations cannot be met, it is expected that the dog will be taken home. At any point in time, the leadership team may request that the animal be removed from the studio if it is deemed to become a distraction or if it causes another employee to feel uncomfortable or unable to perform their normal activities. All animals must be approved by the leadership team before being allowed into the studio.
Offsite / Remote Work
rTraction recognizes that the bulk of activities performed while working for rTraction can be done offsite or remotely. In the event that people are working remotely or offsite, the following criteria must be met to ensure the safety of our employees and equipment, as well as adherence to rTraction's corporate commitments to the environment:
A productive place to work that is safe and comfortable.
Reliable internet access so that you are available via #Slack
For equipment in virtual home offices, ensure that we are following our Local Sourcing Guidelines.
Ideally, the space offers:
Noise level control (so that you can concentrate and/or don’t experience hearing damage)
Lighting control to ensure that you’re not experiencing eye strain
Ergonomic Seating
The ability to work while sitting and standing
During working from home / video conferencing hours, we have the following guidelines:
No more than 90 mins of video conferencing without a break
No more than 120 mins of video conferencing for one meeting/purpose; this can be extended to 150 minutes as long as there are two 15 minute breaks.
No more than 240 mins of video conferencing per day.
In the event that an employee is requested to perform more video conferencing than these guidelines allow, the employee may opt out of the activity with an explanation of the violation of this guideline.
Please note: Employees are personally responsible for equipment taken out of the office. You must notify the Finance Manager if you remove an object from the office for more than 12 hour period; this must including serial #s for electronic equipment. If work materials are stolen or missing(e.g., confidential files, laptop, phone), immediately report it to the Finance Manager.
Suggested Work Locations:
Employee’s home virtual office
Innovation Works
Approved by:
__________________________ _________________________
[Signing Officer] Date
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