Employee Handbook¶

Last Updated: February 2026

This handbook covers important company policies. Direct any questions to your supervisor or Human Resources.

Section 1 -- Attendance & Use of Work Time¶

Punctuality & Attendance¶

All team members are expected to be at work every day and on time. Your consistent and punctual attendance is appreciated and vital to the company.

If you are going to be late or absent, you are expected to call (not text) your direct supervisor as soon as possible.
If you know well in advance of a pending absence or late arrival, complete a Time Off Request form.
Salaried team members must report absences via the Time Sheet for Salaried Team Members form.

Work Hours¶

Begin working upon clocking in and continue working until clocking out, unless directed otherwise by your supervisor (e.g., Sunbright E-Waste Processing Teams begin and end as a team).
All team members are expected to be on duty at their established start time and until their established end time.
Non-salaried team members may not begin or end their work day more than 5 minutes outside their established schedule without advance supervisor permission.

Personal Devices¶

Team members are not permitted to engage in personal telecommunications while on duty except in an emergency. No personal texting, no personal phone calls, and no personal internet browsing during work time.

Breaks¶

All team members receive the following breaks each day:

Break	Duration	Paid?	Notes
Morning break	10 minutes	Yes	Required for all team members
Afternoon break	10 minutes	Yes	Required for all team members
Lunch break	30 minutes	No	Required when working over 6 hours
Supper break	30 minutes	No	Required after 6 consecutive hours following lunch

Team members are expected to begin work immediately upon the end of the break.

Section 2 -- Time Keeping Procedures¶

ShopClock¶

ShopClock is the electronic time clock system used company-wide to document work time for hourly employees.

Clock in and out daily using your PIN.
The usual workweek period is 40 hours, beginning on Monday and ending on Sunday.
There is no need to clock in and out for lunch -- ShopClock will automatically deduct a 30-minute lunch break for any session over 6 hours.
If your supervisor has directed you to take a break longer than 30 minutes, you must clock out and back in for lunch.

Correcting Errors in ShopClock¶

If in doubt about the procedure, ask your supervisor.

Forgot to clock in:

Clock in as soon as you realize the error.
Create a note in ShopClock saying what time you should have clocked in.

Forgot to clock out the previous day:

The next time you clock in, ShopClock will ask if you forgot to clock out -- answer Yes.
This ends the previous day's session at the same clock-in time (resulting in zero hours for that day).
Enter the time you actually quit working the previous day and click OK.
You will be clocked in for the current day automatically -- do not clock in again.
Create a note saying what time you should have clocked out the previous day.

Weekly Time Card Review¶

Day	Action
Friday morning	Team members with any notes in their time card print it and submit to their supervisor before 9:00 AM. Team members with no notes are agreeing their hours are correct.
Friday morning	Supervisors review and initial the timecards, then submit to Operations by 10:00 AM.
Monday morning	Supervisors have each employee print and review their final timecard. Employees sign to confirm accuracy. Final timecards due to Operations by 10:00 AM.

Important

Employees must sign their timecards. All timecard edits must be completed by 9:00 AM Monday. If edits from Friday carry over, the final timecard is due by 10:00 AM Tuesday.

Overtime & Makeup Time¶

Overtime requires permission from your direct supervisor.
Overtime or makeup sessions must be a minimum of 15 minutes.
If overtime is planned frequently or exceeds 15 minutes, supervisors should consult with the Operations Manager.
Log overtime in ShopClock with a note indicating your supervisor approved it.

Section 3 -- Pay & Time Off Policies¶

Paychecks¶

Issued at the end of the day each Friday for pay earned the previous week.
Will not be distributed prior to 4:00 PM on Fridays (exceptions require an Early Paycheck Release Form signed by your supervisor and the Operations Manager).
Paychecks are only given to the team member being paid unless HR has written authorization via an Alternate Paycheck Distribution Authorization form.

Pay Advances¶

Pay advances are discouraged. If you are in a financial situation that requires an early payment, schedule an appointment with the Operations Manager to discuss options.

Time Off¶

Use the Time Off Request form for planned absences. Submit to your direct supervisor, who will forward it to the Operations Manager.
Submit forms as soon as you anticipate the need for an absence.
For unplanned absences or tardiness, call (not text) your direct supervisor immediately.
Supervisors are expected to request (not require) a doctor's statement from team members absent due to illness. Forward all statements to the Operations Manager.

Vacation & PTO¶

Tenure	Vacation	PTO
6 months -- 5 years	40 hours/year	20 hours/year
5+ years	80 hours/year	20 hours/year

Vacation time rolls over to future years.
PTO is capped at 20 hours -- no additional PTO accrues while the balance is at 20 hours.
Vacation time is not earned during unpaid leave or layoff.
Submit a Request for Time Off form at least two weeks before the requested leave.
Approval depends on department operating needs and staffing requirements.

Holidays¶

Employees become eligible for Holiday Pay after 6 months of employment. Six paid holidays are recognized each year:

New Year's Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day (2 days)

All offices and operations are closed on these days.

Section 4 -- Safety & Security Policies¶

Solicitation¶

Employees are forbidden from soliciting customers or other employees for anything without the express approval of the Operations Manager. This covers all forms of solicitation including loans, charitable donations, school fundraisers, etc.

Product Security Policy¶

Zero Tolerance

Theft of Company property is a major offense resulting in termination and prosecution.

Under no circumstances are items to be solicited, accepted, set aside, or removed from the recycling stream without the express permission of your supervisor. Doing so is cause for immediate termination.
No backpacks, duffels, shopping bags, or other large bags in warehouse areas. Keep bags in the office area; keep valuables in your personal vehicle.
The Company reserves the right to conduct personal searches and bag checks when there is reasonable suspicion.
Video surveillance is used in public areas as part of the security protocol.
Enter and exit the warehouse only through the designated man doors near the front.
Cell phones in the warehouse must be registered with a photo and description.
No personal electronic devices in the warehouse without being checked in by Operations.
Restricted areas: Only sorting team/management in the sorting area; only Service Department/management in the Service Department area.

Safety Rules¶

Failure to comply with these rules will result in disciplinary action.

Comply with all federal, state, county, city, client, and company safety rules.
Never do anything that is unsafe. If a job is unsafe, report it to your supervisor.
Obey all safety warning signs.
Do not remove or disable any safety device. Keep guards in place on operating machinery.
Never operate equipment unless you have been trained and authorized.
Use your personal protective equipment whenever required.

Required PPE:

PPE	Who	When
Safety glasses	Visitors, office, and admin staff	At all times in the warehouse
Safety glasses	Management and production staff	Within 10 feet of production areas, material movement areas, forklifts, or eye hazards
Safety toe shoes	High-intensity production and material moving employees, forklift operators, box truck drivers	While on duty
Hard hats	Forklift operators	Loading/unloading double-stacked trucks, lifting/working unwrapped material >1 foot overhead
Hard hats	All personnel and visitors	Within 6 feet of material >1 foot overhead
Safety vests	All Company personnel and visitors	In warehouse areas

Additional rules:

Shirts with sleeves and long pants required at all times. No clogs, sandals, or flip flops.
No one is ever to be lifted via a forklift except in the OSHA-approved man basket. Violation may result in immediate termination.
Forklift operators must have proof of certification training and operate within OSHA guidelines.
Firearms, alcoholic beverages, and illegal drugs are not allowed on company property or in company vehicles at any time. Use or possession results in immediate termination.
All extension cords, drop cords, and electrical tools must be checked, properly grounded with ground fault interrupters.

Safe Lifting Policy¶

Safety First

Team members are NOT expected to lift items that are too heavy or that pose a danger. Attempting to complete a task in an unsafe manner may result in termination.

Drivers on-site: If unsafe conditions are encountered, contact the CSM immediately. The driver should never confront the client about unsafe conditions -- the CSM handles all client communication.
Warehouse team members: Obtain assistance or see your supervisor when you encounter an unsafe condition or task.
Review the company safety manual periodically for proper lifting techniques.
If a heavy item begins to fall, let it fall -- we are ultimately going to dismantle the item to recycle it, and breakage will not affect us.

Reporting Injuries¶

All employees must fill out a "Notice of Injury Form" (Form HR 4.1) immediately after an injury occurs, even if medical treatment is not required. Report the injury to your supervisor or Human Resources on the same day. Employees must provide:

How they think they were hurt
What they were doing at the time
Who they were working with
When and where it happened
Any other pertinent information

Warning

Failure to report an injury immediately (at or near the time of the injury, same day) is a violation of the Safety Policy and may result in immediate termination.

Section 5 -- Communication¶

Chain of Command¶

Scott Recycling is an entrepreneurial enterprise where goals, plans, and work processes evolve rapidly. Frequent and thorough communication with all levels of the organization is vital.

Note

Any communication, directives, or decisions relayed to an employee by the CEO do not automatically replace, overrule, or negate any directives from the employee's direct supervisor. The employee is expected to update their supervisor at the earliest opportunity regarding all discussions with the CEO.

Teamwork and collaboration are essential. Be constantly aware of whether your actions are supporting or hindering the work of others.

Communications via Company Platforms¶

Emails, texts, browser history, voicemails, and similar communications produced or received on company platforms or company time are company property. These may be viewed by management at any time. Your work communications are seen by others in the company. Do not expect personal matters disclosed in work communications to remain private.

Section 6 -- Transparent Transactions & Activity¶

Company Provided Goods & Services¶

Do not solicit personnel of any department to sell, build, service, or provide equipment, goods, or services without approval of the Operations Manager.
Employees desiring goods for personal use should use the Team Member Purchase Policy or discuss with their supervisor.

Gratuities from Clients¶

No Tips

Tips or gratuities should never be accepted. Politely decline and explain that you are prohibited from accepting them. If a gratuity cannot be declined (e.g., cash in shipping documents), it belongs to the company and must be immediately turned over to your supervisor for the Accounting Office. Failure to do so will be considered theft and may result in immediate termination.

Employee Purchases¶

The company offers team members special pricing on inventory items when possible.

Key rules:

Items may never be solicited, set aside, or removed from the recycling stream without supervisor permission. Scavenging is forbidden.
Refurbishable and marketable electronic items may only be purchased by advance order using the Employee Advance Order form (Form HR 6.1).
Minimum price for any item is $1.
Purchases are generally limited to items for personal use.
Sales tax applies to all purchases.
Transactions are generally conducted on Fridays only.

Purchase process:

Submit request to your supervisor by end of day Tuesday.
Supervisor forwards to Operations Manager for approval and pricing.
If approved, an invoice is prepared for payment during a break period on Friday.
Items are held in safekeeping until approved, paid for, and taken home.

Section 7 -- Duty to Report & Update¶

The procedures, practices, and guidelines in this document may be modified or discontinued from time to time. We will try to inform you of any changes.

If any employee becomes aware of dishonest, illegal, or violent behavior on company time or property, the employee has a duty to report it to the Operations Manager. Failure to report such knowledge may be considered a serious offense that could result in termination.

Confidentiality

This document and the information in it should be treated as confidential. No portion should be disclosed to others except fellow employees and others affiliated with the company whose knowledge of the information is required in the normal course of business.