the
we??ness.
community"

southwest Horich
cancer support, education and hope

THE WELLNESS COMMUNITY
OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

Employee Handbook

Effective July 1, 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staff meetings are held on at least a basis, and provide another avenue of constructive
exchanges and discussion of ideas.

L. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TWC EMPLOYEES AND
PARTICIPANTS

Employment of relatives and personal relationships among co-workers and supervisors can cause
con?icts of interest or the appearance of such con?icts and can be disruptive to the workplace
and TWC operations. TWC thus will not hire any individual with whom a current TWC
employee has a ?personal? or ?immediate family? relationship.

If an ?immediate family" situation exists at the time this handbook is adopted it will be the sole
discretion of the President/CEO to:

1. Leave as is or
2. Dismiss all/or both parties
This is enforceable now and in the future.

If an ?immediate family? relationship arises between a TWC employee and a current participant
or if an individual with whom a TWC employee has a personal relationship becomes a
participant of TWC, TWC will determine in its sole discretion what appropriate action to take.

An employee must notify the President/CEO if his or her relationship to another employee or
participant changes to fit the de?nition of ?a personal relationship? or ?immediate family.? If a
personal relationship develops between any Management Staff member and a subordinate, both
employees must inform the President/CEO of the relationship.

For purposes of this Policy, ?immediate family? includes an employee?s or participant?s spouse,
siblings, parents. children, stepchildren, father- or mother-in-law, sister- or brother-in-law,
daughter- or son-in-law, foster children, foster parents, and any other member of the employee?s
or participant?s household. A ?personal relationship? includes, but is not limited to, dating and
cohabitation.

M. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Situations of actual or potential con?ict of interest are to be avoided by all TWC employees.
Personal or romantic involvement or a direct or indirect financial interest in or with a competitor,
supplier, client, member of a participant?s family, or subordinate employee of the company,
which impairs an employee?s ability to exercise good judgment on behalf of participants of
TWC, creates an actual or potential con?ict of interest.

All TWC employees and volunteers have a special obligation with respect to the relationships
that develop with our emotionally vulnerable participants and families. Confronting cancer

creates enormous emotional stress for our participants and may lead to their dependence on and
susceptibility to suggestion by TWC staff and volunteers; this dependence may create perceived
opportunities for personal gain by TWC staff. If acted upon, this type of situation, whether it is
?nancial or romantic, represents a breach of the ethical and professional integrity of TWC and
will not be tolerated. The interests of our participants are paramount.

An employee involved in any of the types of relationships or situations described in this Policy
should immediately and fully disclose the relevant circumstances to his or her immediate
supervisor and the President/CEO for a determination as to whether a potential or actual conflict
exists. If an actual or potential conflict is determined, TWC may take, in its sole discretion,
whatever corrective action appears appropriate according to the circumstances. Failure to
disclose an actual or potential con?ict of interest is grounds for disciplinary action, up to and
including temrinalion of employment.

N. TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT

Ordinarily, the termination of an employment relationship with the agency will fall within one of
the following categories with indicated policies applicable to each: resignation, abandonment,
unsatisfactory performance, misconduct, reduction-in-force. Just as employees have the right to
terminate their employment at-will, the agency reserves the right to sever the relationship at will.

Any employee who is terminating his or her employment with TWC must immediately return all
agency property, such as keys, pagers, mobile phones, computers, any other electronic
equipment, of?ce supplies, documents, handbooks, reference material, etc.

1. Resignation: Employees who resign are expected to give at least two weeks notice.
Employees who are at a management or executive level are expected to give at least one month?s
notice. An employee who fails to give appropriate notice of resignation will not receive accrued,
unused PTO (see the PTO policy for further details). This penalty can be waived if the employee
can show reasonable cause for failure to give proper notice. If an employee resigns without
notice, the supervisor should immediately notify the President/CEO.

Notice by the employee must be in writing and provide the intended termination date. Once an
employee has submitted a notice of resignation, its retraction may be permitted only with the
signed approval of the President/CEO.

Once a TWC employee has submitted a letter of resignation, no PTO requests will be approved
for the notice period.

2. Abandonment: An employee who is absent for more than three consecutive scheduled
workdays without approval and noti?cation to his or her supervisor or the President/CEO of
TWC is considered to have abandoned his or her employment. This applies to an employee
during the normal course of employment as well as the scheduled return from vacation or leaves
of absence. On the fourth consecutive day of absence from scheduled work, TWC will notify the
employee by certi?ed mail that employment has been terminated as of the ?rst day of