Kokua Employee Handbook

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Updated: 09/29/2022

Welcome

We warmly welcome you to Kokua Services and look forward to working with you as a member of our team, providing individuals with disabilities the support needed to live full and meaningful lives. We appreciate you and the gifts and talents you bring to our agency. Kokua is committed to helping you achieve your professional goals.

Team Kokua represents all employees and recognizes everyone as a vital and equal part of the agency. Regardless of the capacity of one’s work, we are mission driven to improve the quality of the lives of those we serve.

A Bit About Us

Kokua is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. What is the difference between for-profit and a non-profit? Generally, for-profit companies seek to provide a product or service to consumers and make a profit by doing so. A nonprofit organization's purpose is to provide a service or benefit to the community with no intention of earning a profit.

Kokua’s Mission represents the purpose we exist and keeps us focused. It inspires new possibilities by allowing us to go beyond our ordinary experiences and current limitations to broaden and strengthen the services we provide. We are sincerely grateful that you joined us to further our mission.

Kokua Culture is rooted in mutual respect in which all employees are treated fairly, difference is acknowledged and valued, communication is open and civil, conflict is addressed early and there is a culture of empowerment and cooperation. https://www.uvic.ca › equity › assets › docs › respectful-w.

Purpose of the Handbook

Reference: This Employee Handbook is designed to help you become more comfortable in your job. It brings together, in one convenient place, a summary of our policies and procedures. They are presented here only as a matter of information.

Disclosure: This Employee Handbook is not the primary source of information on employment related issues/policies/procedures. This Handbook only highlights and summarizes our agency’s policies and practices. All Kokua policies can be located on our website at www.kokuaservices.org. Circumstances are constantly changing. As a result, we may have to revise, rescind, or supplement these policies from time to time. The policies can change at any time, for any reason, without warning.

At-will: The contents of this Handbook shall not constitute nor be construed as a promise of employment or as a contract between Kokua and any of its employees. Unless an employee has

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a written employment agreement with Kokua, which states differently, all employment at Kokua is “at will”. This means that employees may be terminated from employment with Kokua with, or without, cause. In addition, employees are free to leave the employment of Kokua with, or without, cause. Any representation by any Kokua officer or employee contrary to this policy is not binding upon Kokua, unless it is in writing and is signed by the Executive Director, with the approval of the Board of Directors.

Structure of Kokua

Services Coordination Team (SCT):

Kokua’s Service Coordination Team is made up of the different departments at the main office that work in collaboration with the direct care teams to ensure the health and safety of clients, client finances, client care plans, client protocols, employee training, community integration activities and on-call system is effective. [SCT members include- Client Services Coordinators, maintenance, finance department, training department, Client Programs Director, IS manager, IS Manager Specialist, SQA team, health department, nurses, Resource Team, LEP/CG programs, Community Programs Coordinator, and Community Programs Assistant]

Office Management Team (OMT):

The OMT oversees the administrative duties of the agency. [Executive Director, Administrative Assistant, Business Operations Coordinator, Human Resources, and the Claims and Benefits Coordinator]

Direct Care Teams: Represent all the DSP staff, fill-ins, Team Leaders, and Acting Team leaders.

Acorn Model: Kokua’s Acorn structure provides continuity of client care, stability in staffing and support/resources for employees. Acorns are the sites on the Client Services Coordinator’s caseload and generally consist of between three and four client homes. Currently, Kokua has four Acorns. Each Acorn works as a team/one unit and is comprised of all the DSPs, TLs, fill-in staff and the CSC for the sites within the specific Acorn. Employees are assigned an Acorn and a base site. Employees will report to their base site unless notified to report to a site within their Acorn.

Employee Expectation:



Employees are expected to cross-train at all the sites within their Acorn, in a timely manner.

 Employees are expected to report to their base site, unless activated to a different site within the Acorn.

 When activated, employees are to report to the assigned site.

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Our Commitment to You

Philosophy Regarding Employment:

The organization recognizes the value of qualified, competent, and committed employees in order to meet the organization’s mission and goals. Kokua supports the quality of life for both our clients and employees and will work to provide all staff with quality training and compassionate supervision, assistance, and support.

Kokua’s administration and management believes that the quality of client care and services depend on the creativity, dedication, competence, and compassion of all employees. To provide client care in the most competent and compassionate manner possible, employees need a supportive and healthy work environment. To meet this need, Kokua employees are expected to:

 Maintain an open-door policy encouraging honest, two-way, and constructive communication between and among administration and employees.

 Provide safe and healthy working conditions.

 Provide access for problem resolution at the informal level first.

 Follow procedures for resolving issues and complaints.

 Motivate and enable employees to participate

Employee Assistance Program

The employee Assistance Program, or EAP, was created to benefit employees. The program is intended to provide employees with assessments, referral, and/or brief counseling when life problems consistently begin to have a negative impact on their ability to function. The first six counseling sessions are free of charge to any individual choosing to utilize EAP. Should further counseling be recommended, the fee is assessed based on the individual’s income and/or an individual’s health insurance is billed for the session. Along with counseling, EAP also offers Legal support, Financial Services, Mediation Services, Online Legal Forms, Home Ownership Program, and Identity Theft Services. EAP benefits can be accessed by calling 1-866-750-1327

Equal Employment Opportunity

Kokua shall follow the spirit and intent of all federal, state, and local employment law and is committed to equal employment opportunity. To that end, the Board of Directors and Executive Director will not discriminate against any employee or applicant in a manner that violates the law. Kokua is committed to providing equal opportunity for all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, political affiliation, personal appearance, family responsibilities, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law. Each person is evaluated on the basis of personal skill and merit. Kokua’s policy regarding equal employment opportunity

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applies to all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, job assignments, promotions, working conditions, scheduling, benefits, wage and salary administration, disciplinary action, termination, and social, educational, and recreational programs.

*Kokua Policy 3.0

Non-Discrimination in Employment

It is unlawful and violates company policy to discriminate in any way (including, but not limited to, failure to hire, failure to promote, or unlawful termination) against an employee because of the employee’s actual or perceived gender identity. Additionally, it also is unlawful and contrary to this policy to retaliate against any person objecting to, or supporting

enforcement of legal protections against, gender identity discrimination in employment. Our company is committed to creating a safe work environment for transgender and gender nonconforming employees. Any incident of discrimination, harassment, or violence based on gender identity or expression will be given immediate and effective attention, including, but not limited to, investigating the incident, taking suitable corrective action, and providing employees and staff with appropriate resources.

Names/Pronouns:

An employee has the right to be addressed by the name and pronoun that correspond to the employee’s gender identity, upon request. The intentional or persistent refusal to respect an employee’s gender identity (for example, intentionally referring to the employee by a name or pronoun that does not correspond to the employee’s gender identity) can constitute harassment and is a violation of this policy. If you are unsure what pronoun a transitioning coworker might prefer, you can politely ask your coworker how they would like to be addressed.

*Full policy -Kokua policy 3.0

Safety

Kokua is committed to assuring the health and safety of all employees. To support this commitment, Kokua has a comprehensive Employee Safety Program which includes accident prevention, knowledge of potentially hazardous chemicals used in the workplace, practice of universal health precautions and the proper use of personal protective equipment Kokua provides all new employees with training in workplace safety that complies with all applicable state health and safety rules. Employees are expected to adhere to the safety guidelines and to consistently use the personal protective equipment supplied by Kokua. Employees who willfully disregard safety guidelines will face disciplinary action.

*Full policy -Kokua policy 3.4

Harassment

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As an integral member of Kokua’s team, employees are expected to accept certain responsibilities, adhere to acceptable business principles in matters of personal conduct and always exhibit a high degree of personal integrity. This not only involves sincere respect for the rights and feelings of others, but also refers to behavior that might be harmful to themselves, their co-workers, and/or Kokua, or that might be viewed as unfavorable by current or potential clients or by the public at large. Kokua expects employees to behave in a professional manner. Employees should use good judgment and remember to conduct themselves in a way that best represents the agency. Kokua expects all employees to observe certain standards of behavior while at work and at company-sponsored events. These standards are not intended to restrict employees, but to ensure a consistent application of the policies and procedures for all employees that is free of sexual harassment, harassment, and discrimination.

Safe Work Environment

The safety of Kokua Services’ employees, clients, volunteers, and visitors is an important concern to the organization. Disruptive behavior, threats, threatening behavior or acts of violence against employees, clients, volunteers, visitors, or others while on Kokua Services’ property or the property of Kokua Services’ clients will not be tolerated. Violations of this policy will lead to disciplinary action, possible dismissal, and criminal prosecution as appropriate.

*Full policy -Kokua policy 3.45

Policies

Mandatory Reporting

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all Kokua Services’ employees, volunteers, interns and work study students understand that they are “mandatory reporters” and are required by law to report observed or suspected abuse, neglect, abandonment, exploitation or financial exploitation of vulnerable adults and children.

Reporting Abuse: Any employee, volunteer, intern, or work study student that suspects or observes abuse, neglect, abandonment, or exploitation of a client must report that abuse or neglect to Residential Care Services within 24 hours. Individuals are also required to report any client bruises or injuries of unknown origin that require treatment beyond first aid. The report must be phoned into the Complaint Line at 1-800-562-6078. A report of abuse must include a description of the incident, the name of the victim, name of the alleged perpetrator, the address and telephone number of the victim, the name of the client’s DDA case manager. A person making a report has the right to request anonymity when making a report. All employees are responsible to understand their responsibilities as mandatory reporters and to fulfill those responsibilities. Failure to report may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

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Alternatively, staff may report via RCS online at: https://fortress.wa.gov/dshs/altsaapps/OCR/facilityOCR.FacRptInputFacility.executeLoad.action

Note: Kokua’s provider code for reporting is 2011069

*Full policy -Kokua policy 2.1 Abuse, Neglect and Mistreatment

 Calling off Shift and No call No Shows

When employees are not able to work a scheduled shift, they are to let Kokua’s on-call system know well-before the beginning of their shift. Employees that have been employed at least 90 days and have accrued enough PTO to cover their shift, by law will not have to find their own fill-in/coverage for that shift, but they MUST take the PTO for that time. If employees do not want to use their PTO, they have the option to find their own fill in/ coverage and not use their PTO.

Requirements: Employees that find their own coverage must have that staff to shift on-time and alert Kokua’ on-call system of their replacement.

Kokua Culture: Calling out of your shift affects coworkers and those we serve. If you know that you will be off on a scheduled workday, we ask that you call well in advance, to be respectful of your Acorn team and base site. If teams can truly work together (to cover shifts), they can accrue and save their PTO for vacations, etc.

Unpaid Leave

Requests for unpaid leave time that do not meet the criteria for Family and Medical Leave may be granted at the discretion of the Human Resources Coordinator. Requests should be made in writing. Leave may be granted if it does not conflict with scheduled earned leave time already granted to other employees, if the employee’s absence does not cause a serious understaffing situation or if the schedule changes proposed do not result in the need for an authorization of overtime hours. Employees who take an unpaid leave of absence will not be eligible for paid medical benefits for any full month they are absent from work.

FML Family Medical Leave

An employee who has worked at least 12 months and at least 1250 hours is eligible for up to 12 weeks of unpaid Family and Medical Leave (FML) time during a 12-month rolling period. FML time granted earlier in the 12-month period will be subtracted from the 12-week allotment.

Use of FML will not impact future employment consideration (i.e. promotions, benefits or discipline). *Full policy -Kokua policy 3.3 D Employee Leave

PFML -Paid Family Medical Leave

Employees are eligible for leave up to 12–18 weeks, depending on the qualifying condition. If an Page 7 of 11 Updated: 09/29/2022

employee has a personal medical and a family event, they could be eligible for up to 16 weeks.

*Full policy -Kokua policy 3.3 E Employee Leave

PTO– Paid Time Off

Employees who have been employed with Kokua for at least 90 days are eligible for paid time off. Beginning July 1, 2022- employees accrue paid time off at the following rates:

Employees who have been employed with Kokua for more than 90 days, but less than three years will accrue paid time off at the rate of 1 hour of PTO for every 30 hours worked. This PTO may be carried over from year to year, up to a maximum of 40 hours per year.



Employees who have been employed for three years and up until their fourth-year anniversary will accrue PTO at a rate of 1 hour of PTO for every 25 hours worked. This PTO may be carried over from year to year, up to a maximum of 125 hours of leave.

Employees who have been employed for four years and up until their fifth-year anniversary will accrue PTO at a rate of 1 hour of PTO for every 20 hours worked. This PTO may be carried over from year to year, up to a maximum of 125 hours of leave.



After 5 years of employment, annual leave will accrue at a rate of 1 hour of PTO for every 15 hours worked. This PTO may be carried over from year to year, up to a maximum of 125 hours of leave.

Covid Process (Kokua’s covid process changes to reflect updates through the DOH and CDC)

Whenever an employee is displaying potential COVID related symptoms (as outlined by the CDC,) or has had a direct, confirmed exposure to a COVID positive individual, they will need to complete the following steps prior to return:

1. Notify on-call that you are symptomatic/have had an exposure and will be unable to make it to shift

2. Follow the clearing process as outlined for you by the Benefit and Claims Coordinator, or HR Coordinator.

3. Once you have been officially cleared to return, coordinate your return to work with oncall.

*Full policy -Kokua policy 2.95 Pandemic/Virus Policy

Training

Employees are responsible for maintaining compliance with all training requirements of their job. If employees fail to maintain compliance will be subjected to Kokua’s step process of accountability. This includes but is not limited to, new employee training, recertifications, nurse delegation, skills lab and continuing education credits. [Within 120 days of hire employees must complete New Employee Orientation, client specific orientations (including Peer Coaching), CPR/First Aid, Bloodborne Pathogens, Nurse Delegation and DDA Residential Services Curriculum (40 hours). Beginning the second year of employment employees are required to Page 8 of 11 Updated: 09/29/2022

complete a minimum of 12 hours of approved continuing education credits each year for the remainder of their employment. Additional client or agency specific training occurs regularly throughout employment.]

Miscellaneous

Employee Dress Code

Employees providing direct care to clients may dress casually, however, clothing should be clean, modest and in good repair. Examples of inappropriate dress would include, but not be limited to torn clothing, bare midriff, see-through shirts or blouses or clothing displaying lewd or derogatory statements. Skirts and shorts should be at least mid-thigh length. Employees should have good personal hygiene and should avoid perfume or aftershave. For safety purposes, employees providing direct care are asked not to wear flip flops, high heels or pant legs which drag on the ground- all of which are tripping hazards. Shoes must be worn on shift at all times, closed-toe shoes are to be worn in the homes at all times.

 Alcohol and Drugs

Kokua is committed to maintaining a safe working environment both for clients and employees. Having a workforce with non-impaired workers is the top priority. Any employee whose job position includes direct client care or operation of a motor vehicle must notify the Human Resources Coordinator when taking any medication that may impair job performance. If possible, a temporary light duty assignment may be provided.

Employees who drink alcohol or use drugs on the job or come to work under the influence of alcohol or drugs will face disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Any employee who suspects that a co-worker is under the influence of alcohol or drugs while at work should use the Kokua On-Call System to notify management of the issue. If there is reasonable cause to suspect that the employee is under the influence of alcohol or drugs while at work, the supervisor responding to the incident shall require the employee to leave the workplace and may require the employee to complete drug or alcohol testing at a laboratory chosen by Kokua. When an employee is required to undergo drug and alcohol testing, the employee will be driven to and from the testing facility by a Kokua supervisor.

Employees may be suspended without pay awaiting the results of testing. Any employee who refuses the testing process or is found to have tampered with the testing process will be terminated.

 Time Sheets

Employees are required to fill out an approved Kokua timesheet recording their hours of work. New employees will receive training in the correct way to complete their timesheet. Employees will record their work time on their timesheet at the end of each shift. It is not permissible to complete a timesheet ahead of time for work hours expected during the month. Each employee’s timesheet must be reviewed for accuracy and signed by the employee’s supervisor.

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Employees are expected to record all time worked to the nearest minute. A chart for converting minutes into decimal equivalents is provided for reference. Some Kokua staff use the Paycor electronic timesheet software, approved by the Business Operations Coordinator. All other payroll requirements apply.

Jury Duty

Kokua does not reimburse employees for serving jury duty. An employee may elect to use accumulated leave hours for an absence due to jury service. Kokua will support staff to fulfill their civic duty; Kokua will support these staff by assisting to fill the shifts that would be vacated by the leave. Staff are required to give the Kokua office one week's notice for all jury duty leave; if given this notice staff will not be held responsible for the shift should it fail to be filled.

Accountability

Most All Performance Issues: Kokua’s accountability structure is a non-punitive, two-step retrain process. Retraining allows the employee to self-correct performance issues, to meet Kokua’s expectations of the job, before HR is involved through formal discipline. We want all employees to be successful and meet the high standard of their work. We ask that employees be open to feedback and make the necessary corrections through the retaining process to prevent formal discipline.

One-step Fair Warning Retraining: There are a few serious policy violations where Kokua affords the employee a one-step retraining as a fair warning that the breach is very serious. If these policy violations are not swiftly corrected, they will be addressed through formal discipline with HR. (Five-right breach, no call- no shows, timesheet discrepancy, etc.)

Serious Policy violations: Employees that seriously jeopardize the health and safety of clients create a serious liability to the agency and will not be afforded the step process. Employees will meet with HR for formal discipline – up to and including termination. Policy 3.5

Mediation:

If two or more employees find it difficult or impossible to work together cooperatively in a team environment, the mediation process will be used. Kokua Services is committed to maintaining a respectful, safe, work environment for all employees and to resolving work-place conflict in a positive manner. The individuals involved will request mediation by submitting a written request to the Human Resources Coordinator. A work team may also request mediation if the employees' conflict is disruptive to their work performance or is detrimental to team cohesion.

*Full policy -Kokua policy 3.3 E Employee Leave

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Personal Cell Phone

Personal Cell phones should not be used for personal reasons during work time; this includes both phone calls and online usage. Cell phone messages may be checked during break time. The answering of private cell phone calls should be done outside the client’s home. It is important that employees’ needs not intrude on the client’s personal space. *Moreover, being on your cell phone during non-break times is considered unprofessional and rude to the individuals Kokua serves. Please be respectful and only use your cell phone during break times.

 Unlawful Activity and Self -Disclosure of Criminal Charges

No employee shall be permitted to engage in unlawful activity either on Kokua property, client property or while off the job. If you believe anyone in or associated with Kokua has requested you to do anything that violates the law or has prohibited you from doing something that the law requires you to do, you should report this to Kokua’s Human Resources Coordinator or Executive Director.

Employees must self-disclose any pending or new criminal charges that occur between regularly scheduled background checks to Kokua’s Human Resources Coordinator. Failure to disclose any pending charges or charges that have occurred since that staff’s last background check may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Sleeping on Shift

The individuals supported by Kokua are considered vulnerable adults. It is Kokua’s expectation that employees always remain awake during their scheduled shift; it is not permissible to sleep during one’s workday. As a mandated reporter, any employee that learns that a co-employee may be sleeping during their workday or has witnessed an employee sleeping is obligated to make HR aware. A breach of this expectation is deemed a serious policy violation.

In Close:

Kokua’s policies and procedures explain the expectation of the job. If something is not addressed in the handbook, you can find Kokua’s policy manual on our website or you can talk with your direct supervisor. We hope that you feel supported and if you need additional training or guidance that you ask for it. Thank you for your commitment to quality client services in the capacity that you work.

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