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The 2021 Employee
Handbook
Welcome to Ad Giants!
You've been selected to join our revolutionary new approach to creating, fulfilling, and managing marketing for businesses everywhere. Our goal is simple....to help you be as successful as possible for yourself and your businesses that you manage. We're in the service business, so everything we do counts. Each of us must be at our best every day in order to maximize our relationships with each customer and help them realize their personal dreams. For that reason, some of our policies are quite strict, but that's for good reason. Not only are you being measured individually, so is our company.
So, if there's ever any doubt, concern, or question about a customer, your job, a process, whatever...don't hesitate to follow our protocol so we can step in to help you be the best you can be.
Now let's have fun, do what we all love, and make money!
The Company
Our consultants are our most valuable resource. Therefore, this consultant’s guide is written to provide a framework to guide your actions and to assist you in your understanding of our policies and procedures. Hopefully, after you have become familiar with the Company, you will discover you have joined a winning team and that management wants to make every effort to make your work as satisfying as possible.
Each of you is entrusted with responsibilities to our clients, vendors, and coworkers. We are dependent upon each other to make our business a respected place in the community in which we serve. Our challenge is to provide our clients with top quality service and to make it as pleasant as possible for them to do business with us. Meeting this challenge is the key to our future. Every individual in the Company is important and fulfills an important function. If the job were not important, it would not exist.
Policies and procedures are necessary to enable us to work effectively together. This handbook contains guidelines developed to describe some of the expectations we have and to outline some of our main policies and procedures. We ask that you carefully read this guide so that you will know what we will expect of you and what you, in turn, can expect of us. In this way, we are confident our work together will be successful, rewarding, and profitable.
Our Background
Ad Giants provides a new approach to assisting small and medium companies in all industries with advertising and marketing solutions in a way that is revolutionary and unique. By joining our team, you can help small and mid-sized businesses improve their personal and business lives.
Our Services
Our system is powerful and contains a wide assortment of marketing solutions…All in a single web-based app. This is the backbone for our consultants’ success with their customers, and how we have created the perfect recipe to motivate business owners and extend all sales activities.
Professionalism Rules every conversation!
As a professional, we ask you to support our Company philosophy and follow the code of conduct stated below:
• To maintain the highest standard of personal and professional integrity, honesty, and determination so as to inspire and promote client confidence and trust.
• To respect individual differences of race, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, ethnic background, national origin, religion, political affiliation, social status, and personal characteristics, realizing that society is enriched and strengthened by its diversity.
• To avoid discussion of sensitive subjects such as religion and/or politics in the firm or with clients.
• To quickly and politely change the subject if a client starts conversing on such sensitive issues.
• To refrain from discussing personal problems such as health issues or relationships in the firm with clients.
• To avoid discussing Company policies, procedures, and/or complaints with a client.
• To strive continuously to grow in knowledge and skill.
• To be alert and receptive to the ideas and suggestions of colleagues.
• To share knowledge with and contribute to the professional growth of your coworkers.
• To approach duties with a positive attitude.
• To support open communication, creativity, and compassion.
• To serve our clients with respect, concern, courtesy, timeliness, and responsiveness.
• Consultants are expected to always conduct themselves in a professional manner. You represent Ad Giants.
• Consultants work a five day work week, with hours of accessibility between 8:30 AM CST and 5:00 PM CST and must maintain an up to date Google Calendar that is linked to our system.
• Each consultant will be assigned up to 150 clients to call and manage through our system.
• Consultants are paid based on a combination of client subscriptions and the purchase of marketing packages. You are encouraged to engage with every client assigned to you and to do your best to keep them active each month to engage our process and our system. Clients are measured by paid subscriptions at the end of each month, and payment is based on client participation.
• Consultants are expected to follow the "best practices" developed by Ad Giants and are expected to follow the Ad Giants process of motivating, coaching, and engaging each client.
• Consultants who fail to adhere to any of the outlined practices provided in our training and on-going supervision will be given up to two official warnings to comply with company standards and based on supervisor reviews. If the consultant is unable to comply on a consistent basis moving forward, Ad Giants will disengage from said consultant, and the consultant will be dismissed from our business. In instances of egregious client issues, Ad Giants maintains a “One Strike & You’re Out” policy based on the evidence presented that is not in full compliance with our process.
Quailty & Service
Quality of Work
Our goal is for satisfaction every time a client utilizes the services of Ad Giants. We believe our success ultimately depends on the satisfaction of each client with our services. At Ad Giants, we try to develop ongoing, quality business relationships with each of our clients.
Telephone Courtesy and Appointments
Good telephone procedures and manners are important. They are often the first impressions of the Company received by an outsider. Prompt, courteous service projects an image of us as an efficient business operation. Return messages the same business day if at all possible. Initial appointments are set through the app and are based upon calendar availability. Each of you is responsible to make your own follow up appointments.
Handling Client Complaints
Use a warm and sincere voice, and use good common courtesy when dealing with clients or potential clients. Try to resolve issues on your own whenever possible. Client service goes beyond satisfying the client's needs. It also includes satisfying clients who return with a complaint about services. All interactions with clients, especially those who are dissatisfied, must be handled with the same enthusiasm and helpfulness as possible. Our goal is to strive for client satisfaction. We may not reach this goal every single time, but we want to come as close as possible. We value ALL of our clients and cannot afford to lose even one. If you cannot reasonably satisfy the client, please explain the situation to your manager, and give him/her the opportunity to make the client happy.
What you can expect
Management's Responsibilities to You
Good, sound leadership is important. Management will strive to work with you to make sure that work gets done efficiently while keeping the quality and quantity of work we need. We will also try to understand your needs as well. Our goal is to try to build mutual respect, cooperation, and team spirit.
Preventing Harassment
We will not tolerate any form of harassment of our employees by anyone, including management, other employees, suppliers, clients, vendors, or any other individuals or companies. Ad Giants is committed to providing a work environment that is free of unlawful harassment. Harassment (both overt and subtle) is a form of employee misconduct that is demeaning to another person, undermines the integrity of the employment relationship, and is strictly prohibited.
Conduct is considered sexual harassment when:
• Submission to the conduct is either an explicit or implicit term or condition of employment; or
• Submission to or rejection of the conduct is used as a basis for an employment decision affecting the person rejecting or submitting to the conduct, or
• The conduct has the purposes or effect of unreasonably interfering with an affected person's work performance, or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment; or
• In third-party situations, one individual is offended by the interaction, conduct, or communications among others.
Some examples of sexual harassment are:
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Unwelcomed or unwanted sexual advances or propositions (verbal or physical).
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Requests or demands for sexual favors.
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Offering employment benefits in exchange for sexual favors.
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Making or threatening reprisals after a negative response to sexual advances.
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Visual conduct such as leering, making sexual gestures, and displaying sexually suggestive objects, pictures, cartoons, or posters.
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Verbal conduct such as making or using derogatory comments, labels, slurs, and jokes.
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Verbal abuse of a sexual nature, graphic verbal commentaries about an individual's body, sexually degrading words used to describe an individual, and suggestive or obscene letters, notes, or invitations. It also includes kidding that is sex-oriented and is considered unacceptable by another individual.
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Verbal abuse proposed as a condition of employment or as a basis for making employment decisions affecting the individual.
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Physical conduct such as touching, assault, impeding, or blocking movements.
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Engaging in any type of sexually oriented conduct that would unreasonably interfere with another's work performance.
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Creating a work environment that is intimidating, hostile, or offensive because of unwelcome or unwanted sexually-oriented conversations, suggestions, requests, demands, physical contacts, or attention.
Normal, courteous, mutually respectful, pleasant, and non-coercive interactions among adults, which are acceptable to both parties, are not considered to be sexual harassment. If you believe you are being harassed, promptly report the matter to your manager. Reports will be investigated and information will be kept as confidential as reasonably possible. Appropriate action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation. You will be informed about the results of the investigation and protected from any form of retaliatory behavior for complaints made in good faith.
Anyone engaging in sexual or other unlawful harassment will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of the contract.
Policies & Timekeeping
Compensation Policy
As a consultant, you are a contract employee of Ad Giants and therefore are responsible for paying taxes upon your earnings while contracted by the Company. All compensation will be reported to the appropriate taxing authorities at the end of each year.
Working Hours
Ad Giants corporate headquarters’ office hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m CST. As a consultant, you will be required to maintain a Google calendar of your availability that will be connected to the app and will be used to schedule your clients’ appointments.
Payroll Period and Paycheck Distribution
You will be paid every month for client subscriptions and client purchases from the previous month. Your paycheck will be mailed to you. Management will use the address you have provided in your personnel file.
Garnishments
If you owe money, you should make arrangements with your creditor so that your wages will not be attached. In the case of garnishment, we will withhold from your paycheck as ordered by appropriate laws and we will also assess the maximum administrative fee allowed under current legislation. All appropriate federal and state laws concerning garnishments will be followed.
Payroll Deductions
As a contract employee, consultants will not have any payroll deductions taken from their checks.
Reporting Time-Off
As a contract employee and consultant for Ad Giants, you are expected to keep an up-to-date Google Calendar. If you are unavailable at any time, you must block off that time on your Google Calendar. In cases of extended time off, your clients may need to be reassigned to another consultant. Please be sure to keep updated notes within the app so that another consultant can determine what steps need to be taken to interact with those clients.
Overtime
As a contract employee, consultants are not eligible to receive overtime.
Performance Feedback
We strongly encourage contract employees to discuss job performance and concerns with management on an informal, day-to-day basis. We also hold periodic performance discussions to provide you with the opportunity to discuss job tasks, identify and correct weaknesses, encourage and recognize strengths, and discuss positive, purposeful approaches for meeting goals.
Business Expense Reimbursement
We may reimburse business-related travel and other business expenses. You MUST obtain prior approval from your Manager before incurring such an expense. Vehicles. When travel is necessary on company business, you may submit a request for reimbursement of mileage at the company rate. See the Office Manager for that rate. Overnight. Employees required to be out of town on company business for more than one day will be paid either per diem expenses or reimbursed for actual expenses. The per diem rate will be established by Management with recognition of the client project and location involved. All other authorized business expenses may be reimbursed in an amount equal to the actual cost incurred by an employee. Typical expenses might be airfare, cab fare, rental car, gas for the rental car, hotel, and reasonable costs for meals.
Contract Employee Responsibilities
You are responsible for parking tickets, moving/traffic violations or towaway, and impoundment charges incurred on legitimate company business. The company will not be held liable for any accidents involving injury or property damage while on legitimate company business. Nor will the company be held responsible for disorderly conduct, of any nature, committed by you while on legitimate company business.
Reimbursement Requests
Submit a completed travel expense report within five days of returning. The report should reflect the nature of the expense, date, place, business, client, the number of miles traveled (if appropriate), and any other necessary information. Enclose receipts for all individual expenses. Contact the Office Manager for guidance and assistance on procedures related to travel arrangements, expense reports, reimbursement for specific expenses, or any other business travel issues. Management reserves final judgment as to whether an expense is reasonable and legitimate.
Expectations
We are a Company dedicated to quality and service. It is anticipated that you will perform your job with the highest degree of professionalism, and to show respect, courtesy, and cooperation to clients and fellow employees.
We expect you, as a contract employee:
• To be on time for all appointments.
• To ask questions when you want information.
• To work with other consultants in a spirit of cooperation and teamwork.
• To perform your duties with honesty, integrity, and professionalism.
• To understand the importance of detail in the service you provide our clients.
• To feel proud of your work and the quality of service you provide.
• To show initiative in carrying out assigned duties.
• To understand and be receptive to the concept that there is always room for improvement.
Please feel free at any time to make suggestions to improve your position, items that adversely or positively affect morale, and any equipment or education needed to improve your performance.
Appearance
As a consultant, while your work takes place mostly via phone, your dress and appearance help project your professionalism through your actions. A clean, neat, and well-groomed appearance show your professionalism on the job. As a general rule, the following guidelines should be followed:
• Always be polite and patient.
• Refrain from gum chewing.
Conflict of Interest/Moonlighting
You will be asked to sign a non-compete agreement when hired. Regardless of whether or not you have such an agreement, as a consultant, you should avoid activities or personal business that might result in a conflict between your personal interests and your job. If you are in doubt about whether or not your activity or personal business pursuit conflicts with your contract employment or competes with the Company, check with your Manager.
Moonlighting refers to holding two or more jobs at the same time. While we do not object to this practice, we insist that your job with us comes first and that a second job does not interfere with, compete with, or reflect unfavorably on your contract employment here. If you choose to take an additional job, please advise Management.
Coworker Relationships
In the course of working together, sometimes employees develop personal relationships that go beyond the workplace setting. If this happens, we expect that you will be responsible and act with maturity at all times. We will not allow such relationships to impact the workplace or affect other employee's jobs.
Public Statements
Please do not make any formal or informal public statements about the Company, our facilities, employees, policies, and procedures, or any other aspect of the Company or your contract here without prior approval from the Company. Any person or organization requesting a public statement should be referred to your Manager or designated employee.
Confidential Information
You will be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement as a contract employee here. Regardless of whether you have such an agreement, as a contract employee, you may acquire or have access to data, business information, procedures, client information, intellectual property, payroll information, business designs, business logos, pricing data, or other confidential matters related to the Company. At no time during or following your employment here should you use such information to benefit yourself or divulge such information to any person, organization, corporation, or entity. Divulging or disclosing such information could result in serious damage to the Company.
Confidentiality must be maintained at all times. Under no circumstances are you to reveal any client, employee, Company financial, cost of goods, or other sensitive information whatsoever to anyone outside of the Company without the express direction of the President. Any violation of this policy will be grounds for immediate termination of employment. At no time are you allowed to copy or take any Company information without the knowledge and advance approval of the President. In addition, all processes, equipment, techniques, intellectual property, designs, logos, etc. developed during the course of your employment become and remain the exclusive property of Ad Giants.
Coaching and Counseling
We want you to have the opportunity to show how well you can do in your job. Your manager is here to help you perform your job well and resolve any job problems that you may have. There may be times, however, when situations with job performance or behavior require action. Depending on each specific situation, and at the sole discretion of management, the types of action that may be taken include any one or a combination of the following actions:
• Verbal warnings
• Written warnings
• Suspensions without pay
• Suspensions with pay
• Disciplinary probation
• Termination
• Any other appropriate action
Just as you have the option to leave the Company whenever you wish to, the Company reserves the right to terminate the employment of any employee at any time, with or without notice and with or without cause at our sole discretion.
Work Ethics
As a contract employee of Ad Giants, we are confident that all of your activities while at work will be directed towards your job objectives and that you will respect Company property. We would like to provide several guidelines that need to be mutually agreed upon and followed while you are an employee. We feel it is important to make our policy clear as you begin your employment to avoid any misunderstandings at a later date. We trust you will agree with the following guidelines, and we ask you to direct any questions regarding them to your Manager.
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It is not acceptable for you to solicit business that will in any way compete with Ad Giants.
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It is not acceptable for you to give away any products, services, supplies, or Company property unless permission is received from your Manager.
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Company equipment is to be used exclusively for Company purposes. Any use of Company equipment for personal use is not allowed unless prior specific approval has been granted.
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We expect all Company documents, records, and reports to be accurate and truthful. Some examples (but not limited to) are time records and client bills.
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Ask yourself these questions:
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Is the activity legal?
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Does it violate Ad Giants policy?
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Is it fair to all concerned
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Will I feel good about my decision if others learn about it?
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Honesty, integrity, and fair dealing are an integral part of our culture. If you are uncertain about an appropriate manner to proceed, check this guide or ask your Manager for guidance.
A FINAL NOTE
The information contained in this contract employee guide is presented for your benefit and that of future
employees. The intent is to supply you with as much information as possible concerning many Company practices, benefits, policies, and rules of conduct. However, this contract employee guide should not be considered as a contract or as the only source of information. In fact, it is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with all policies and practices. The Company is committed to constantly reviewing all benefits and rules and may, from time to time, update this employee guide accordingly. This guide supersedes and fully replaces any previous personnel policies or procedures in effect prior to January 1, 2019. Your contract employment here is important to us. We hope this guide has emphasized the extremely valuable role you play as a member of the team.
Sign the dotted line.
I have read and understood the contents of this contract employee guide and I agree to and I am willing to work under the set of conditions and standards outlined in all of its pages. I understand that I may ask Management for any further information on any subject contained in this contract employee guide at any time and that I have received a copy of this guide.
I also understand that this contract employee guide is not part of my employment relationship or agreement with the organization and that my job may terminate "at the will" of the Company, with or without cause, with or without reason, with or without notice, and without liability. My job with Ad Giants is for a term of indefinite duration. I cannot and should not rely upon any statements contained in this contract employee guide as either creating or attempting to create any type of employment contract. This contract employee guide is simply an informational guide to assist me during my period of employment with the organization.
I also understand that no one other than the CEO has the authority to make any verbal or written agreement contrary to this guide and that any such agreement must be put in writing and signed and dated by the CEO before it is effective.