"Support, Encouragement, Empowerment"

Employees - Policy 3.2

A. EMPLOYEE DEMEANOR

Staff are expected to address each other with respect and to maintain a professional demeanor while at work.

B. EMPLOYEE DRESS AND GROOMING

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.

C. NONTOLERANCE OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT

It is the desire and policy of Kokua to provide employees with a work environment that is free of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and any other verbal or physical conduct when:

  1. Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly as a term or condition of an individual’s employment.
  2. Submission of rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individuals, or
  3. Such conduct has a purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an employee’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. For example, offensive language, derogatory comments, slurs, off-color jokes, inappropriate cartoons or printed material. In addition, physical intimidation, touching, blocking movements or interfering with work are prohibited.
  4. Unwelcome conduct is conduct that a person does not solicit or incite, and that a reasonable person would regard as undesirable or offensive.
  5. Engaging in sexual harassment in the workplace will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.
  6. All new employees will receive training on sexual harassment prevention as part of the new employee training.
  7. Any employee who feels they may be experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace or have observed others being harassed should report their concerns to the Executive Director as soon as possible. The Executive Director will take immediate steps to resolve the situation including initiating an investigation into the allegations. Care will be taken to keep the investigation as confidential as possible.
  8. All employees are required to cooperate fully with any investigation of sexual harassment.
  9. Retaliation of any kind is prohibited.
  10. Employees found to have willfully and falsely accused or made false statements will be subject to disciplinary action.
  11. The Executive Director will report the results of the investigation to the complainant and will outline the steps to be taken to assure the harassment is effectively stopped.
  12. Any complaint of sexual harassment made against the Executive Director is to be reported to the Board. The Board will take immediate steps to resolve the situation, including initiating an investigation.

D. ALCOHOL AND DRUGS

Employees who drink alcohol or use drugs on the job or come to work under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be subject to immediate termination.

E. SMOKING AREAS

The clients’ homes are non-smoking areas. When smoking outside of a client’s home, employees must be 25 feet from an entryway.  All Kokua vehicles and Kokua offices are also non-smoking areas

F. PERSONAL MEALS AND DRINKS

Staff are not allowed to eat any food purchased by the clients. Staff are to bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks. Meal preparation should be kept to a minimum. Food should not be exchanged between staff and clients.

G. GIFTS
Gifts should not be accepted from clients. The giving of gifts to clients is discouraged but may be appropriate at Christmas or birthdays. All gifts given should indicate “from the Staff” not from any individual.

All donations to clients are made anonymously. Donations for clients should be brought to the Kokua office. Office staff will arrange for the client(s) to receive the donated articles. A receipt may be given to the donor for tax purposes.

H. CLIENT TELEPHONE

The telephones in the homes belong to the clients, and they are billed for the phone service.  Clients should be encouraged to answer when it rings. The client’s feelings of ownership should be foremost in the employee’s mind.

DDD does not pay for client’s long distance phone calls. These costs are paid for by the client. Long distance telephone charges should be paid by the client who made the call. Telephones are not for staff personal use. Staff are permitted to use the clients’ phone only in an emergency, and should always obtain the client’s permission first. On rare occasions when the phone is used by staff, a limit of two minutes should be observed.

Employees should not give out the client’s phone number to relatives, friends or businesses. Use the office phone as your work phone. Office staff will relay messages received on your behalf. If staff make personal emergency calls which are long distance, they must bill the calls to their own phone or reverse the charges.

I. PERSONAL CELL PHONES

Personal cell phones should be turned off during work time. 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.

J. SCHEDULED SHIFTS

All employees are expected to work their scheduled shifts. If a shift cannot be worked, the employee will give as much notice as possible. It is the responsibility of the employee to find their own replacement if a shift cannot be filled.

Employees finding other employees to work for them must be responsible to have the Temporary Schedule Change Form filled out completely and approved in writing by the Team Leader.  In emergencies the Team Leader may assist in finding replacement workers.  After the “Temporary Schedule Change Form” has been signed by both parties, the employee agreeing to work then becomes the responsible party to insure the shift is filled.  If employees are not able to come to work to sign the “Temporary Schedule Change Form, both employees must call the office so that office personnel can witness the agreement and complete the schedule change form on their behalf. Failure to follow this procedure may result in disciplinary action.

K. RELIGION

Kokua is a non-profit agency with no religious affiliation. Staff may not initiate personal prayer with clients. Proselytizing or teaching any specific denominal doctrine to clients is prohibited.

Clients are free to participate in church services of their choosing. Staff are required to assist clients to attend church services and church activities.

L. RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLIENTS

The relationship between a staff person and a client is a professional one. The staff person’s actions should always be motivated by the client’s best interests.

The staff/client relationship should be characterized by trust, respect and good will. It is important to recognize that this intimacy does not equate to friendship. Staff should be cautioned not to treat clients as part of the staff person’s family. When staff turnover occurs, the accumulated loss can be devastating to the client.

Staff persons are discouraged from taking clients to their home.  It is the responsibility of staff to help the clients to form lasting, nonpaid relationships with other community members.

M. VOLUNTEERS

Any non-employee who would like to donate time or services in benefit of the clients should contact the office to seek formal volunteer status.

Volunteers are required to fill out an application form, a confidentiality statement and a criminal background application form. Background checks should be renewed on the same schedule as those for regular employees.