Dear Fellow Partner:

RestaurantZone is the premier recruiting agency of hospitality staff in the US and has become a truly national brand. From the beginning, we have recognized that you, our partners, are critical to our continued success. RestaurantZone’s reputation for the finest hospitality staff in the world, legendary customer service and the highest integrity is the direct result of our collective efforts. We are all caretakers of RestaurantZone’s reputation. How we conduct our business and how we treat others—our fellow partners, customers, communities, suppliers and shareholders—will continue to determine how the world views RestaurantZone.

“RestaurantZone provides the best service, consistency and expertise in the restaurant & hospitality space.”

Each of us is personally responsible for supporting our core values, which require compliance with the law as well as ethical conduct. We have issued the RZ Standards of Business Conduct to restate our longstanding commitment to uphold that responsibility and to provide guidance to our partners. As we move forward, the Standards will help ensure that our values continue to be reflected in employee’s business activity. A commitment to integrity, acting honestly and ethically, and complying with the letter and intent of the law are critical to our continued success. Thank you for your partnership.

Warm regards,

Matthew W. Rodgers

Chief Executive Officer

Our RestaurantZone Mission

RestaurantZone provides the best service, consistency, and expertise in the restaurant & hospitality space. Our goal is to uplift our clients with positive energy and truly get them impactful results when it comes to hiring.

Our Service

It has always been, and will always be, about quality. We’re passionate about ethically sourcing the finest hospitality staff, coaching them with great care, and improving the lives of the people who hire them. We care deeply about all of this; our work is never done.

Our Partners

We’re called partners because it’s not just a job, it’s our passion. Together, we embrace diversity to create a place where each of us can be ourselves. We always treat each other with respect and dignity. And we hold each other to that standard.

Our Customers

When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers—even if just for a few moments. Sure, it starts with the promise of hiring and helping companies grow, but our work goes far beyond that. It’s really about human connection.

Asking for Guidance & Voicing Concerns

RestaurantZone’s core values require compliance with the law, as well as ethical conduct. If you feel these standards have not been met, need access to policies, or have any questions, please ask for guidance or voice your concerns by contacting any of the following resources:

• Your direct manager
• Email contactus@therestaurantzone.com with the subject line “Business Ethics and Employee Conduct”

Your concerns will be taken seriously, and all information provided will be treated in a confidential manner. Every reasonable effort will be made to protect the security of any personal data collected and to avoid unauthorized use or disclosure of such data.

Anti-Retaliation Policy: RestaurantZone does not tolerate retaliation against or the victimization of any partner who raises concerns or questions regarding a potential violation of the Standards of Business Conduct or any RestaurantZone policy that he or she reasonably believes to have occurred.

 RZ Standards of Business Conduct

Our Employee Code of Conduct company policy outlines our expectations regarding employees’ behavior towards their colleagues, supervisors, and overall organization.

We promote freedom of expression and open communication. But we expect all employees to follow our code of conduct. They should avoid offending, participating in serious disputes, and disrupting our workplace. We also expect them to foster a well-organized, respectful and collaborative environment.

On Skype, email, and other forms of communication we expect you to be courteous and respectful at all times. Poor attitudes and defiant, insolent, and insubordinate behavior will not be tolerated.

Scope

This policy applies to all our employees regardless of employment agreement or rank. Company employees are bound by their contract to follow our Employee Code of Conduct while performing their duties. We outline the components of our Code of Conduct below:

Compliance with Law

All employees must protect our company’s legality. They should comply with all environmental, safety, and fair dealing laws. We expect employees to be ethical and responsible when dealing with our company’s finances, products, partnerships, and public image.

Respect in the Workplace

All employees should respect their colleagues. We won’t allow any kind of discriminatory behavior, harassment, or victimization. Employees should conform to our equal opportunity policy in all aspects of their work, from recruitment and performance evaluation to interpersonal relations.

We are committed to an inclusive, positive, and safe workplace.

Equal Opportunity

We are committed to providing equal opportunity in employment on the basis of individual merit and personal qualifications. We strictly prohibit unlawful discrimination or harassment of any kind, including discrimination or harassment based upon race, religion, color, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, military or covered-veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any classification protected by applicable law.

Positive harassment-free workplace

RestaurantZone is also deeply committed to maintaining a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Every individual has the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal employment opportunities and where discriminatory practices, including unlawful harassment, are prohibited. The Company requires each employee to treat all colleagues in a respectful manner and to forge working relationships that are uniformly free of unlawful bias, prejudice, and harassment.

Safe Workplace

RestaurantZone is committed to a violence-free workplace. We will not tolerate any level of violence or the threat of violence.

Protection of Company Property & Non-Compete

All employees should treat our company’s property, whether material or intangible, with respect and care.

Employees:

• Shouldn’t misuse company equipment or use it frivolously.
• Should respect all kinds of incorporeal property. This includes trademarks, copyright, and other property (information, reports, etc.) Employees should use them only to complete their job duties.

Employees should protect company property from damage and vandalism, whenever possible.

We protect confidential and proprietary information.

Our Company’s confidential and proprietary information is a valuable Company asset. Protecting this information plays a vital role in our continued growth and ability to compete. All proprietary information should be maintained in strict confidence, except when disclosure is authorized by the Company or required by applicable law.

Such confidential and proprietary information may include, among other things: 

• fee structures
• specific engagements
• level of business activity and changes in such level
• financial information such as budget and revenue information (including any changes to such information) or group or office performance
• information about strategic business partnerships
• hiring plans and other personnel information
• business strategies and practices
• confidential information provided to us by clients
• intellectual property (such as the coding underlying the Company’s database)

Generally, proprietary business information refers to all of the information that we would not like to disclose to our closest competitors or put in a press release to the general public. The unauthorized use or distribution of confidential and proprietary information violates Company policy and could be illegal. Unauthorized use or distribution could result in negative consequences for both the Company and the individuals involved, including potential legal and disciplinary actions. Further, leakage of such internal proprietary information can damage our reputation, both competitively and in the public securities markets, and may impact our stock value.

Your obligation to protect the Company’s proprietary and confidential information continues even after you leave the Company. You must return all proprietary and confidential information in your possession upon leaving the Company. In addition, you are prohibited from disclosing confidential and proprietary information concerning the Company and its clients to a new employer or to others after ceasing to be employed by or associated with the Company.

Non-Compete & Restrictions

To protect the Company, Employees, debt holders, and other shareholders. All employees of RZ must not compete with RZ.

RESTRICTIONS. During the period in which Employee is employed by the

Company and for a period of three (3) years thereafter (such period being referred to herein as the “Restricted Period”), Employee shall not, directly or indirectly, either for himself or for any other person or entity:

(a) engage or participate in, assist, advise, or be connected with (including as an employee, owner, partner, shareholder, member, officer, director, advisor, consultant, agent, or otherwise), or permit his name to be used by or render services for, any person or entity engaged in a Competing Business (as defined below), except as the holder of not more than one (1%) percent of the outstanding stock of a publicly-held company; or

(b) solicit or hire any person or entity who is or was a manager, officer, employee, or another full-time service provider to the Company to perform services for a person or entity other than the Company; provided, however, that general solicitation to the public (and actions in response thereto) and the retention of services of any such person at any time after six (6) months following the termination of such person’s relationship with the Company, shall not be deemed violations of this Agreement.

As used herein, a “competing business” means a business that competes in whole or in substantial part, with the Company. If the scope of the foregoing restrictions in this Section 7 is too broad to permit full enforcement thereof, then such restrictions shall be enforced to the maximum extent permitted by law, and Employee hereby agrees that such scope may be modified accordingly in any judicial proceeding brought to enforce the such restriction. Under no circumstance shall the employee use and distribute RZ’s customer contracts, marketing materials, any trade secrets, client information/lists, and use any terminology/ language from RZ’s contracts. This will result in an immediate legal lawsuit and the employee will be responsible for financial losses and RZ’s legal fees.

1. c) Please note that if an Employee resigns, is terminated, starts a business, or is a 1099 or W-2 at another firm they shall not under any circumstance: Use and distribute RZ’s customer contracts, marketing materials, any trade secrets, client information/lists and use any terminology/language from RZ’s contracts. A result of these violations will result in a fine of $75,000.00 for each violation, in addition to coverage of RZ’s legal fees & losses. Furthermore, while employed at RZ, any 1099 recruiting work and/or W-2 recruiting work (including consulting and other hiring services) that are billed outside of RZ’s contract will be subject to a penalty equal to 100% of the amount billed. In other words, all proceeds will be required to be sent to RZ immediately. Employees engaging in these practices would be liable for proceeds & any losses associated with such actions. RZ will pursue legal action if this payment is delayed or refused by the employee. You must obtain prior written approval from CEO, Matthew Rodgers, to perform outside recruiting services. Notwithstanding, RZ supports entrepreneurship and likes to be informed of such activities, and reserves the right to approve and disapprove of such actions.

Professionalism

All employees must show integrity and professionalism in the workplace:

Corruption

We prohibit briberies for the benefit of any external or internal party. We discourage employees from accepting gifts from clients or partners.

Embezzlement

Embezzlement is the theft or misappropriation of funds placed in one’s trust or belonging to one’s employer. In the event, RZ discovers an employee or contractor has stolen money from the company we will punish it to the fullest extent of the law.

Job duties and authority

All employees should fulfill their job duties with integrity and respect toward customers, stakeholders, and the community. Supervisors and managers mustn’t abuse their authority. We expect them to delegate duties to their team members taking into account their competencies and workload. Likewise, we expect team members to follow team leaders’ instructions and complete their duties with skill and in a timely manner. We encourage mentoring throughout our company.

Absenteeism and tardiness

Employees should follow their schedules. We can make exceptions for occasions that prevent employees from following standard working hours or days. But, generally, we expect employees to be punctual when coming to and leaving work.

Job Abandonment

Job abandonment is when an employee fails to report to work for 3 consecutive days without notice, and cannot be reached. Job abandonment is a voluntary termination.

Conflict of interest

We expect employees to avoid any personal, financial, or other interests that might hinder their capability or willingness to perform their job duties.

Collaboration

Employees should be friendly and collaborative. They should try not to disrupt the workplace or present obstacles to their colleagues’ work.

Communication

All employees must be open to communication with their colleagues, supervisors, or team members.

Benefits

We expect employees to not abuse their employment benefits. This can refer to time off, insurance, facilities, subscriptions, or other benefits our company offers. All employees should read and follow our company policies. If they have any questions, they should ask their managers.

• The RZ Freedom Plan is currently under construction as of 7/29/19. From a macro view, this will be a customized financial retirement plan. The Founders are currently working on this and more insights and implementations shall occur in late 2019 or 2020.
• The RZ Physical Health Reimbursement Plan varies from employee to employee and is per each individual employee’s offer letter. Reimbursements are only paid out after a receipt or proof of expense is received and approved. Please note as legal environments change RZ makes a significant attempt to always stay in legal compliance regarding health reimbursements.

The Work Environment

Employees should act with integrity, comply with laws, maintain a professional work environment and comply with company policies. They should treat customers, colleagues, and partners ethically at all times.

Absence without notice

Employees who are unable to work due to illness or an accident should notify their supervisor. This allows the company to arrange for coverage of their duties and helps others continue to work in their absence. If an employee doesn’t report for work and the company is not notified of an employee’s status for 3 days, it is typically considered a job abandonment.

General harassment and sexual harassment

This company is committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination and unlawful harassment. Actions, words, jokes, or comments based on an individual’s sex, race, ethnicity, age, religion, or any other legally protected characteristic are not tolerated.

Cell phone use at work

Personal cell phone usage during work hours is discouraged, except in extreme cases such as an emergency. You may use your personal cell phone for work purposes.

Dress code

A professional appearance is important when employees work with customers or potential customers in person or via video calls. Employees should be well groomed and dressed appropriately for the business and for their position.

Substance abuse

Being under the influence of illegal drugs, alcohol, or substances of abuse on company property is prohibited. Working while under the influence of prescription drugs that impair performance is prohibited.

Internet use at work

Employees may use the Internet when appropriate to access information needed to conduct a business company business. Use of the Internet must not disrupt or injure the company computer network. The use of the Internet must not interfere with an employee’s productivity.

Company Computer Policy

Employees & Contractors may receive a company laptop computer from The Restaurant Zone LLC, determined by management & executives. In the event that the employee or contractor is terminated or resigns, The Restaurant Zone LLC reserves the right to withhold the employee’s or contractor’s final paycheck, commissions, and/or bonuses until the company computer is returned. Please check in with your managers to determine where to mail the laptop. RestaurantZone LLC will reimburse you for the shipping and handling costs.  Please postmark the package by your last day of work.

In the event the company computer is not returned, The Restaurant Zone LLC will file a small claims action against the former employee/contractor to compensate for the loss.

Monitoring and security software is installed on all company computers to protect the company. Company computers should be used for work purposes only.

Brief and occasional personal use of the electronic mail system or the Internet is acceptable as long as it is not excessive or inappropriate, occurs during personal time (lunch or other breaks), and does not result in expense or harm to the Company or otherwise violate this policy.

Use is defined as “excessive” if it interferes with normal job functions, responsiveness, or the ability to perform daily job activities. Electronic communication should not be used to solicit or sell products or services that are unrelated to the Company’s business; distract, intimidate, or harass coworkers or third parties; or disrupt the workplace.

Use of Company computers, networks, and Internet access is a privilege granted by management and may be revoked at any time for inappropriate conduct carried out on such systems, including, but not limited to:

• Sending chain letters or participating in any way in the creation or transmission of unsolicited commercial e-mail (“spam”) that is unrelated to legitimate Company purposes;
• Engaging in private or personal business activities, including excessive use of instant messaging and chat rooms (see below);
• Accessing networks, servers, drives, folders, or files to which the employee has not been granted access or authorization from someone with the right to make such a grant;
• Making unauthorized copies of Company files or other Company data;
• Destroying, deleting, erasing, or concealing Company files or other Company data, or otherwise making such files or data unavailable or inaccessible to the Company or to other authorized users of Company systems;
• Misrepresenting oneself or the Company;
• Violating the laws and regulations of the United States or any other nation or any state, city, province, or other local jurisdiction in any way;
• Engaging in unlawful or malicious activities;
• Deliberately propagating any virus, worm, Trojan horse, trap-door program code, or other code or file designed to disrupt, disable, impair, or otherwise harm either the Company’s networks or systems or those of any other individual or entity;
• Using abusive, profane, threatening, racist, sexist, or otherwise objectionable language in either public or private messages;
• Sending, receiving, or accessing pornographic materials;
• Becoming involved in partisan politics;
• Causing congestion, disruption, disablement, alteration, or impairment of Company networks or systems;
• Maintaining, organizing, or participating in non-work-related Web logs (“blogs”), Web journals, “chat rooms”, or private/personal/instant messaging;
• Failing to log off any secure, controlled-access computer or other forms of electronic data system to which you are assigned if you leave such computer or system unattended;
• Using recreational games; and/or
• Defeating or attempting to defeat security restrictions on company systems and applications.

Important exception: consistent with federal law, you may use the Company’s electronic systems in order to discuss with other employees the terms and conditions of your and your coworkers’ employment. However, any such discussions should take place during non-duty times and should not interfere with your or your coworkers’ assigned duties. You must comply with a coworker’s stated request to be left out of such discussions.

Using Company electronic systems to access, create, view, transmit, or receive racist, sexist, threatening, or otherwise objectionable or illegal material, defined as any visual, textual, or auditory entity, file, or data, is strictly prohibited. Such material violates the Company’s anti-harassment policies and subjects the responsible employee to disciplinary action. The Company’s electronic mail system, Internet access, and computer systems must not be used to harm others or to violate the laws and regulations of the United States or any other nation or any state, city, province, or other local jurisdiction in any way. Use of company resources for illegal activity can lead to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal and criminal prosecution. The Company will comply with reasonable requests from law enforcement and regulatory agencies for logs, diaries, archives, or files on individual Internet activities, e-mail use, and/or computer use.

Unless specifically granted in this policy, any non-business use of the Company’s electronic systems is expressly forbidden.

If you violate these policies, you could be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.

Ownership and Access of Electronic Mail, Internet Access, and Computer Files; No Expectation of Privacy

The Company owns the rights to all data and files in any computer, network, or other information system used in the Company and to all data and files sent or received using any company system or using the Company’s access to any computer network, to the extent that such rights are not superseded by applicable laws relating to intellectual property. The Company also reserves the right to monitor electronic mail messages (including personal/private/instant messaging systems) and their content, as well as any and all use by employees of the Internet and of the computer equipment used to create, view, or access e-mail and Internet content. Employees must be aware that the electronic mail messages sent and received using Company equipment or Company-provided Internet access, including web-based messaging systems used with such systems or access, are not private and are subject to viewing, downloading, inspection, release, and archiving by Company officials at all times. The Company has the right to inspect any and all files stored in private areas of the network or on individual computers or storage media in order to assure compliance with Company policies and state and federal laws. No employee may access another employee’s computer, computer files, or electronic mail messages without prior authorization from either the employee or an appropriate Company official.

The Company uses software in its electronic information systems that allow monitoring by authorized personnel and that creates and stores copies of any messages, files, or other information that is entered into, received by, sent, or viewed on such systems. There is no expectation of privacy in any information or activity conducted, sent, performed, or viewed on or with Company equipment or Internet access. Accordingly, employees should assume that whatever they do, type, enter, send, receive, and view on Company electronic information systems is electronically stored and subject to inspection, monitoring, evaluation, and Company use at any time. Further, employees who use Company systems and Internet access to send or receive files or other data that would otherwise be subject to any kind of confidentiality or disclosure privilege thereby waive whatever right they may have to assert such confidentiality or privilege from disclosure. Employees who wish to maintain their right to confidentiality or a disclosure privilege must send or receive such information using some means other than Company systems or company-provided Internet access.

The Company has licensed the use of certain commercial software application programs for business purposes. Third parties retain the ownership and distribution rights to such software. No employee may create, use, or distribute copies of such software that are not in compliance with the license agreements for the software. Violation of this policy can lead to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.

Confidentiality of Electronic Mail

As noted above, electronic mail is subject at all times to monitoring, and the release of specific information is subject to applicable state and federal laws and Company rules, policies, and procedures on confidentiality. Existing rules, policies, and procedures governing the sharing of confidential information also apply to the sharing of information via commercial software. Since there is the possibility that any message could be shared with or without your permission or knowledge, the best rule to follow in the use of electronic mail for non-work-related information is to decide if you would post the information on the office bulletin board with your signature.

It is a violation of Company policy for any employee, including system administrators and supervisors, to access electronic mail and computer systems files to satisfy curiosity about the affairs of others, unless such access is directly related to that employee’s job duties. Employees found to have engaged in such activities will be subject to disciplinary action.

Electronic Mail Tampering

Electronic mail messages received should not be altered without the sender’s permission; nor should electronic mail be altered and forwarded to another user and/or unauthorized attachments be placed on another’s electronic mail message.

Policy Statement for Internet/Intranet Browser(s)

The Internet is to be used to further the Company’s mission, to provide effective service of the highest quality to the Company’s customers and staff, and to support other direct job-related purposes. Supervisors should work with employees to determine the appropriateness of using the Internet for professional activities and career development. The various modes of Internet/Intranet access are Company resources and are provided as business tools to employees who may use them for research, professional development, and work-related communications. Limited personal use of Internet resources is a special exception to the general prohibition against the personal use of computer equipment and software.

Employees are individually liable for any and all damages incurred as a result of violating company security policy, copyright, and licensing agreements.

All Company policies and procedures apply to employees’ conduct on the Internet, especially, but not exclusively, relating to intellectual property, confidentiality, company information dissemination, standards of conduct, misuse of company resources, anti-harassment, and information and data security.

Personal Electronic Equipment

The Company prohibits the use in the workplace of any type of camera phone, cell phone camera, digital camera, video camera, or other forms of recording device to record the image or other personal information of another person if such use would constitute a violation of a civil or criminal statute that protects the person’s right to be free from harassment or from an invasion of the person’s right to privacy. Employees may take pictures and make recordings during non-working time in a way that does not violate such civil or criminal statutes. The Company reserves the right to report any illegal use of such devices to appropriate law enforcement authorities.

Due to the significant risk of harm to the company’s electronic resources, or loss of data, from any unauthorized access that causes data loss or disruption, employees should not bring personal computers or data storage devices (such as floppy disks, CDs/DVDs, external hard drives, USB / flash drives, “smart” phones, iPods/iPads/iTouch or similar devices, laptops or other mobile computing devices, or other data storage media) to the workplace and connect them to Company electronic systems unless expressly permitted to do so by the Company. To minimize the risk of unauthorized copying of confidential company business records and proprietary information that is not available to the general public, any employee connecting a personal computing device, data storage device, or image-recording device to Company networks or information systems thereby gives permission to the Company to inspect the personal computer, data storage device, or image-recording device at any time with personnel and/or electronic resources of the Company’s choosing and to analyze any files, other data, or data storage devices or media that may be within or connectable to the data-storage device in question in order to ensure that confidential company business records and proprietary information have not been taken without authorization. Employees who do not wish such inspections to be done on their personal computers, data storage devices, or imaging devices should not connect them to Company computers or networks.

Violation of this policy, or failure to permit an inspection of any device under the circumstances covered by this policy, shall result in disciplinary action, up to and possibly including immediate termination of employment, depending upon the severity and repeat nature of the offense. In addition, the employee may face both civil and criminal liability from the Company, from law enforcement officials, or from individuals whose rights are harmed by the violation.

Company Credit Card Policy

All employees and contractors must get the approval of the Partners on expenses prior to using the company credit card. You must not use the company credit card for non-authorized or personal expenses. Never withdraw cash using the company credit card. You’re also not allowed to purchase large amounts of alcohol, or any drugs, weapons, pornography, or incur charges for other adult entertainment.

Disciplinary Action Policy

Our company may have to take disciplinary action against employees who repeatedly or intentionally fail to follow our code of conduct. Disciplinary actions will vary depending on the violation.

Possible consequences include:

• Verbal & Written warnings
• Corrective Actions/Counseling & Disciplinary meeting with the appropriate supervisor or manager
• Final written warning
• Detraction of Benefits, Commissions, and bonuses for a definite or indefinite time.
• Suspension or Termination for more serious offenses.

We may take legal action in cases of corruption, theft, embezzlement, or other unlawful behavior.

Our Disciplinary Action company policy explains how we address our employees’ misconduct or inadequate performance. Employees must be aware of the consequences of their actions. We use this policy to outline our disciplinary procedure.

The nature of the offense must be explained to the employee from the beginning of the procedure. The verbal warning may take the form of a simple oral reprimand but also a full discussion if that is necessary.

The following scenarios indicate where the disciplinary procedure starts depending on the violation. It includes but is not limited to:

• Failure to meet performance objectives.
• Attendance issues.
• Failure to meet deadlines.
• Misdemeanors/One-time minor offense.
• Rude behavior toward customers or partners.
• On-the-job minor mistakes.
• Breach of dress code/open door policy etc.
• Involuntary Discrimination.
• Misconduct/Frequent offender.
• Lack of response to counseling and corrective actions.
• Lost temper in front of customers or partners.
• On-the-job major mistakes.
• Unwillingness to follow health and safety standards.
• Severe offensive behavior/Felony.
• Corruption/ Bribery.
• Breach of an employment agreement.
• Harassment/ Voluntary discrimination.
• Workplace Violence.
• Embezzlement/Fraud.
• Substance Abuse.

Our disciplinary procedure begins when there is sufficient evidence to justify it. When there is suspicion or hints of misconduct, managers or HR must investigate the matter first. Appeals are allowed and must be filed to the next line of management as soon as possible.

HR and managers should document every stage of our disciplinary procedure (except the verbal warning.) If appropriate, include necessary information like evidence, testimonies, and employee progress or improvement.

We are obliged to refrain from disciplinary actions that may constitute retaliatory behavior. A no-retaliation company policy will be effective at all times to ensure there is no misuse of our disciplinary procedure.

We have the right to modify this policy or act in any other legal or reasonable way as each case demands. But, we will always enforce discipline in a fair and lawful manner.

RZ Employee Performance Improvement Plan

In the event that an employee has two (2) or more months of poor performance (defined as generating less than $8,000 in production per month) then the managers or partners will place the employee on a performance improvement plan which includes one (1) week of optimizations using Teramind monitoring software to find areas of improvement as well as a meeting to discuss findings, feedback, and solutions.

Employee Training & Development Policy

Our Employee Development company policy refers to the company’s internal/external training programs, learning and development programs, and activities.

In the modern competitive environment, employees at RestaurantZone need to replenish their knowledge and acquire new skills to do their jobs better. This will benefit both them and the company. We want them to feel confident about improving efficiency and productivity, as well as finding new ways towards personal development and success. Failure to attend training and meet training requirements will result in disciplinary action.

This policy applies to all permanent, full-time, or part-time, employees of the company. Employees with temporary/short-term contracts might attend training at their manager’s discretion.

What do we mean by training and development?

In general, we approve and encourage the following employee training:

• Formal training sessions (individual or corporate)
• Employee Coaching and Mentoring
• Participating in conferences
• On-the-job training
• Job shadowing
• Job rotation
• Subscription/Educative Material
• Individual training programs*
• Executive Coaching
• Sales Training, Recruiting Training, Specific Skill Training
• Professional & Personal Development Seminars & Programs

The company has certain provisions regarding individual training programs. All employees that have worked for the company for more than four months are eligible to participate in external training programs (selected by management) individually or in teams. The company will set a budget for each employee at the beginning of the year, which will be renewed annually.

Employee Compensation Policy

In this section, we outline our guidelines for compensating employees according to their employment status. All compensation and work hours for Employees are per the RZ offer letter or signed agreement. We also describe our performance management policies in this section.

There are two types of employees under FLSA guidelines:

(1) Non-exempt employees, who are covered by the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime provisions.

(2) Exempt employees, who aren’t covered by the FLSA because they meet three exemption criteria: (a) they are paid at least [$23,600] per year ([$455] per week), (b) they are paid on a salary basis, and (c) they perform exempt job duties (“executive,” “professional” and “administrative.”) Most employees must meet all three criteria to be exempt.

If you are unsure as to whether you should be exempt or not, please ask HR to clarify your status.

The FLSA excludes some types of jobs (e.g. railroad workers, and truck drivers) because they are covered by other federal laws. Some other workers, like outside salespeople, are excluded by definition. Feel free to ask HR or the RZ Partners or managers for clarification at any time. Please note compensation for both non-exempt or exempt employees may be subject to change based on employee performance and within accordance with company policies.

Payroll

We pay your salary or wage via a direct deposit schedule provided by Lucid Advisory Services or via physical check. The schedule is per your Google Sheets Payroll Document.

Performance management

We have built our performance management practices to:

• Ensure you understand your job responsibilities and have specific goals to meet.
• Provide you with actionable and timely feedback on your work.
• Invest in development opportunities that help you grow professionally.
• Recognize and reward your work in financial or non-financial ways (e.g. employee awards.)

To meet these objectives, we have:

Established annual performance reviews and in addition RZ’s management will check in monthly for a one-on-one training/development/performance evaluation. During these annual reviews, the RZ Partners or your Manager will send you your performance evaluation report and arrange a meeting with you to discuss it. Through these discussions, managers aim to recognize employees who are good at their jobs, identify areas of improvement and talk about career moves. Pay increases or bonuses are not guaranteed. But, we encourage managers to recommend rewards for their team members when they deserve them. There won’t be any forced ranking or other comparisons between employees, as our goal is to help all employees improve and develop their careers.

RZ Partners or managers will meet with their team members once per month to provide feedback and talk about their work and motivations. This way, you can receive feedback in a timely manner and avoid surprises during your annual performance review.

Replacement Commission Structure Policy

Here at RZ, we view replacement guarantees as an excellent opportunity to provide better service for a customer. We embrace them and take them very seriously, to ensure long-term relationships with our clients. By the same token, it’s important for our recruiters to get compensated for this work, and below are guidelines on how to handle replacements:

• If a client is owed a replacement. The recruiter (let’s call them Recruiter X for example) who made the placement, successfully billed, and earned their commission will be responsible to replace said candidate quickly and effectively. Recruiter X will receive a commission of 5% of the fee for the replacement (or an amount determined by the partners/managers). If Recruiter X is unable to complete the replacement, they shall work with other recruiters (let’s call them Recruiter Y) to do this in the interest of keeping the client happy. If Recruiter Y completes the replacement they will receive a commission (see below January 2021 update).
• If the client requests a refund or initiates a chargeback where the company loses the entire fee. The partners shall review and consider applying penalties (e.g. commission deduction from the next payout) on a case-by-case basis. This may also apply if a recruiter has a frequent occurrence of replacements.
• If a client has multiple roles open and asks to apply their credit towards the replacement and promises to hire more positions from you. Then please email management to see how this should be handled and how to proceed.

Jan 20th, 2021 Update

1) Replacements made by other recruiters (who didn’t place the original candidate): Replacement commissions will be paid out after the candidate has stuck with the client for 30 days. And will be 50% of your regular commission rate or a flat fee rate determined by the Partners (based on what was billed to the client). We want all our recruiters to be compensated for replacements as they serve as a very important client retention strategy. However, with our business and fees being lower this year we cannot support paying double commissions on this and continue to grow, adapt, and continually invest in growth for our business. Please note: With all this being said, we emphasize that the original recruiter who places the candidate should try their best to make a replacement. This serves as an important tool to build deep trust and rapport with your client and lets them know you have their back. In the long term, this will pay off when you are able to do this because it gives you more client control. Coming back a month later and asking for more needs will be a heck of a lot easier (and you can become their trusted-dedicated recruiter!) vs. handing it off to another recruiter to handle!

2) Commission Split Scenarios: In sales, when you are working together with an Account Manager, Partner, or Co-worker on closing a contract deal. The person who spearheads the deal and gets the customer to actually sign on the dotted line will earn their full commission rate. However, if the workload is 50/50 (a true team effort till it closes meaning you’re taking notes, negotiating, participating, updating the contract, etc) you both will equally split the deposit $ and earn your full commission %. In the event, your lead is handed off (‘switch-a-rood’) to someone else and your involvement is diminished, you will still earn at least a 5% commission on the deposit only, or a flat fee $ determined by the Partners based on your involvement. The same applies to very complex executive searches, where multiple candidates are presented and leveraged to close a placement deal. Percentages will be determined by the Partners, however, the recruiter who gets their candidate placed will naturally get the largest cut of the deal.

March 24th, 2021 Commissions Update

For unique situations that arise with clients and commissions, the partners will determine a flat fee for the recruiter. If a client is refunded, then a commission will be returned or deducted from a future commission (TBD by partners).

W2 Employee & 1099 Contractor – Commission & Bonus Policy

Our employee bonus policy explains how our company distributes bonuses to employees. We want to reward employees whenever possible since we all contribute to our company’s success with our hard work. This policy clarifies how we choose which employees to reward and outlines details on how RZ bonuses work, payments, and cash incentives.

Scope

This policy applies to all regular full-time and part-time employees and employees with contracts of one year and more, both 1099 and W2 employees. Seasonal employees, interns, and temporary employees with a contract of less than one year are not eligible for bonuses.

All bonuses at RZ are performance-based bonuses. Any unpaid bonuses will not be awarded to terminated or resigned employees.  Additionally, the company may withhold or have a contractor/employee return any sort of bonuses or commissions based on employee underperformance, misconduct, and violations of company policies. Any outstanding recruiting commissions (for only 1-weeks time) will be paid out via check to employees who have resigned or been terminated upon actual receipt of the recruiting fee. Recurring commissions will not be paid to employees or 1099s, who have been terminated or have resigned. Once an employee or 1099 has resigned, all prior commissions will be paid (minus any deductions), however, future commissions shall be voided. All commissions and bonuses that are payable are at the sole discretion of RZ & are determined by RZ and may change or be revoked at any given notice.

All bonuses/commissions at RZ are discretionary. Discretionary incentives, bonuses, and commissions are determined at our company’s sole discretion & the RZ Partners / Managers. They aren’t promised to employees and we can’t guarantee anyone will receive them. For example, we may pay a bonus to reward an employee who showed exemplary performance at a particular time.

Please note any bonuses, holiday bonuses, payments, or cash incentives will be deducted from final paycheck payments or final commissions owed if the 1099 contractor or employee leaves the company within 90 days of the bonus payment. Once an employee or 1099 has resigned, all prior commissions will be paid (minus any deductions), however, future commissions shall be voided and an employee who is no longer working at RZ will no longer be owed these commissions. Additionally, a 1099 contractor who is no longer offering services will not be paid any commissions or future commissions if services are terminated. All commissions and bonuses that are payable to the 1099 contract or employee are determined by RZ.

We may modify this policy and our bonus plans, commissions, and incentives at any time without notice.

Additional Policies on Compensation

In the event an employee or contractor (at any point in time) chooses to slander the RZ brand, post any sort of negative social media reviews, and/or hire an attorney to file a grievance against these policies in a court of law, RZ will withhold their commissions (current or past ones), bonuses and/or wages.

Policy Elements

Our company rewards employees for outstanding individual performance, as well as their contributions that help us achieve company goals. For this reason, we award discretionary bonuses in six forms:

• Year-end bonus.
• Team-Incentive Bonuses.
• One-off bonus incentives, gift cards & gifts.
• Additional vacation time/days off.
• Title promotions are determined by executives/management.

Year-end bonus

Our company’s policy gives the executive team the ability to decide on year-end bonuses for all employees. There are two conditions for this bonus:

1) Our company should have exceeded its annual financial goals.

2) The board of directors must approve the bonuses.

If these two conditions are satisfied, then our company will give bonuses to employees who:

1) Are employed by our company on the day when the bonus must be paid.

2) Have not announced they intend to resign either verbally or in writing.

3) Have received at least satisfactory performance reviews.

We will pay out bonuses according to a schedule determined by executives.

Employee Breaks Policy

Our employee breaks policy describes how employees should take breaks during their workday. We want our employees to be able to rest, eat, and relax for some time during their workday to foster a pleasant workplace.

Our employees can take the following breaks at work:

• Daily 30-minute break
• An additional daily 15-minute break

Employee PTO policy

Our Employee PTO policy or paid time off policy refers to the amount of time off we offer to our employees per calendar year or month. Paid time off can be considered equivalent to vacation time, but employees can use it in anyway they want.

This policy outlines the accrual process for paid time off, and how employees can manage this benefit.

Our employees will receive PTO per their offer letters as well as sick days. Our company will not grant fewer days of paid leave than the law dictates. PTO is separate from parental leave or sick leave as these may be subject to different legal or company guidelines. Other kinds of leave such as bereavement leave and jury duty leave will be considered if the need arises.

Unpaid Leave. In some cases, an employee may use up all their PTO and still need to be absent from work. In such cases, we may consider granting that employee unpaid time off. This doesn’t include cases when employees need to take sick leave or parental leave. These types of leave are separate.

RZ Holiday Policy

• New Year’s Day (January 1).
• Memorial Day (Last Monday in May).
• Independence Day (July 4).
• Labor Day (First Monday in September).
• Thanksgiving Day (Fourth Thursday in November).
• Christmas Day (December 25).

Employee RZ Company Policy Revision & Employee Acknowledgement of Receipt

Policy revision
We will always strive for fairness and equal opportunity and penalize offensive and illegal behaviors. But, as laws and our environment change, we may revise and modify some of our policies.

We have established an annual revision of these policies to bring it up to date with legislation and employment trends. We also ask you to contact HR or the RZ Partners or Managers if you spot any inconsistencies or mistakes. And, if you have any ideas about how to improve our workplace, we are happy to hear them.

Employee acknowledgment

The Employee & Contractor hereby acknowledges having read and understands and thereby accepts all the terms and conditions of this Policy Document. You are not required to sign the receipt, but you should understand that the policies will still apply to you. If you need any clarifications, feel free to ask HR or the RZ Partners or Managers.