Employee Orientation Resources

This is a draft of a new or in-progress document, and is likely to have a few people specifically working on it. You may wish to check in on the discussion page to see what the purpose of the document is and who's working on it; then feel free to give this article love and attention if have extra of those things.

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This page is designed to provide new staff members with the resources they need to succeed at Free Geek. There is a large amount of information on this page (and in all of the pages linked to on this page), and it is not intended to be digested all at once. Rather, use this page as a hub for navigating relevant wiki pages and finding the information you need to do your job during your first weeks and months at Free Geek. If you have any questions about what you find here, speak with your supervisor or designated trainer (or ask any staff member who has been around for a while).

Overview of the Organization

Organizational Structure

Org Chart

This document is the standard organizational chart of departments, areas, and workers at Free Geek. It is periodically updated as staff members and structures change. This chart will be helpful in understanding the overall structure of the organization, along with learning who works where.

Definition of a non-profit

Free Geek is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization according to the IRS. What does this mean? Learn more at: Free Geek's status as a nonprofit.

Decision-making

Decision-making Process chart

This document describes the general process for how decisions are made at Free Geek and outlines the basic relationships between the Board of Directors, staff, and all other stakeholders. Keep in mind that not all possible paths for information flow or decision-related actions are printed. Also, note that traditional nonprofits are governed more directly by an Executive Director instead of a Staff Collective; this collaborative management system has been an important aspect of Free Geek since its inception.

Consensus process

Decisions at Free Geek are made using the consensus process. It is a good idea to learn about how consensus works as you begin attending meetings and participating in decision-making groups. Consensus is a good page to look at as you start learning about this process; you also might check out the Staff Collective Decision Making Process.

Mission Statement

Free Geek's Mission Statement is: to recycle technology and provide access to computers, the Internet, education and job skills in exchange for community service. This statement serves as a basis for Free Geek programming and decision-making. Additionally, Free Geek and its affiliates (Free Geek Startups around North America) are guided by Free Geek Principles.

Personnel Policies

HR Policies

The following is a list of official policies (and less official guidelines) related to human relations. Please note that some policies apply to all employees, whereas others apply to only Collective staff or Non-collective (Bargaining Unit) staff. See your supervisor/designated trainer or the HR administrator (Mark) if you have any questions.

Wages (needs page or CBA link)

Benefits (needs page or CBA link)

Holiday Policy

Staff Paid Time Off Policy (is this up-to-date/in line with CBA?)

Call-In Policy

Breaks (needs page or CBA Link)

Logging hours and overtime policy

Standard Weekly Hours (needs page or CBA link)

Maternity-Paternity Leave

Collective Workload Policy

Determining Seniority Policy

Employee Class Attendance Policy

Staff Hardware Disbursement Guideline

Reimbursement Policy

Discrimination Compliance Policy

Collective Member Review Policy (is this up-to-date?)

Non-collective Review Policy (needs page or CBA link)

Staff Discipline Policy