We want employees to succeed, and we try to provide every opportunity to excel in the classroom. We support your job performance several ways, including mentoring, training, written resources, observations, professional development plans and goals, and performance reviews.
Employees are supervised daily. Supervision and communication are conducted in a positive, productive manner to foster professional growth. The Admin team observes staff daily. Employees are encouraged to approach any Admin member if they have questions or concerns about supervision procedures.
Center administration observes each employee bi-monthly in their primary classroom. Observations include how educators interact with children and other staff, areas of strength, and areas needing improvement. The administrator observing will meet with the staff members to discuss their observations and next steps.
When a position becomes available at First Circle, we first look to hire from within. To be eligible for promotion, employees must have the qualifications and experience required for the position and positive performance review(s) at least 6 months prior to their application for promotion.
When an employee is promoted, they undergo the standard 90-day training period. Employees who received benefits prior to their promotion continue to receive and accrue benefits without interruption. At the end of the training period, the standard 90-day review will take place. If an employee does not receive a positive review either at or before this time, the employee will not retain the new position. First Circle will provide the employee with another available position.
We work hard to create a supportive professional atmosphere with open communication. Regular performance reviews help Admin and employees identify performance strengths, and areas needing further development. The review process helps you develop professionally by giving you feedback so you can do your job well.
Reviews are conducted at least annually and serve as the basis for continued employment, promotion, and raises, which may or may not be considered at the same time as the performance review. The review form reflects First Circle’s expectations for each employee and each job description [see Job Descriptions]. The review process is as follows:
A personalized PDP is created during the performance review. The Director and employee identify several professional goals, any support or assistance needed to meet those goals, a target completion date, and a plan for follow-up.
To ensure a high standard of childcare and positive work place environment, we have established standards of conduct which are laid out in your job description. We believe employees want to do excellent work and adhere to policy, procedures, and regulations. We also believe employees will quickly correct any problems in their work or violations of policies, if these issues are brought to their attention in a professional, cooperative manner.
Corrective action is a process of communicating with the employee to improve unacceptable behavior or performance after other methods such as coaching and performance appraisal have not been successful. Corrective action may be necessary to protect the rights of other employees, encourage appropriate conduct and cooperation, and obtain expected work performance. The goal is to guide the employee to correct performance or behavior by identifying problems, causes and solutions, not to punish the employee. If there is no improvement or repeat occurrences, corrective action may be appropriate.
Corrective action is progressive, beginning with the lowest severity action before employing more severe actions. Depending on the issue, one or more actions may be used. The corrective action will be based on the gravity of the offense, the employee’s length of service, and the employee’s work record. Any corrective action will include the following elements:
The process can start with any of the actions outlined below. These actions are not necessarily sequential. We reserve the right to employ more severe corrective action any time a violation of policy occurs.
If possible, the first step before formal corrective action is informal counseling. The director will counsel the employee and include a written record of the counseling based on specific facts and discussion points. Informal counseling is not a form of corrective action; however, it can be referenced later if corrective action is taken. This discussion can take place during periodic performance reviews or as stand-alone counseling. If 12 months pass following informal counseling and no additional lapses in job performance occur, the informal counseling will normally not be considered when determining future corrective action.
Failure to adhere to First Circle’s core values, standards of professionalism, job requirements, or company policies can result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. An employee may be issued a warning, put on probation, suspended, or dismissed immediately for:
A formal warning, verbal or written, addresses specific employee behavior or performance that requires immediate improvement. Formal verbal and written warnings will be documented and noted in the employee’s file. More than 2 warnings may prompt further corrective action, up to and including termination.
A PIP is designed to give an employee with performance deficiencies the opportunity to succeed. It is a written document that outlines specific performance expectations that must be met within a specified time period for the employee continue employment with First Circle. The employee receives a written copy of the plan, and the original is placed in the employee’s file.
If the employee does not show improvement after a verbal or written warning or engages in actions prohibited by this handbook or conduct that endangers child safety or is, in the sole discretion of Administration, deemed dangerous or improper, the director and/or HR manager will place the employee on probation or suspend the employee with or without pay. If the action leading to probation or suspension is found not to have been caused by, or the fault of the employee, the employee will be reinstated without loss of pay or benefits, and no record of the suspension will appear in the employee’s personnel file. If an employee is suspended for an alleged abuse or neglect inquiry, they may not return to the classroom until cleared by both EEC and First Circle.
Documentation including a description of the issue and all supporting information, the date(s) of probation/suspension, and an action plan detailing what is needed for the employee to return to work will be provided to the employee as appropriate and is placed in the employee’s file.
When the misconduct is serious or the employee’s behavior has remained unchanged or worsened throughout the corrective action process, the final step is dismissal. The director and/or HR manager will meet with the employee and specifically address the issue that has resulted in dismissal. First Circle will never dismiss an employee:
The employee will receive a letter stating the reason for dismissal, which they will be asked to sign to acknowledge their dismissal. In accordance with state and federal employment laws, they will also receive unemployment information and information on enrolling in C.O.B.R.A. [see Compensation section].
If the employee has a positive balance in their PTO bank, accrued hours will be paid to them at the time of dismissal. If the employee has a negative balance, the hours owed will be deducted from their final paycheck. The employee will receive a check for the final worked hours and any PTO balance at dismissal.