PTO Payout Upon Termination

As you are all aware, we entered a new era of PTO policy right after the Labor Day holiday. Effective 9/5/2021, we changed our policy that an employee must officially resign from the company in order to get any accrued and earned PTO paid out upon termination. (Unless otherwise directed by state law).

Coming up on one month since this policy was implemented… we just wanted to update you on a few things.

• First, it is really important that if an employee has notified you that they quit, regardless of how they notified you, you should use the Termination Reason: RESIGNATION when you go to terminate the employee in UKG.

• Keep in mind, under at-will employment law, an employee doesn’t need to give any length of notice - as long as they inform you in some manner that they intend to never come back. So, for example, the employee that says “I quit”, or texts you and says “I won’t be back - can no longer work the schedule”, or leaves you a post it note that says “I resign”… are all examples of someone “giving notice”. While it’s disappointing and not very professional to just up and quit, these could all be used in the unemployment world as “giving notice” and therefore a resignation.

• The employee who stops showing up with no communication, especially after you’ve attempted to call or text them, is definitely NOT a resignation and should be handled as a true no call no show/job abandonment situation and would make them ineligible, if applicable, to not have their PTO paid out. A good practice is to use the Notes field to capture your attempts to contact the employee either via phone or text, (ie. “Called the employee on 9/26, texted on 9/27, have not heard back as of 9/28. TR 9.28.21”). Just be sure to only include facts, not opinions as this information is discoverable.

Remember, this new policy is a cost savings to your location when applied to those who truly abandon their job. If you ever have questions about how a termination should be coded in the system, by all means, just ask your HR team! We are here to help!

RRI West Management Covid-19 Updates

As you may or may not be aware, President Biden announced earlier this month, a potential vaccine mandate for all employers with more than 100 employees. While there are still many logistics to be worked out, and no final guidance has been issued, we wanted to make sure we were communicating as much information as we know at this time.

Here is what we know today:

• There is no vaccine mandate in place at this time.

• If the vaccine mandate is passed and enforced, RRI West Management will be included in this mandate.

• The vaccine mandate proposal includes allowing employees time off to be vaccinated.

• The vaccine mandate proposal includes allowing employees to show a weekly negative test rather than being vaccinated.

• All final guidance with regards to this mandate will be directed to us by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration).

• RRI West Management is committed to your overall safety and will continue to monitor the situation for updates and communicate with you as information becomes available.

• Those that are vaccinated do not need to quarantine (and miss work) if they are exposed to the covid-19 virus and are not showing symptoms.

Here are some things we don’t know today:

• If payment is required for a weekly test, who pays for this?

• When will I have to show my negative test result and to whom?

• How will weekly testing be enforced?

• If there is a mandate for being vaccinated, will there also be a mandate for the upcoming booster vaccines?

• What happens if an employee doesn’t want to be vaccinated nor be tested weekly?

What steps can you take today?

• Continue to follow all safety guidelines that RRI West Management has in place at your hotel location. This includes wearing gloves, washing hands, and following all cleaning protocols in the guest rooms and front lobby.

• Experiencing symptoms of COVID-19? Stay home. Info on symptoms here.

• Consider getting vaccinated if you are not. Need to know the facts? Check out the CDC’s website: Vaccine Info Here.

The covid-19 vaccine continues to not only affect our world, but more locally, the hospitality industry. Please read the following message from AHLA’s CEO, Chip Rogers:

“With the approval of the first COVID-19 vaccine by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, along with the rapid emergence and spread of the Delta variant, AHLA urges everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated as soon as possible, including industry employees supported by our member companies’ ongoing efforts. Our industry is committed to finding a pathway to full vaccination of eligible employees. Recognizing the wide variety of properties, employees, and companies which make up the lodging industry, we encourage each of our members to determine which incentives and policies to implement to advance the collective goal of full vaccination of eligible employees. The safety of our guests and employees is our top priority, and united as an industry, we are focused on ensuring travel continues to resume safely. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel industry has led on vaccination distribution support, employee vaccine education efforts and awareness programs, face coverings and other safety and cleaning protocols. Now, at this critical juncture in the pandemic, the hotel industry strongly urges every eligible individual to get vaccinated as quickly as possible as we work together to end the pandemic, fully recover and return to a sense of normalcy.”

Please be assured, RRI West Management will keep all medical information confidential and will only disclose it on a need-to-know basis. RRI West Management is taking measures as described in prior communications regarding the Coronavirus and other communicable diseases to ensure the safety of our employees during this time and we will keep you informed as the need arises.

For more information on COVID-19, including symptoms and treatment, visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov. Feel free to contact your manager or Human Resources with any additional questions.

Anniversaries & Birthdays

October Birthdays

Elizabeth Wycoff: October 2

Joe Maddux: October 3

Maurice Herald: October 4

Carlos Ortiz: October 22

Mery Lugo: October 23

Angel Porter: October 27

Brittany Burch: October 29

Juan Marroquin: October 30

Shawn Smith: October 31

October Anniversaries

Jon Baaske: October 10 - 38 Years

Elizabeth Wycoff: October 12 - 1 Year

Carlos Ortiz: October 12 - 1 Year

John Ramirez: October 13 - 1 Year

Michelle Jefferson: October 14 - 8 Years

Keith Kerner: October 20 - 18 Years

Edgar Belmonte: October 21 - 13 Years

Jeffrey Petterson: October 28 - 36 Years

Kenneth Vincent: October 28 - 31 Years

Victor Lopez: October 30 - 1 Year