BL Companies | Employee Handbook | 2024

courses to maintain the licenses. Employees licensed in multiple states should review the requirements of all of the states because it is often possible to take courses that meet the requirements of more than one state. The Legal Department can assist employees in identifying the requirements of each state. Continuing Education must be approved like other seminars and conferences as described under “Seminars and Conferences”. Professional License – Obtaining a License For professionals who have not yet obtained a license in their discipline, the Company will pay the application fee to take the professional examination and will pay for the review course. For all license exam review courses, the Company will pay one (1) time for the review course and one (1) time to take the exam. If the employee is unsuccessful in his or her attempt to pass the exam, any further review courses or exams taken will be at the employee’s expense. Requests to attend review courses and to pay the application fee to take the professional examination should be submitted to the employee’s supervisor and Executive Director for approval. Seminars and Conferences Requests to attend seminars or conferences should be submitted to the employee’s supervisor for approval. All details known about the seminar or conference including location, time and date should be provided to the supervisor. The expenditure must be approved by the supervisor in the employee’s office or, if over $500, by the Department Executive Director. Upon approval, the Company will pay for the seminar or conference and the employee must provide proof of completion or attendance. Information learned at the seminar or conference should then be shared with other employees in the same field. If the employee is unable to attend the seminar or conference, he or she must notify the supervisor in the employee’s office as soon as possible. The employee must then

make every effort to recoup the amount paid for attendance at the seminar or conference or find a suitable replacement to attend the seminar. Once enrolled in a seminar or conference, the employee should treat it as a professional commitment and failure to attend should only be the result of extraordinary circumstances. Leadership Development A formal Leadership Development Program was developed early in 2007 in order to enhance our Ownership Culture. Our intent is for all employees to attend the initial training, the Foundations Program within the first year of employment. Meeting in small “cohort” groups, discussions continue monthly after the training concludes. Employees develop SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound), practice active listening and feedback techniques, discuss BL’s values and diversity awareness, and then progress to exploring other leadership topics. BL Companies Leadership Development Program includes the following levels: Essentials Program (LDEP) ▪ Leadership Development Advanced Program (LDAP) ▪ Leadership Development Executive Program (LDXP) The LDFP Program curriculum is targeted for all employees. The LDEP Program curriculum is targeted for those employees who manage people in some capacity. The LDAP Program curriculum builds on the skills from the LDEP Program. The curriculum continues to evolve as each class goes through the Programs. If you would like to know more about the content of the curriculum, contact the Director of Human Resources. The Leadership Development Program is intended to increase the ▪ Leadership Development Foundations Program (LDFP) ▪ Leadership Development

Employee Handbook

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