Code of Conduct

Professional Behavior Standards

Wear clean, company-branded attire. Use respectful language — profanity, slurs, and inappropriate comments are prohibited. Keep personal phone use to breaks only and never use your phone while operating equipment. Treat colleagues, clients, vendors, and the public with courtesy. Maintain confidentiality regarding client information, property access codes, and company operations. You represent this company at every property — act like it.

Customer Property & Neighbor Awareness

Never damage client property. If you do — broken sprinkler head, window nick, fence scrape — report it to your supervisor immediately, not at the end of the day. Do not drive or park on lawns, flower beds, or freshly seeded areas. Observe local noise ordinances (typically no power equipment before 7:00 AM or after 8:00 PM). Avoid blocking neighbor driveways, sidewalks, or mailboxes. Clean up all debris and clippings before leaving. Close every gate, restore the property to a tidy condition, and never enter areas outside the service agreement.

Anti-Harassment Policy

Every crew member has the right to work without being subjected to offensive or threatening behavior. Prohibited conduct includes verbal, physical, or visual harassment based on any protected characteristic; unwelcome sexual advances or comments; creating an intimidating or hostile work environment on job sites, in vehicles, or at company facilities; retaliation against anyone who reports harassment or unsafe conditions; and bullying, hazing, threats, or sharing offensive materials. Report violations to your supervisor or branch manager. Reports are taken seriously and investigated promptly.

Substance Abuse Policy

Possession, use, or impairment from alcohol or illegal drugs on duty is grounds for immediate termination. If you take prescription medications that may affect judgment or motor skills, report it to your supervisor before operating equipment or driving. Smoking and tobacco use is permitted only during designated breaks in approved areas — never on client properties. If you are struggling with substance use, ask about available assistance programs. For post-incident drug and alcohol testing requirements — including triggering events, deadlines, and consequences for non-compliance or a positive result — see the Post-Incident Drug & Alcohol Testing policy under Employment Policies.

Disciplinary Action Process

Policy violations follow a progressive discipline path. 1) Verbal warning with documentation — your supervisor discusses the issue and sets expectations. 2) Written warning — formal documentation of the violation, required corrective action, and timeline. 3) Suspension — temporary removal from work pending review. 4) Termination — when prior measures have not resolved the issue. Serious violations — safety breaches, theft, violence, on-the-job substance abuse, or willful property damage — skip the progressive steps and result in immediate termination.

Worksite Presence & Duty

While on the clock, you are required to remain at your assigned worksite and continue performing your assigned duties. Leaving the worksite, stopping work, or otherwise removing yourself from your duties without prior management approval is prohibited and may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Prohibited conduct includes voluntarily leaving the worksite during a scheduled shift without authorization, abandoning assigned tasks or stopping work without direction, and departing early or relocating to another site without supervisor approval.

This policy exists to ensure crew accountability, proper supervision, safe and efficient operations, and protection of client properties and company interests.

Exceptions are limited to two situations: you have received prior approval from management before leaving, or a genuine emergency requires your immediate departure. In the case of a genuine emergency, you must notify your supervisor as soon as it is safe and practical to do so — not at the end of the shift.

Compliance with this policy is a condition of continued employment. This applies to all employees, including new hires during their onboarding period and applicants placed on a working interview.