TOUCHSTONE COMMUNICATIONS

GENERAL RULES AND GUIDELINES

EMPLOYEE
HANDBOOK 2016

Working Hours
Working hours are dependent on the shift start and end time of the
campaign/department an employee is assigned to; Touchstone
Communications reserves the right to rearrange working hours in order
to meet specific conditions subject to work deadlines and client
requests. Every full time employee on a six day work schedule needs to
work a minimum of 45 hours a week (9 hours per day not including one
and a half hours for the lunch break) and two Saturdays a month. This
is subject to change with prior notice.
Every support function employee needs to put in a minimum of 5
hours in order to get paid for that day. In case an employee fails to do
so he will be considered on half day leave.
Time Recording

Login 15 minutes before the scheduled time.

Once logged in the system nobody is allowed to leave the

premises without informing the Project manager.

If any member needs to go out from the premises for an

errand, permission from HR/Project manager which is
mandatory, he/she needs to logout from system upon
returning login back.

Everyone employee in a customer service role is required to

login on the dialer / portal rather than just the HRMS system

All employees are required to follow their specified shift

schedules.

Every time a CSR is late he/she will incur a dock of RS 200.

Every time an employee in a leadership role is late he/she will

incur Rs.400

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Any employee who is late to work more than 4 times a month

will be put on a status of probation , where paid leaves , health
insurance or cell phone allowance will remain suspended.

Uninformed absence after the start of the scheduled shift

without information will be treated as a No Call No Show.
Three instances of No Call No show will result in termination of
employment.

Every support function employee is required to record his

time on the HRMS using login IDs provided at the time of
appointment. In case the employee miss login to HRMS
he/she will be considered absent.

It is an offence to login/logout another persons working

time and such an action makes an employee liable to dismissal
without notice. In addition if an employee fails to sign in through
the HRMS the employee will be considered absent for that
particular day.
The employee will be considered late if he/she reports to
work even one minute after the scheduled reporting time.
Unexcused tardiness of 30 minutes or more shall be
considered an unapproved leave / absence and will result in a
salary dock of two hours minimum.
Habitual tardiness may result to termination. Every
employee is required to inform his/her supervisor in the event of
sickness or unexpected absences.

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Leave of Absence & Holidays

If an employee wishes to leave during working hours, he/she
must
obtain approvals from the concerned supervisor. The
supervisor may exercise discretion in authorizing an excused
absence with or without pay, or agree to any kind of holiday (Sick,
Casual, and Annual) being taken at short notice to cover the
absence required.
If the reasons for taking leaves are of private and confidential nature,
such confidentiality shall be respected.
Leave & Holiday Policy

Any employee who misses a day before or after paid holiday

will receive a five day dock towards his/her salary. If you
need additional days off you need to schedule least two we
eeks in advance and have them approved by the
appropriate management.

All leaves require submission on the portal. Any leave not

applied through the portal will be considered as an absence.

At any given day and point a maximum of 6% of the team

is allowed to take casual leaves and only 5% of a team is
allowed annual Leaves.

All Casual Leaves need to be applied for at least 48 hrs in

advance

In case of a Medical Leave; provision of a medical certificate

by a certified physician is mandatory. All certificates will be
verified by Human Excellence to ensure authenticity.

In case a leave is rescheduled a salary dock of 1 Day will be

applied.

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Encashment for leaves is not allowed

Unpaid leaves are allowed but for a maximum of 20 days. At

any given day / point not more than 4% of a team can
apply for unpaid leaves.

Every employee on contract is allowed to take 4 weeks of

long vacation with the consent of the higher management.

In case of a Grievance of an immediate family member an

employee is allowed to take a total of 5 days off.

In case of a scheduled (as per company policy) cultural or

national holiday like Eid etc., any working day taken off
either before or after the holiday will result in a 5 days
salary dock.

Note: The eligibility to avail any kind of leaves with salary is after the
successful completion of the Probation Period.
Unpaid leaves may be granted only due to extraordinary
circumstances and must be approved by both the employees
manager and HE. The total period of unpaid leaves cannot be more
than 15 days. Employees with minimum of 6 months tenure with
the company will be eligible to take unpaid leaves. In case of
unpaid leaves, HE will automatically process an involuntary
resignation for the employee if the employee fails to return or inform
on the specified date of return.
Schedule of leaves
Every confirmed employee is entitled to the following paid leaves
throughout each year. Only leaves that are applied through the leave
portal will be considered at the time of payroll.

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Medical (Emergency) leaves

5 days per year (needs to be applied through the leave portal within
48 hours of the date of return can be applied in advance)
Casual leaves
4 days per year (needs to be applied 48 hours in advance)
Annual Vacation
10 days weeks after completion of one years tenure with the
company (10 days advance notice. It cannot be applied after the
leave is taken or within 10 days prior of date of occurrence of
leave).
Unpaid Leaves
Only 20 days of unpaid leaves are allowed incase of unavoidable
circumstances.
HOLIDAYS
The company shall remain open for business on all gazzeted holidays
of Pakistan. Religious Holidays (including Eid) will be observed as per
company requirements. A prior notice will be given regarding the
Pakistan public holidays.
In addition the following US holidays are to be
observed.
U.S. Holidays:

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New Years Day

Day Independence Day

Day Labor Day

Day Thanksgiving

Day Memorial Day

Day Christmas Day

Any employee who misses a day before or after a paid holiday will
receive a five day dock towards his/her salary. If you need additional
days off you need to schedule at least two weeks in advance and
have them approved by the appropriate management.
Annual Leaves
As per policy every CSR taking annuals will get the LPD for five days
only. This LPD will only add towards their title if they are retaining it.
For example if the title last month was Sprinter, the agent will get
the LPD going toward sprinter.
A title jump is not allowed. Please communicate the same to all
your agents.
Dress Code
As an employee of Touchstone Communications, we expect you to
present a clean and professional appearance when you represent us,
whether that is in, or outside of, the office. Management, CSRs and
all o t h e r employees a re expected to dress i n a c c e p t e d
c o r p o r a t e tradition. Proper business attire, keeping in view
with the cultural norms, should be expressed. The dress code
policy can be changed/ amended at any time according to company
rules and regulations.
Smoking
Touchstone endeavors to provide a healthy working
environment. We therefore prohibit any form of tobacco consumed
on company premises including the break rooms and restrooms.
Additionally, no smoking is allowed within the ETC building except in
designated rooms and areas.

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Employees caught smoking or holding a lit cigarette in an

unauthorized area will be given a written warning and salary dock or
RS 5000 minimum and repeat offenses can result in termination.
The designated areas include: building cafeteria, smoke room
on the second floor, parking lot and the building exit on the
mezzanine floor.
Cell phone usage
Cellular phone use is not permitted on the floor or during
company meetings or trainings. Employees seen using cell phones
will have their cell phones confiscated for that day and will not be
allowed to keep their phones at work for a week. Repeated
violations of this policy will result in termination from service.
Communication Language on the floor
The communication language on the floor will be English only. Any time
an employee is found using any other language he/she will be
suspended. A second instance will result in termination.
For Customer Service staff usage of any other language than English
will have the call will be marked as bad.
All violations associated with cell phones and speaking Urdu on the
floor will have a minimum 2 day suspensions.
Drug/ Substance Abuse
Touchstone is committed to provide a substance abuse free work
place for its employees. This policy applies to all employees of
Touchstone without exception, including part-time and temporary
employees.
The higher management has the authority to conduct tests on
random basis. If the employee refuses or tries to delay taking the
drug test, the employee may be terminated.
If an employee is determined to have drugs in their system,

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he/she will be terminated. That individual will not be considered for

re-employment.
Confidentiality
Use of company information and/or equipment for
personal gain or advantage is not allowed. Anyone who is found
disseminating company information to outsiders will be
terminated immediately.
Security Policy
Entries towards Touchstone will be checked and monitored by the
security desk. All visitors will document their visiting time, person to
see and purpose of the visit. A visitors badge will be issued & after
this sign off which should be returned at the time of leaving. All
visitors should possess a valid NIC in order to enter the office
premises. The NIC will remain with the security desk till the time the
visit ends. Visitors will only be allowed in designated areas
(reception/ seating area) or the office of the person they intend to
meet. The receptionist will guide the visitors to the designated
area.
Emergency Protocol
In case of a medical emergency the following protocol needs to be
followed

All employees with chronic ailments need to identify their

ailment along with their best prescribed procedures and
medicine (action plan) by their designated doctors;
Medical Action plans needs to be submitted to the Doctor
and HR, HE will then insert it in employee files;
All Employees are required to provide their emergency
contact numbers to HR and designate an emergency contact
as well;
In case, an employee has not given an ECN their home
number will be contacted;

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In case of any emergency company Doctor, HR and

Compliance will be informed immediately;
HR will call on the Emergency contact numbers to inform
the designate contact about the emergency;
In case, the person is unconscious and needs immediate aid
then the doctor will perform first aid;
HR will call the ambulance;
Company transport will not be provided for any sort of
emergency;
In case the employee is not satisfied taking the ambulance,
the emergency contact person will be responsible to handle
the situation;
Company will not take responsibility for providing any
medical assistance except for calling the ambulance;
In case, the employee needs to go in ambulance, only one
individual will accompany the patient;

Employees/Trainees
Every employee must display the company ID card in order to enter
the office.
All trainees will be issued with picture Trainee cards from the day
they start training.
Communications Equipment
Touchstone Communications provides all employees with
communication tools in the form of business computers, local and
long distance telephones, headsets, headphones and other
equipment necessary to do your job.
These devices are the property of Touchstone
Communications and are entrusted to each employee to conduct
the required work on a daily basis. None of this equipment should
be used for personal use, nor removed from the physical confines of
Touchstone Communications.
Conduct

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It is equally essential that every employee acts in a

professional manner and extend the highest courtesy to co-workers,
visitors, customers and clients. A cheerful and positive attitude is
essential to our commitment to extraordinary customer service and
impeccable quality.
Specific instances of prohibited conduct
Employees shall not disrupt or otherwise interfere with any
meeting or other official activity of Touchstone
Communications, nor shall staff members threaten, intimidate
or otherwise engage in any conduct intended, directly or
indirectly, to interfere with the ability of other staff members
to discharge their official duties.
Staff members shall not intentionally misrepresent their
functions, official title or the nature of their duties.
Staff members shall not intentionally alter, destroy, misplace
or render useless any official document, record or file
entrusted to them, which are part of the records of
Touchstone Communications or their clients.
Sexual harassment
Any form of discrimination or harassment, including sexual or
Gender based harassment, or physical or verbal abuse at the
workplace or with an employee outside work place is
prohibited. Touchstone communications will
not under
any circumstances, condone or tolerate conduct that may
constitute sexual harassment on the part of its management,
supervisors or non- management personnel. It is our policy
that all employees have the right to work in an environment
free from any type of illegal discrimination, including sexual
harassment. Any employee found to have engaged in such
conduct by the investigating authority will be subject to
immediate termination. Depending on the severity of the case
further legal action can be taken.

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Sexual harassment is defined as:

1. Making submission to unwelcome sexual advances or
requests for sexual favors a term or condition of
employment;
2. Basing an employment decision on submission or
rejection by an employee of unwelcome sexual
advances, requests for sexual favors or verbal or
physical contact of a sexual nature;
3. Creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working
environment or atmosphere either by
a) Verbal actions (through all mediums), including calling
employees by terms of endearment; using vulgar, kidding or
demeaning language; or
b) Physical conduct that interferes with an employee's
work performance.
We, at Touchstone, encourage healthy interaction among our
employees. All employees especially management and
supervisory employees, must be sensitive to acts of conduct
that may be considered offensive by fellow employees and
must refrain from engaging in such conduct.
It is, also, expressly prohibited for an employee to retaliate
against employees who bring sexual harassment charges or
assist in investigating charges. Retaliation is a violation of this
policy and may result in discipline, up to and including
termination. No employee will be discriminated against, or
discharged, because of bringing or assisting in the investigation
of a complaint of sexual harassment.
Benefits
Employee Referral Programs
Cash bonuses may be given to employees for recruiting new

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employees. The company will decide on the amount of the

referral bonus and service time new employees must put in
before they are eligible for such bonuses.
Performance Bonus
Touchstone encourages its employees to increase
efficiency and productivity by giving regular bonus incentives.
For sales staff this bonus is paid out through a weekly
schedule which is exclusive to Touchstone. The bonus amount
is calculated and decided as per the criteria set out for that
particular campaign.
For leadership a monthly schedule of bonus is also in
place. The weekly and monthly bonus is based on the
criteria of goal achievement in terms of production,
attendance and quality.
All support staff bonus is paid on a quarterly schedule.
The criterion is based on goal achievement, attendance and
review scores for that quarter. For support the bonus
amount is relevant to the companys profitability ratio.
Attendance Bonus Qualification

100% attendance no more than 2 late Max 15 mins

(Attendance Bonus Qualified 100%.
Planned leave in the system before leave date (Attendance
Bonus Qualified 100% - Limited to 1 planned leave per
month).
Unplanned leave of any type (No bonus but no dock (limited
to 5 for the year after the 5th one docks will apply)
Unplanned leave (100% Dock)

Health Insurance
Touchstone provides health insurance coverage to its
employees. Every employee who has tenure of one year

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with the company and is an A or B player performance wise

is eligible for the health insurance. This benefit covers
medical expense incurred by the employee for himself as
well as his dependents. Touchstone provides health
insurance coverage to its employees. Every employee who
has tenure of one year with the company and is an A or B
player performance wise is eligible for the health insurance.
This benefit covers medical expense incurred by the
employee for himself as well as his dependents.
Retention Bonus
Certain categories of employees may be given a certain
amount of money as retention bonus (based on the
companys profitability) in addition to any other bonuses
that they may qualify for.
For Sales a set amount is paid after the completion of the
calendar year. This amount is based on number of points
each sales agent receives relevant to the title achievement
per month during that year.
For management a certain fixed amount is paid at the end
of the year based on the companys profitability.
Any employee who leaves before December 31st will not
be eligible to receive the amount collected in the pool.

Transportation/ Conveyance Allowance

Touchstone provides conveyance facility to its eligible
female employees only. The eligibility criteria for all female
reps are the achievement of a rookie title for 2 consecutive
months. All females not availing company transport will
receive conveyance allowance compensation worth RS
7500 per month.

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