Overview

The Company expects every employee to be regular and punctual in attendance. Regular attendance means being ready to work at your assigned workstation, at the designated starting time each day. Absenteeism and tardiness disrupt operations, negatively impacting colleagues and company’s ability to meet is goals and serve its customers. When employees are absent or tardy, it can result in decreased production quantity, reduced product quality, and increased risk of injury. Employees must make every effort to strictly adhere to attendance and punctuality expectations.

The purpose of this policy is to establish clear expectations, responsibilities, and consequences related to attendance and punctuality, preventing misunderstandings and ensuring consistent policy application across the company.

This policy applies to all employees, detailing roles of employees, managers, and People Business Partners (PBPs).

Definitions and Expectations

Managers are responsible for accurately monitoring and recording attendance and punctuality within their departments.

• Occurrence: Any failure to start, end, or complete a scheduled shift as expected, including tardiness, early departure, or full-day absences.
• Absence: Failure to report for work for any scheduled shift, overtime, meeting, or traded day.
• Excused Absence: An absence is considered excused if it is prescheduled, requested and approved in The Joint, and sufficient PTO hours are available, or if it involves a legally protected leave or workers' compensation medical absence.
• Unexcused Absence: Any absence not meeting the criteria for excused absences. Each unexcused absence counts as one occurrence. If an unexcused absence extends over two or more consecutive days, it can be considered as a single occurrence provided the employee submits a medical note upon their return. Without proper documentation, each day of an extended absence will count as a separate occurrence.
• Excused Same-Day Call Out: For a same-day call out to be excused, employees must notify their manager within the designated timeframe (typically at least one hour before their shift start time, e.g., by 6 AM for a 7 AM shift) and must have adequate PTO accrued to cover the entire scheduled shift.
• Tardiness: Employees arriving late to their shift without prior approval. Less than 60 minutes late is half an occurrence; 60 minutes or more counts as a full occurrence.
• Early Clock-in: Employees may clock in up to 7 minutes early without approval; earlier clock-ins require prior written authorization.
• Early Departure: An excused early departure occurs when it is prescheduled, requested and approved in The Joint, and sufficient PTO hours are available to cover the remainder of the shift. Unexcused early departure counts as an occurrence (less than 60 minutes early = half occurrence; more than 60 minutes = full occurrence).
  • IMPORTANT: If you become ill at work or must leave for some other reason before the end of the workday, you must inform your manager of the situation and request authorization to leave. If an employee leaves their workstation without proper authorization from their manager, it can be considered Shift Abandonment which may lead to discipline up to termination.
• Meal Breaks: Employees must not clock in early from meal breaks; violations may result in disciplinary action.

Reporting Procedures

Subject to applicable law, employees unable to work due to an illness or an accident must personally notify their direct manager at least one hour prior to the start of their shift each day they will be absent, unless an extended period of absence has already been requested and approved. This will allow the Company to arrange for temporary coverage of an employee’s duties and helps other employees to effectively work. This policy may differ at your particular work location: Please check with your manager for additional details.

Notifications must be made via phone call, email, or text. Reporting an absence to any other individual other than the employee’s direct manager or voice mailbox number will not be accepted unless the employee’s manager has given specific instructions to do so in their absence. The Company may inquire about the general reason for absence, tardiness, or early departure. If an employee is physically unable
to notify due to a documented emergency, a designated representative may contact the direct manager on the employee's behalf.

Employees failing to notify their manager of their absence or tardiness within one hour of the shift start will accrue four occurrences for a No Call/No Show. Two consecutive No Call/No Shows are treated as Job Abandonment, constituting voluntary resignation.

Medical Documentation

Employees with two or more absences that are unexcused and do not qualify as protected leave, whether paid or unpaid, may have these absences consolidated into a single occurrence by presenting appropriate medical documentation. Please discuss with a manager for additional information.

Acceptable documentation of a medical note is a note signed by a legally qualified healthcare provider indicating that the employee (or covered family member if applicable under local law), was under their care during the entire period of absence and that the employee was unable to perform their regular job during the period of absence. The note must not contain a diagnosis or indicate the specifics of the employee’s illness. Employees must send all medical notes to their manager directly.

People Business Partners may be asked to verify documentation. False reporting or falsifying documents will result in disciplinary action, including termination. Federal and State laws that conflict with portions of this policy will supersede those provisions as applicable.

Disciplinary Action (Rolling 12-month period)

Employees with multiple absences and/or tardiness will be subject to the disciplinary action outlined below, up to and including termination of employment. Managers are responsible for requesting the appropriate level of disciplinary action in a timely manner.

• Up to Four Occurrences: Monitoring and informal feedback.
• Fifth Occurrence: Documented Counseling.
• Sixth Occurrence: Written Warning.
• Seventh Occurrence: Final Written Warning.
• Eighth Occurrence: Termination of Employment.

Each situation of absenteeism, tardiness or early departure will be evaluated on a case- by-case basis. Even one unexcused absence or tardiness may be considered excessive, depending upon the circumstances. For example, the Company retains discretion if there are multiple occurrences in close proximity, including consecutive absences, to raise the level of discipline imposed without following the guidelines listed above. Employees not charged with (8) occurrences but displaying a poor attendance record of multiple occurrences over time are subject to termination at the Company’s discretion. However, the Company will not subject employees to disciplinary action or retaliation for an absence, tardiness or early departure for which discipline may not be imposed under applicable law. If the employee believes that an absence, tardiness, or early departure is (or should be) excused pursuant to applicable law, the employee should notify their manager of this fact as soon as possible, but no later than at the time of the absence, tardiness or early departure.

Exempt Employees

The Company expects that every employee will be regular and punctual in attendance. This means being in the office, or facility, ready to work at their starting time each day. Absenteeism and tardiness place a burden on other employees and on the company.

Subject to applicable law, when you are unable to work, please promptly notify your manager. In the event your manager is unavailable, you must notify the People Team. Leaving a voicemail message or sending an email or text is considered sufficient notification.

If you become ill at work or must leave the office for some other reason before the
end of the workday, you must inform your manager of the situation.

The possession of weapons, including but not limited to, firearms and knives, anywhere on the Company’s property (including employee or Company owned or leased vehicles and rental vehicles), the property of the Company’s customers or vendors, or at work sponsored events presents the possibility of danger in the workplace. Consequently, the Company strictly prohibits the possession of weapons, including but not limited to, firearms and knives, anywhere on the Company’s property, including employee or Company owned or leased vehicles and rental vehicles, the property of the Company’s customers or vendors or at work sponsored events.

Only where permitted by applicable law, may employees store firearms within a locked personal vehicle in a parking lot owned and operated by the Company. If an employee is unsure about the firearms laws where they work, please contact a local People Business Partner or a member of an on-site security team.

Violations may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

This search procedure applies to all employees and any person entering or leaving our premises.

To preserve a safe, productive, and efficient workplace, desks, storage areas, work areas, computers and their accessories, lockers, file cabinets, and Company vehicles, are Company property and must be maintained according to Company policy. All such areas are to be kept clean and are to be used only for work purposes. The Company reserves the right at all times, and without prior notice, to inspect any and all Company property for the purpose of determining if this policy or any other Company policy has been violated. All vehicles and containers, including, but not limited to, bags, boxes, purses, briefcases, lunch containers, clothing, etc., brought onto Company premises, are subject to inspection at any time a Company representative has a reasonable suspicion that Company policy has been violated and a search is reasonably necessary in the investigation of such violation(s), in accordance with applicable law.

Refusal to consent to a search or an inspection when requested will result in individual not being permitted to enter the premises. Employees who refuse will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

It is Company policy to provide a smoke-free workplace. This policy applies to all employees, clients, contractors, and visitors. Use of smoke products, including tobacco, including all electronic cigarettes, as well as the use of all tobacco- related products, including but not limited to, smoking, the use of chewing tobacco or other smokeless tobacco and the use of e-cigarettes or vaping, is not permitted inside the offices, cultivation centers or dispensaries, rest rooms, conference rooms, eating areas, or within 25 feet of the Company’s entrances or windows.

Visitors should be courteously advised of the policy prior to their arrival. Employees or visitors who wish to smoke tobacco must limit their smoking to the designated areas provided outside Company facilities for this purpose. Employees are permitted to use these designated smoking areas only during break and meal periods. The smoking or use of cannabis is not permitted by Employees during working hours, even if the smoking or use of cannabis is permitted by law in the state in which you are employed.

Employees, including those who work remotely, may not smoke while on video conferences.

Employees who violate this policy are subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Visitors scheduled to survey, tour, or otherwise enter any Company office, dispensary or cultivation centers must have their visit authorized by the manager responsible for the operations in that building, or a member of senior management. These visits should not disrupt workflow. Authorized visitors will always be asked to present themselves in the Company reception area where their visit is recorded and will be asked to wear a visitor’s badge, if applicable. The visitor’s badge is to be displayed at all times by the visitor, and the visitor is to be accompanied at all times by their employee escort.

Unauthorized visitors who do not display a valid visitor’s badge or are unescorted will be courteously escorted to the General Manager or the People Team Representative who will handle the matter.

Employees being visited are responsible for the actions of their guest(s). Should a guest of an employee act in such a manner that disrupts the normal working conditions of the Company or threatens the security of the Company and/or its employees, the employee accompanying the guest may be held responsible for the guest's actions and subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

If an employee suspects or becomes aware of any unusual situation, they should immediately notify Security and/or The People Team.

Overview

Company property includes not only tangible property, like desks and computers, but also intangible property such as data, intellectual property, and confidential, proprietary information. The Company’s proprietary, trade secret, and confidential information is particularly important. “Confidential Information” refers to a piece of information, or a compilation of information, in any form (on paper, in an electronic file, or otherwise), related to the Company’s business that the Company has not made public or authorized to be made public, and that is not generally known to the public through proper means. By way of example, confidential or proprietary information includes, but is not limited to, nonpublic information regarding the Company’s business methods and plans, customer lists, products, materials, designs, plans, ideas, data, business plans, research, development, inventions, financial statements, financial projections, financing methods, pricing strategies, customer sources, employee health/medical records, methods of competing, marketing data, formulas, and trade secrets are examples of confidential information.

Employees may not disclose, transfer or use proprietary or confidential information, without proper authorization or purpose. Each employee should use all reasonable care to protect or otherwise prevent the unauthorized disclosure of such information. Any employee who violates this guideline will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Confidential Information does not include information lawfully acquired by non-management employees about wages, hours or other terms and conditions of employment, if used by them for purposes protected by §7 of the National Labor Relations Act such as joining or forming a union, engaging in collective bargaining, or engaging in other concerted activity for their mutual aid or protection. Confidential Information also does not include: conduct that was, or that an employee reasonable believes to be, illegal; conduct that is recognized as against a clear mandate of public policy; or the existence of a non-confidential settlement involving any such conduct.

Nothing in this policy prohibits an employee from communicating with any governmental authority or making a report in good faith and with a reasonable belief of any violations of law or regulation to a governmental authority, or disclosing Confidential Information which the employee acquired through lawful means in the course of employment to a governmental authority in connection with any communication or report, or from filing, testifying or participating in a legal proceeding relating to any violations, including making other disclosures protected or required by any whistleblower law or regulation to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Labor, or any other appropriate government authority.

Further, employees are hereby notified that under the 2016 Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA): (1) no individual will be held criminally or civilly liable under Federal or State trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret (as defined in the Economic Espionage Act) that: (A) is made in confidence to a Federal, State, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and made solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or, (B) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal so that it is not made public; and, (2) an individual who pursues a lawsuit for retaliation by an employer for reporting a suspected violation of the law may disclose the trade secret to the attorney of the individual and use the trade secret information in the court or arbitration proceeding, if the individual files any document containing the trade secret under seal, and does not disclose the trade secret, except as permitted by order in that proceeding.

Connecticut: Electronic Monitoring

The Company monitors employee use of company computer networks, electronic mail (email) systems and other company communication resources in its sole discretion. Specifically, the Company monitors email, instant messages, internet access and other electronic communications and also conducts video monitoring. Accordingly, employees should not expect that these communications are private.

No audio or video recording occurs in restrooms or areas where employees change clothing.

Connecticut: Privacy Protection Policy for Social Security Numbers

The Company has established the following procedures to protect the confidentiality and security of Social Security numbers (SSNs) received by the Company. This policy applies to SSNs received for any employment-related purpose, including, but not limited to, pre- employment background screening; payroll, benefits, and human resources administration; and employment-related investigations.

The Company has established the following procedures to protect the confidentiality and security of Social Security numbers (SSNs) received by the Company. This policy applies to SSNs received for any employment-related purpose, including, but not limited to, pre- employment background screening; payroll, benefits, and human resources administration; and employment-related investigations.

Access to, and Use of, Information or Documents That Contain SSNs

Only authorized employees of the Company may access information and documents containing SSNs. Authorized employees may access information or documents containing SSNs only on a need-to-know basis and may use such information and documents only for the purpose for which access is permitted.

Disclosures of Information or Documents That Contain SSNs

The Company will disclose documents containing SSNs outside the Company only as permitted or required by law or court order. If the recipient of the document does not have a need to know the SSN, the SSN should be redacted before disclosure. If the recipient of the document does have a need to know the SSN, then the Company, whenever feasible, should obtain the recipient’s written agreement to provide adequate protections for the documents containing the SSN. SSNs may not be disclosed to a third-party without the prior approval of the Legal Department or of the Chief People Officer.

Additional Safeguards for SSNs

SSNs and documents containing SSNs should receive the following additional protections:

• SSNs should not be publicly displayed, for example, by including them in electronic documents posted on internal web sites or in paper documents posted on employee bulletin boards;

• SSNs should not be printed on cards, such as insurance identification cards, that must be presented for an employee to obtain goods or services;

• SSNs generally should not be printed on paper documents that are mailed to an employee unless the document, by law, is required to include an SSN (such as a W-2 Form) or in certain other limited circumstances. Employees should consult with the Legal Department before including SSNs in a mailing;

• Employees authorized to access SSNs should take steps to prevent casual viewing of SSNs by unauthorized persons, such as activating a password- protected screen saver when leaving an assigned computer unattended;

• Employees authorized to access SSNs should not download SSNs or documents containing SSNs to any portable storage medium unless it is encrypted or remotely access files containing SSNs other than through an encrypted connection.

• SSNs should not be transmitted over the internet unless encrypted pursuant to the Company’s Information Security Policy.

Enforcement

Any employee who becomes aware of, or suspects, a violation of this policy should inform the Chief People Officer or the Legal Department immediately, so that the Company may conduct an investigation where appropriate. No employee may retaliate against an employee who reports a violation of this policy. Violation of this policy will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

Michigan: Social Security Number Privacy

Employees must provide the Company with their social security number in order for the Company to satisfy payroll, state and federal tax and insurance coverage requirements. Consistent with Michigan law, the Company takes reasonable steps to maintain the confidentiality of social security numbers.

All documents and records containing social security numbers and information are kept in a secure environment. Only authorized personnel with a legitimate business need may access records and documents (both internal and external) that contain an employee’s social security number and identification information.

In addition to the Company’s policy protecting against the disclosure of confidential information, employees are prohibited from accessing, viewing, or using other employee’s social security information maintained by the Company.

When necessary, documents containing employee social security numbers will be properly destroyed through shredding or other means before disposal.

Any employee who accesses social security data without authorization and/or for unlawful purposes will be disciplined up to and including termination of employment and may be referred to authorities for possible prosecution.

Due to the heavy load of business calls, employees are encouraged to limit the use of Company telephones for making outside personal calls. Incoming personal calls are discouraged. The Company recognizes that employees may have a need to receive or make personal calls or text messaging from time to time. These communications should be limited to those that cannot be made during non-working hours. No personal long-distance or toll calls are to be charged to the Company.

For safety, including cross-contamination issues, as well as the security of our Confidential Company Information, the use of cellular phones on the cultivation floor or other work areas is prohibited except for supervisors, managers, and maintenance personnel, and use of such devices is strictly limited to business-related communications and only when such activity is safe to perform.

Employees are permitted to engage in outside work or to hold other jobs, subject to certain restrictions as outlined below.

Activities and conduct away from the job must not compete with, conflict with or compromise the Company interests or adversely affect job performance and the ability to fulfill all job responsibilities. Employees are prohibited from performing any services for customers during nonworking time that are normally performed by the Company. This prohibition also extends to the unauthorized use of any Company tools or equipment and the unauthorized use or application of any confidential information. In addition, employees are not to solicit or conduct any outside business during paid working time.

Employees are cautioned to carefully consider the demands that additional work activity will create before accepting outside employment. Outside employment will not be considered an excuse for poor job performance, absenteeism, tardiness, leaving early, refusal to travel or refusal to work overtime or different hours. If VZL Staffing Services, LLC determines that an employee’s outside work interferes with performance, the employee may be required to terminate the outside employment as a condition of continued employment with VZL Staffing Services, LLC.