Centerplate pays competitively to attract and retain qualified employees. Salaries (for exempt positions) and wage rates (for non-exempt positions) are based on various factors, which may include the required level of education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities for the position, relevant pay levels in the community, working conditions, special licenses required, the scope of overall responsibility, and the extent to which the position includes management responsibility or budget responsibility.

Oversight

The Corporate Human Resources Department establishes or approves starting salaries (for exempt positions) and wage rates (for non-exempt positions) when employees are hired, and it approves other pay adjustments based on the guidelines set forth below.
Do not announce, or inform employees of, any pending or recommended salary action without obtaining the approval of the Corporate Human Resources Department, which will ensure that any other necessary internal approvals have been obtained.

Annual Pay Increases

Along with the packets sent to you by the Corporate Human Resources Department for conducting Annual Assessments (see Training and Development – Annual Assessments), you will find instructions regarding recommending merit increases. Increases should not be granted solely based on length of service, but should be based on a combination of factors, including the Annual Assessment, job responsibilities, position, special accomplishments, internal peer comparisons, job experience, and economic and industry conditions.
Annual Assessments for employees must always precede merit increases. See Training and Development – Annual Assessments for the times when annual assessments are conducted for salaried and hourly employees. No merit increases may be awarded at other times during the year without the prior, written consent of the Corporate Human Resources Department.
Merit increases may not be granted to employees who receive a notice of unsatisfactory job performance.
An employee’s leave of absence extends that employee’s future salary increase review date by the length of time the individual is on leave, except in cases where the leave is caused by a work-related injury covered by Workers’ Compensation Insurance.

Increases resulting from Promotion

Promotion increases for all exempt employees, and for any hourly and salaried non-exempt employee whose proposed increase exceeds ten percent (10%), must be approved by the Corporate Human Resources Department, and may be based upon numerous factors, including the employee’s salary level, time since last increase, performance and economic and industry conditions.
The effective date of an employee’s increase relating to a promotion shall be the first day of the next pay period following the effective date of the employee’s promotion.

Transfers, Reclassifications, Demotions or Special Adjustments

An employee’s pay may be adjusted in the case of a lateral transfer or position reclassification, after an Employee Profile Form is completed and depending upon when the employee last received his or her last merit increase. If the employee’s last merit increase occurred more than six months prior to the employee’s transfer date, the next merit increase may be given earlier than the next regularly-scheduled Annual Assessment and, in such case, future Annual Assessment dates are rescheduled accordingly. Always consult with the Corporate Human Resources Department on any such changes.
No pay increase will be awarded to a demoted employee. In such an event, and depending upon the circumstances of the demotion, the employee’s salary or wage rate may be decreased, as determined by the Corporate Human Resources Department. If you are demoting an employee, complete an Employee Profile Form and attach appropriate documentation supporting the reason for the demotion.
Other adjustments to pay require special approval by the Corporate Human Resources Department.

Communication

After you have obtained approval for a pay adjustment for an employee, it is important to communicate that to the employee clearly. Explain to the employee the reasons for the salary adjustment, the effective date of such adjustment, and any resulting changes to the employee’s next review date.

Pay Periods and Deductions From Pay

While either the Corporate Payroll Department or local payroll departments handle payroll issues, all managers should generally understand the following, basic guidelines and principles:
All exempt employees are paid on a salaried basis. Payroll is paid on a bi-weekly basis on Wednesdays. An exempt employee must receive in full the salary for any week in which he or she performs any work, without regard to the number of days or hours worked. There are very limited exceptions to the above rule, which are managed strictly by the Corporate Payroll Department.
Non-exempt employees must be paid for all hours worked. Characterizing an employee as “salaried non-exempt” does not change that fact. Non-exempt employees are paid on Wednesdays and, depending on the location, may be paid weekly or bi-weekly. Regardless of location, all union employees are paid on a weekly basis.
If an employee feels his or her pay has been improperly reduced, he or she should notify his or her General Manager, the Corporate Payroll Department or the Corporate Human Resources Department. An investigation will be conducted promptly. In the event the Company confirms that an error was made, it will promptly correct such error and reimburse the employee as appropriate.

Time Recording and Reporting Methods

Exempt (salaried) employees are not required to record their work hours. Managers should still record daily attendance of exempt employees, however, to track employees’ use of accrued vacation, sick days and other time off, and to monitor absenteeism.
Non-exempt and hourly employees must record their work hours. It is strictly prohibited for any non-exempt employee to work while not signed (clocked) in, or to remain in their work area (or at their desk) while on a lunch break.
Employees must also sign in and sign out (clock in and clock out) for unpaid meal periods. If any unpaid meal period is interrupted by work activity (including something as simple as answering a phone call), the employee must be paid for the meal period or receive a second “off-the-clock” meal period of at least 30 minutes in duration. It is the General Manager’s responsibility to ensure employees receive all breaks and meal periods.

Reporting and Transmitting Hours

Hours worked by all non-exempt employees are reported through the payroll module of Centerplate’s Workcenter. This information is to be transmitted on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, depending on how often your operation is paid. After all hours have been entered into Centerplate Workcenter, the completed non-exempt payroll should first be printed and reviewed by the General Manager or other person authorized by the General Manager whose signature has been submitted to the Corporate Payroll Department (an “Authorized Signatory”) prior to transmitting. Upon review by the General Manager or an Authorized Signatory, the “Payroll Report – Accounting Summary” page must be signed and faxed to the Corporate Payroll Department. Prior to the hours being released at the Corporate Payroll Department, the Accounting Summary page will be compared to the transmittal summary. In the event the totals from the “Payroll Report – Accounting Summary” signature page and the transmittal summary do not agree, the payroll transmission will not be released by the Corporate Payroll Department until the difference is identified and corrected.
For Salaried Exempt employees: Each bi-weekly pay period, fax each employee’s breakdown of the exempt hours (regular, vacation, sick, holiday, etc.) on the Authorized Exempt Payroll Form to the Corporate Payroll Department no later than 10:00 a.m. EST on the Thursday prior to the week of the pay date. The form must first be signed by the General Manager or an Authorized Signatory. All hours submitted must be broken down and coded as instructed on the Authorized Payroll Form.

Payroll Registers

Weekly / bi-weekly payroll registers are sent electronically to each operation. The operation must print out the payroll register document upon arrival. The General Manager is required to review this document for accuracy and sign the document (on the last page of the document), signifying that he or she has approved it. Payroll registers should be filed in a three-ring binder in chronological order.

Overtime Pay

This policy only applies to non-exempt employees.
Non-exempt employees are eligible for overtime at the rate of one and one-half times their normal hourly rate for all hours actually worked over 40 hours per week (unless otherwise required by state law or collective bargaining agreements). Absences covered under paid sick leave, jury duty, holidays, and vacation are not considered hours actually worked for purposes of computing overtime pay.
Overtime work should be assigned only when it is essential to meet established schedules or deadlines. You should give advance notice to employees of overtime requirements whenever possible. As a manager, you are responsible for approving all overtime requests.
Employees must record all approved overtime hours on the appropriate time recording device. See Policy 6.2 for information regarding timekeeping.
Overtime pay for employees who work at more than one rate is calculated according to a weighted overtime premium calculation.
Overtime work may not occur without your prior authorization. If an employee violates that policy, the employee must still receive overtime pay for the hours he or she actually worked, but he or she should be disciplined appropriately for violating Company policy.

Cancellation Pay

This policy applies only to non-exempt employees not covered by a collective bargaining agreement.
If specific shifts or scheduled work hours are eliminated or cancelled after schedules have been posted, managers should promptly notify all affected employees, in person or via telephone, as early as possible prior to their arrival for the scheduled shift or work hours. Managers should note the time and date any telephone calls were made, whether the employee was reached and whether and how a message was left (either on a machine or with someone other than the employee).
If an employee does not receive the above notification and he or she reports for work to a shift or hours that have been cancelled:

• the employee must clock in or sign in;
• the manager must write in the number of hours credited to the employee pursuant to subsection (d) below on the employee’s timecard or time sheet;
• (c) the employee must initial the timecard or time sheet; and
• (d) the employee will be paid for four hours or one-half the shift, whichever is less unless the employee works more than four hours, in which case the employee will be paid for actual hours worked. Pay will be computed at the employee’s regular hourly rate, unless state regulations require overtime or special pay.

Garnishments

Occasionally, Centerplate is required to garnish an employee’s wages – in other words, the court orders that an employee’s wages are assigned to payment of a debt.
All garnishment orders or notices must be forwarded immediately to the General Manager, who should promptly:

1. Make two copies of the garnishment or court order; one for the employee and one for the employee’s personnel file. (Some garnishments are sent with duplicate copies.)
2. Immediately send the original garnishment to Corporate Payroll for processing at: Corporate Payroll, Garnishments Centerplate Corporate Hospitality Service Center, One Independence Pointe, Suite 305 Greenville, SC 29615
3. If the person is no longer an active employee, it should be noted on the order before sending it to Corporate Payroll.

Employers who do not comply with court ordered garnishments may be subject to severe penalties. The above procedure must be followed without delay in each case.

Annual Bonus Plan

This applies only to employees at the level of General Manager/Regional Controller/Corporate Level Director or higher, who meet eligibility requirements.
Centerplate strives to provide its upper level managers with competitive compensation and benefits programs. Centerplate has adopted an Annual Bonus Plan which is intended to compensate performance above minimum standards according to the terms set forth therein. The determination and approval of awards pursuant to the Annual Bonus Plan remains in the Company’s sole discretion, and the plan may be modified, amended or cancelled, in whole or in part, or awards adjusted, at any time. Details of eligibility and determination of award amounts are contained in a separate Annual Bonus Plan, which is obtainable from the Corporate Human Resources Department.

Special Bonus Plan

This plan may be applied to certain exempt employees who are not eligible under the Annual Bonus Plan referred to under Compensation – Annual Bonus Plan.
Centerplate retains the discretion to award special bonuses (“Special Bonuses”) to certain exempt employees who are not eligible for and do not participate in the Annual Bonus Plan, as follows:
Centerplate may award Special Bonuses, in its sole discretion, under “special circumstances,” including recommendations by Centerplate’s clients. Special Bonuses are recommended only by Senior Vice Presidents of the Company and are reviewed and determined on a case-by-case basis. Each Senior Vice President that recommends a Special Bonus must submit a proposal to the Corporate Human Resources Department, which will administer the Special Bonus only after obtaining appropriate approvals from the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel.
Employees are not eligible for Special Bonuses for securing new accounts or renewing current accounts.
A pool of Special Bonuses, up to the maximum set forth below, will be available to be distributed substantially pro rata, based on salary levels, to all eligible employees at a unit hosting one of the following major events:

• World Series – $15,000
• Super Bowl – $10,000
• Opening of Account with over $10 Million in Revenue –  $5,000 to $10,000, depending on  the size of the operation
• Major Event Equivalent to World Series or Super Bowl – $10,000

Prior to any announcement to employees regarding Special Bonuses, all major event Special Bonus proposals must be submitted to the Corporate Human Resources Department, which will administer Special Bonuses only after obtaining appropriate approvals from the Chief Executive Officer and General Counsel.
Senior Vice Presidents are responsible for informing their Regional Vice Presidents or Vice Presidents that (a) no Special Bonuses will be granted without the above approvals, and (b) no bonuses may be awarded other than under the Annual Bonus Plan, this Special Bonus Plan, and the circumstances set forth under Compensation – Recognition Program.
Any disputes regarding this Special Bonus Plan will be resolved by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, whose decision will be final and not subject to appeal.
Special Bonuses under this program are paid in a lump sum on or about one month following the close of the quarter in which the Special Bonus is awarded. If an individual who has been awarded a Special Bonus is no longer employed by Centerplate at the time such Special Bonus is payable, such individual forfeits his or her right to receive such Special Bonus.

Recognition Program

This policy does not apply to temporary employees or employees who participate in the Company Bonus Plan.
In addition to the Annual and Special Bonus Plans referred to under Compensation – Annual Bonus Plan and Special Bonus Plan, a manager may recognize excellent performance by his or her employees by including an article in the Company Newsletter, awarding a Job Well Done Certificate, or, if the funds are available in the manager’s budget, awarding a nominal (up to $500.00) monetary bonus.
Nominal monetary bonuses must be approved in advance by the Corporate Human Resources Department. Appropriate documentation will be required.  Monetary Bonuses will be paid within the next payroll period after the dater of approval by the Corporate Human Resources Department.

Employee of the Month and Year Programs

The Employee of the Month and Year Programs are established to recognize outstanding performance by employees at Centerplate at each unit, to assist us in reaching our goal of becoming Number 1 in Event Hospitality, unit by unit.  The employees who receive the awards have exemplified exceptional levels of work performance and displayed high regard and loyalty toward Centerplate and their job responsibilities.
A committee composed of managers from each unit will be appointed by the General Manager of each unit.  This committee evaluates the nominations and selects the Employee of the Month honorees each month.
Any employee or manager may submit a nomination form nominating an employee for the award to the unit GM or unit HR Dept. by the fifth day of each month for employees who exemplify:

• Centerplate’s standards for excellence and innovation;
• exemplary individual achievement, contribution and performance in jobs and other related duties; and
• leadership and support for the performance and achievement of others.

Each nominator must complete a nomination form found below which identifies the nominated employee’s job classification, years of service, and the reason why the employee deserves the award.  The nomination form is also available on the InfoCenter under HR/Recognition/EOM Nomination Form.

Nomination and Selection Criteria

Any employee may be nominated as long as he or she is a non-probationary employee with at least three months continuous employment. Nominations and selection should be based on a consideration of the following criteria of outstanding performance, including STEPS in QUEST:

• Sustainable and outstanding performance of assigned duties.
• Teamwork-significant and positive impact on the Company and customers.
• Extraordinary operational execution.
• Phenomenal product quality.
• Service excellence.
• WOW execution of all job duties.
• Outstanding attendance record.
• Enthusiastic attitude toward job duties.
• Special rapport with other employees or customers.
• Excellent communications skills.
• Positive attitude toward work responsibilities, co-workers and customers and serves as a role model or leader for others.
• Commitment to highest level of quality in carrying out job responsibilities.
• A willingness to accept and carry out additional responsibilities beyond regular job assignments

Recognition

Each Employee of the Month shall be acknowledged with a minimum of the following:

• Plaque with EOM name plate inscribed with winner’s name, department, month and year.  The plaques must be purchased from the Cawley Co. through an account set up by the Corporate Purchasing Dept., unless the Corporate Purchasing Dept. allows you to continue to use a style of plaque and vendor you are currently using.
• Lapel EOM pin (to be purchased from the Cawley Co.).
• Certificate or letter of congratulations from the General Manager, publicly presented before the staff at a staff meeting, and photo with article to appear in the unit newsletter, if applicable.
• Award equivalent to $50.00, either in a gift card for tickets, food or merchandise at the unit, a VISA gift credit card or $50.00 extra pay (grossed up).
• Eligibility for the Employee of the Year.
• Other recognition as may be available at your unit such as EOM Parking space or parking pass, gift basket, bulletin board announcement or other recognition.

The Employee of the Year shall be selected for each unit as follows:
During January of each year (or as otherwise instructed by Corporate HR), the Employee of the Month committee will evaluate the employees selected during the previous year as EOMs and vote by secret ballot for the Employee of the Year.
The Unit Employee of the Year will be announced in February by the unit (or as otherwise instructed from Corporate HR).   The winners’ names will be sent to Corporate HR who will forward the names to the National Meeting Committee, to coordinate with awards given at the national meeting level for a Company Employee of the Year.  The Unit Employee of the Year recipient will receive awards from the unit including the following:

• A cash award of $ 150 (grossed up).
• An EOY name plate on the EOY plaque. (purchase from the Cawley Co.)
• An EOY lapel pin. (purchase from the Cawley Co.)
• Letter of commendation from the CEO.
• Article and picture in the newsletter.
• Day off with pay.
• Other recognition as may be available at your unit.

Employee of the Year Corporate Level

The units shall report the EOY winners to Corporate HR by January 30 of each year (or as otherwise instructed by Corporate HR) so that the National Meeting Committee can coordinate the recognition of a winner of the Corporate Employee of the Year or equivalent award at the National Meeting.  Prizes for Corporate EOY Award shall be determined by the National Meeting Committee.