Hi, we’re Flipp Advertising! We make brands thrive.

We are a full service advertising agency that integrates a wide range of services, resulting in a marketing engine that drives results.

Since 2009, we have been teaming up with our clients to help them put their best face forward, authentically communicate their offering to the world, and achieve real results. We combine strategy, creative thinking and technology to help brave, forward thinking companies connect and engage with their customers. We push boundaries, challenge our clients to be bold, and have a lot of fun doing it.

Our areas of focus:

• Strategy & Planning
• Creative Services
• Interactive Services
• Media
• Public Relations

Learn more about how we help our clients thrive.

Now that you know more about Flipp Advertising Inc. (“the Company”), it is our pleasure to welcome you to our team. Since the beginning, we have always attributed our success to the work and cooperation of our staff.

Whether you are a new employee or have been working for a few years at Flipp, this Employee Manual (“Manual”) will be able to answer most of the questions you may have about the Company. It is intended to be a working tool that you can refer to when necessary to learn about, or remember, many aspects of your work environment.

Our mission and values, organizational structure, policies, and current practices are all elements that shape the culture of Flipp Advertising. You can find the details about these in this Manual, but if anything is unclear or missing, you can reach out to your Office Manager or the Managing Partners. Should you wish to make any suggestions and/or comments to improve the quality of your work environment and the diversity of services offered, we invite you to discuss them with management.

We reserve the right to revise, at any time, the nature and content of our policies, practices and benefits. Alberta Employment Standards Code will always take precedence over this document.

We are pleased to have you on board, and we hope that your experiences with our team will be a rewarding one. If you have any questions or recommendations regarding this Manual, please do not hesitate to contact us.

At Flipp Advertising, our values are the foundation of our culture. They are what makes us tick, what keeps us going, and what keeps us delivering the high quality of work we are known for. When we are all living up to our values is when we are at our best. They are how we keep ourselves in check and how we make sure we are bringing our best selves to the team and in turn, making the team the best it can be. If you find yourself forgetting any of our values, you can check them out on the wall in the office.

Flipp Advertising was built around these three core values:

We thrive on positivity and as a result cultivate a fun, lighthearted working environment. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. Feel free to keep your coat on (brrr), but please check your ego at the door.

We are inclusive, compassionate and always listening. We are aware that our personal viewpoint is not the only viewpoint. We are a stronger team as a result.

To build on our value of empathy, Flipp Advertising employees participate in a self-awareness assessment called the Enneagram. To learn more about this tool, visit the Team Optimization Program section.

We have each other’s backs and are resilient problem solvers. We’re passionate, loyal and committed to our word.

At Flipp Advertising, we have customs that we have developed since the start of the company. They are a mix of policy, tradition, and celebration. 

At Flipp Advertising, as a way of saying thanks for everything you do, we’ll get you a little something on your annual anniversary with us. Each year on your anniversary date, you can look forward to a #FlippKicks reward. Pick out one pair of brand new shoes for the office (up to a $200 value) on us! You can see our team’s kicks choices using the hashtag #flippkicks on our IG @flippadvertising.

On your 5-year milestone with Flipp Advertising, your hard work and loyalty will be rewarded with a $1000 WestJet voucher and 3 bonus days off to take that vacation we know you’ve earned.

They say that “teamwork makes the dream work” and working as a team is what keeps Flipp Advertising in business providing the high quality of work that we are known for. We think that the best way for us to trust each other and connect as a team is to spend some time together outside of work. That is why we strive to have monthly team events where we can get to know each other aside from the regular work chat. Some examples include: lawn bowling, pumpkin carving, and brewery tours.

We have the brilliant minds of our Social Committee to thank for the planning of these events. If you have an idea for a team event, want to join in on the planning fun, or just want to say thanks, you can reach out to them!

Nothing feels better than recognition for a job well done. That’s why we encourage people to shoutout a job well done at our Monday Morning Meetings. Whenever you witness something that you thought deserves a shoutout in front of the team, whether it be problem solving, living into our values, or something else worthy of recognition, save it to share as part of your weekly good news. If you want to share it instantly, you can also post in our group chat (Watercooler) on Google Chat. 

At Flipp Advertising, we love working to some good tunes. We’ve set up Sonos speakers around the office so we can all share in our love of music. To skip songs or add your favourites to the playlist, just download the Sonos App on your computer or phone. You’ll need to be connected to the office wifi and then select “join an existing system”. The rest should be automatic. If you need assistance getting set up, contact your Office Manager. So, what’s playing next?

Every Monday morning, we have a meeting to kick off the week. We’ll go over work stuff, of course, but we also want to know what your wins were for the past week or weekend! Going around the group each person will share a little good news, whether it be work-related or personal, so we can all celebrate the wins together. The meeting starts at 9:oo am on the dot.

As mentioned in our Open Door Policy and Team Satisfaction Surveys, feedback is a huge part of how we operate at Flipp Advertising – essential even.

We use a performance review tool called a ‘Scorecard’, which is specific and unique to every role at Flipp Advertising. Each card includes scoring on the employee’s Outcomes, Competencies, and Values and is submitted annually on your anniversary by the Managing Partners and/or applicable Directors. As members of our team depend on each other to make our work the best it can be, completed on time, and on budget, so do the scorecards. Scorecards are interconnected so that in order for one person to hit their outcomes, they require others to do the same.

Our scorecards are scheduled, completed and stored in our Human Resources program, BrightHR. You will have access to all submitted scorecards about yourself so that you can review your own progress year after year.

The scorecard provides you and your Scorecard Keeper an opportunity for open communication and to flag any potential challenges. If you have any questions or concerns about your scorecard or how it has been completed, please contact Craig or Emily to discuss further.

Your Managing Partners and/or Directors might not see you as often as some of the other members of the team. In order to get a full picture and provide you with a Scorecard with accurate wins and opportunities, they will ask other members of the team a few questions about you before your scorecard is completed. This peer feedback will be shared with you anonymously.

You may be asked to complete a 360 review for some of your teammates throughout the year. You will receive a notice and a link to a Google Form no less than one month before the due date of the review so that you have enough opportunity to observe the person in question.

If you receive the invitation to review a fellow employee, please keep this information to yourself, as we do our best to keep all feedback anonymous. The scorecard keepers will be able to see who submitted the feedback, but they will relay any valuable feedback, both positive and constructive, to the subject anonymously.

Each 360 Review consists of 5 questions:

• What is one thing this team member does that others could learn from?
• What is one thing you would encourage this team member to start doing?
• What is one thing this team member could do to further develop their skills and/or leadership qualities?
• What are 4 words you would use to describe this team member?
• Share an example of a Flipp value this person has brought to life (name of value + example).

When answering these questions about a fellow team member, please try to be as informative and helpful as possible. Answers like “I don’t work directly with them” will not be accepted. You are given several weeks’ notice so that you can observe the person you have been asked to review and provide valuable feedback.

We would like to thank everyone on the Flipp team for your cooperation and assistance in completing these reviews. Feedback is a huge part of our culture, and we couldn’t provide this valuable insight without each and every one of you!

How are things going? How are you feeling about work? Do you have a great suggestion for the company? These are questions that we want to know the answers to.  In addition to our Open Door Policy, we also want to make it very easy for you to express your feedback about working at Flipp Advertising. That’s why we send out annual check-in surveys to gauge the overall feeling around the office. We take this data, analyze it, and make any adjustments we need to make sure that the overall experience of being a team member at Flipp Advertising is a positive one. Although we appreciate and consider any and all feedback, please know that not all items are feasibly actionable at any given time.

If you have specific feedback on a co-worker, please bring that feedback to their manager or a managing partner. Team Satisfaction Surveys are not intended to be used for specific instances with specific people. 

Communication, feedback, and the sharing of ideas is a very important part of what we do at Flipp Advertising. That’s why our Managing Partners, Emily and Craig LePan, have an ‘open door policy’. If you have any concerns, suggestions, or questions, they’ll be ready to hear you out and work with you towards a solution. This communication may be provided by email, text, verbally, or otherwise (e.g. in the company group message, etc.).

We have instituted an Open Door Policy to ensure that employees feel comfortable and safe bringing forward items that may need attention in the business. An Open Door Policy also means that in the event that an employee is nervous to bring a concern forward to a specific person, they may bring it forward to another person in the organization without fear of repercussion.

Whether it is about work or you need a coaching session with Emily, next time you have something weighing on your mind, know that their doors are always open to you. We encourage all members of the team to adopt an ‘open door policy’ to the rest of their co-workers as well.

*Please note that in the event that a complaint involves any element relating to discrimination, violence, or harassment, the investigation procedures in those applicable policies (Anti-Violence Policy, Anti-Harassment Policy, Human Rights Policy, etc.) will be followed rather than what is outlined in this policy. Click HERE for details on those policies.

Supervisor / Manager: Employees are encouraged to speak first to their immediate supervisor/manager regarding suggestions for improvements, changes to processes, etc., as their supervisor/manager would be the closest to be able to see how changes could be implemented. In the event that an employee is uncomfortable speaking to their direct supervisor/manager, they may speak to any other member of management they feel comfortable with.

Meeting Time: Employees are encouraged to request a time to speak with their chosen communicator, bearing in mind key operations responsibilities and deadlines. As much as possible, employee requests will take precedence over other issues, although there may be times when it is not possible to grant the time immediately.

Remedies: Employees should consider what an ideal state would mean for them when bringing forward a complaint.

Follow-Up: During the meeting, the supervisor/manager you are speaking with will provide you with a date for follow-up on the concern you brought forward (as needed). For matters of urgency, they will try to resolve them as soon as possible. For matters of process that require input from additional team members, this may take additional time. Regardless, if an employee is not provided with a follow-up date, they should request one.

Violence, Harassment, Discrimination and Investigation: Once in the meeting, employees should feel free to pass along what is concerning them, but must be aware that any complaints relating to discrimination, harassment, or violence, must be pursued further. Reporting any of the above, whether the employee is the subject of or witness to, will trigger an investigation as soon as possible. While requests for confidentiality will be adhered to as much as possible, there are times, for investigative purposes, when an employee’s identity must be divulged.

Matters Relating to Health and Safety: For any matters relating to immediate and urgent safety issues employees should speak with whoever is available immediately, be it their supervisor/manager (if available), a health and safety representative or committee member, or the authorities (9-1-1), rather than book in for a meeting. Safety is not a matter that can wait!

For non-urgent matters, employees are encouraged to email their supervisor/manager or health and safety representative or committee.

Speaking Up for Another Employee: While Flipp Advertising understands there are times an employee may feel uncertain about sharing concerns and ask another person to do so on their behalf, employees are encouraged to speak up for themselves as much as possible. While we will do our best, it is difficult for us to take appropriate action unless the employee who is the subject of the open door policy comes forward.

Repercussions: Employees will not be subject to any repercussions for bringing forward their thoughts, ideas, or opinions for the business. However, if it is found that an employee contravened any other policies, such as Workplace Anti-Violence, Workplace Anti-Harassment, Human Rights Policy, the employee will be subject to the progressive discipline process, up to and including termination of employment.

Flipp Advertising has built a Team Optimization Program which is rooted in our value of empathy using the structure of the Enneagram Self-Awareness Assessment tool. Although our monthly team activities may strengthen our relationships, we believe that team optimization strengthens our understanding of one another, leading to greater work and culture.

The Enneagram provides information about you and your teammates to develop an understanding of perspectives and personalities. We sometimes use the Enneagram assessment as part of our client onboarding. This information helps the team know who they are working with, presenting to, and communicating with, in order to cater to their personalities for a better working relationship. Emily will do Enneagram reviews with the team at least once a quarter. We will review different parts of the Enneagram and refresh everyone on who is what Enneagram number.

For more information on the Enneagram, your results, and the results of our team, or if you have not completed or reviewed your Enneagram Assessment, please contact Emily (emily@flippadvertising.com).

Flipp Advertising also provides Leadership Coaching for any employee who is interested. This involves support for any work or personal issues that you are experiencing. Coaching includes a maximum one-hour, monthly, confidential session. If you are interested in participating, please reach out to Emily LePan (emily@flippadvertising.com) to schedule a meeting.

Location

Suite 630, 602 — 12 Ave SW,
Calgary Alberta Canada T2R 1J3

Monday -Thursday

8:50 AM to 5:00 PM

Friday

Closed, but available.

Saturday & Sunday

Closed

We start our days by 8:50 AM so that we are ready to hit the ground running by our daily morning meeting at 9:00 AM. Coffee made and task list for the day ready to be discussed.

Every Monday morning, we have a meeting to kick off the week. We’ll go over work stuff, of course, but we also want to know what your wins were for the past week or weekend! Going around the group each person will share a little good news, whether it be work-related or personal, so we can all celebrate the wins together. The meeting starts at 9:00 am on the dot.

Following the group’s good news update, there may be smaller meetings you are expected to attend. You will have an invite to these meetings if they apply to you.

Tuesday-Thursday morning meetings each team member gives a quick update on what they are working on for that day. The key here is to keep it brief and actionable so that everyone is aware of what is going on in the agency.

Monday – Thursday our day wraps up at 5:00 PM, unless deadlines and workload require us to stay later.

Parkside Place is currently open to the public from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Friday.

After regular business hours, the entrance to the building is secured by an RFID lock pad. This same RFID card will allow you access to the elevator if using it on weekends or outside of office hours. You will be provided with a RFID card, as well as a key to the office when starting at Flipp Advertising. 

If you prefer to take the stairs, the stairwell code on all floors is: 5757

Our washrooms are located across from the elevators. These spaces are shared with the other offices on the floor and are locked at all times. You will need a code to enter. The codes are posted in our boardrooms for reference.

6th Floor Washroom Codes:

Women’s: 5310

Men’s: 3333

Our building, Parkside Place, is a condominium office building. We ask that our team treats our space like they own it, because we do! Flipp Advertising owns the office on the 6th floor and we take pride in keeping it in good shape.  To help keep it tidy, we have a rotating calendar for daily office chores. This ensures that these tasks are shared equally and that our office space stays tidy. The chore chart is posted on the fridge, where you will find your name and which day(s) are assigned to you.

Morning chores:

• Unload dishwasher

End-of-day chores:

• Do a last call for dishes
• Turn on dishwasher 
• General tidying of the kitchen space (sink is empty, counters are wiped, things are put away)

If your day happens to fall on a day that you won’t be in the office, reach out to your teammates and find someone to swap with. 

If you are the last person in the office, please make sure to turn off the lights, music, and lock the door behind you. 

Primary network:
FLIPP-5G: a5x283!!
Note: Must be used for in-office printing.

Secondary network:
Flipp Advertising Inc: smartwifi
Note: Must be used for screen casting in the 6th floor boardroom.

Flipp Advertising runs on a bi-monthly payroll schedule. That means that you can expect your pay to be directly deposited into your bank account on the 15th and last business day of every month by end of the day. Your bank account information will be collected during your onboarding.

Payroll is processed through Quickbooks Online. You will get an invitation to join Quickbooks Workforce when you are entered into the system. This portal will give you secure access to your paystubs and T4 information so make sure you complete the registration.  

If you have any questions about paydays, reach out to our Office Administrator, Ashley Lutz (lutz@flippadvertising.com).  

From time to time, you may find you have purchased something for work using your personal money or driven somewhere for a work meeting in your personal car. We try to eliminate the need for this with the use of our company’s Float cards, but at times, it is unavoidable. Before making a purchase with your own money, please get the expense(s) approved first by your Office Manager or Managing Partner. If you know there will be an expense ahead of time, please let your Office Manager or Emily know so that we can load and provide you with a company card in advance.

Float Cards:
Please keep all receipts from purchases made with your Float card. The pin will be provided to you when you are given the card. When returning the card, please give it and all receipts to your Office Manager. That’s all! Easy peasy and our preferred method.

Personal Expenses:
Our Human Resources program, BrightHR has a tool that we use for Expense Reports called PoP. You can download the app on your mobile device here. Please submit your expense with a receipt or mileage details using the app. If you are having issues with this method, please let Ashley (lutz@thinkflipp.com) know and she will process your submission.

Expenses are reimbursed separately from payroll, so they may not be processed on payday. Our accountant will authorize payment to your bank account. If you do not receive reimbursement for a submitted expense within two weeks of submission, please reach out to Ashley or Emily for an update on the status of your reimbursement.

If you have any questions about expenses, reimbursements, or Float cards, reach out to your finance team. (Ashley and/or Emily)

As an employee at Flipp Advertising, you and your dependants have access to our shared health benefits plan. Flipp Advertising pays for a portion of the premiums for our extended benefits and dental plan as outlined in your employee contract. Our entire benefits plan includes:

• Life Insurance
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance (AD&D)
• Long-term Disability Insurance (LTD)
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Optional Extended Health Coverage
• Optional Dental Coverage
• Employee Assistance & Resources through Manulife

Enrollment in life insurance, AD&D insurance, Long-term disability insurance, and critical illness insurance is mandatory but enrollment in extended health and dental coverage is optional. Information on your current plan can be found on the Manulife portal, which you will sign up for when your benefits take effect. For any other questions, you can reach out to our Office Administrator, Ashley Lutz (lutz@flippadvertising.com).

Continuing Education is important at Flipp Advertising. If there is an academic venture, conference, webinar, or event that you would like to enroll in, reach out to management to discuss it further as you may be eligible for support.

Flipp Advertising follows the Alberta Employment Standards Code for all time off. To learn more about Protected Leaves and legislated requirements, please visit the Employment Standards Policy section.

Flipp Advertising understands the importance of taking time away from work to relax and recharge. We are committed to providing vacation time and pay in accordance with the Alberta Employment Standards Code, at a minimum. In the event an employee’s employment contract provides a greater benefit, the employment contract shall take precedence. 

Your individual vacation plan is in your employee contract and reflected in BrightHR when booking time off. It is indicated as Vacation time.

Flipp Advertising applies a Use It or Lose It Vacation Policy. This means that vacation time does not roll over to the following year and cannot be paid out instead of taking the time off. This is meant as an incentive to use your vacation time filtered throughout the year as part of maintaining your work/life integration.

Vacation requests are to be placed in our Human Resources software, BrightHR. From here, you will be able to make requests, edit future approved requests, and check balances, and plan vacations based on the shared calendar. Regeusts will be granted according to operational needs. Flipp Adversing Inc. reserves the right to schedule vacation for employees to ensure the smooth operation of the business and that all vacation time is used prior to the end of the year.

Vacation time is accrued as the year passes and is prorated for your start date. All Flipp Advertising vacation policies run in tandem with the Flipp Advertising fiscal year. This means that you will have a minimum of 15 days to use between March 1st of the current year and the end of February the following year, depending on your vacation policy. Vacation time is earned monthly, regardless of time taken.

Here are some examples to illustrate the policies:

• Prorating: If you started working for Flipp on February 1st, you will have prorated vacation earnings for the remainder of the fiscal year. You will have roughly 1.25 days to use before the end of February comes when your policy will reset for the new year. Our HR program, Humi BrightHR, will give you exact balances based on this information when you start.
• Accrued: For each full month of employment with Flipp, you will have earned 1/12 of your vacation balance. For someone with 15 days, that will be roughly 1.25 days. Flipp doesn’t believe in limiting when you can take your vacation, though, so you will still be able to book a week in March, just know that your accrued vacation balance will be in the negative until you have accrued enough time to cover those days.

Flipp Advertising may allow employees to take vacation time in advance of when the time is earned, provided the request is submitted in writing. If the advance request is approved, Flipp Advertising will deduct the number of days taken in advance from the employee’s future vacation entitlement. If you happen to use more days than you have accrued and have to leave your position at Flipp Advertising, the vacation overpayment will be deducted from your final paycheck.

Termination of Employment
In the event employment is terminated prior to an employee taking their vacation time, it will be
paid out to them according to the Employment Standards guidelines, along with any other amounts owed. This vacation pay will either be paid:

• within 10 consecutive days after the end of the pay period in which termination occurred, or
• 31 consecutive days after the last day of employment.

Flipp Advertising is closed on Statutory Holidays. To see what days those land on, you can view the calendar in BrightHR or to your Flipp Holidays calendar of your Google Calendar. During your onboarding, you should have been shown how to sync your calednar to BrightHR. If you need help with this, reach out to our Office Administrator for help (lutz@thinkflipp.com).

In addition to Statutory Holidays, Flipp Advertising also grants paid time off at Christmas. This usually covers the week between Christmas and the New Year. To see what dates it is for this year, check the BrightHR or Google calendar mentioned above. Please note, this changes annually and is at the owner’s discretion.

For more information regarding Statutory Holiday Standards and Policies, please visit the General Holidays section on Employment.

Please request sick time whenever you are too ill to work. This means you are unavailable for that day. Each person is allocated 5 sick days per Flipp Advertising’s fiscal year. If you are sick for more than 5 days in the fiscal year (resetting March 1st), you can request vacation time or have it recorded as unpaid sick time.

Notifying or “Calling In”
Please contact your Office Manager (lutz@thinkflipp.com) or post on the public group chat (Watercooler) whenever you are taking a sick day. Requests cannot be made directly by the employee and must be entered by an admin so it is important that either Ashley or Emily are made aware of your request. You can check your sick day balance in BightHR or request an update from Ashley.

If a loved one passes away, we know it can be a difficult time. Requests for Bereavement time must be made directly to Emily and/or Craig. This request is to open the lines of communication to ensure you are taking the time you need, and to offer any additional support.

Flipp Advertising does not limit the number of days taken for Bereavement and follows the Alberta Employment Standards Code for how many of those days are paid. For more information, please see the Protected Leaves section under the Employment Standards Policies section.

Flipp Advertising follows the Alberta Employment Standards Code for Maternity & Parental Leave. Please refer to the Government of Alberta for further information. Flipp requests as much notice as possible should you require Maternity or Parental leave. When an employee goes on leave, Flipp will suspend its coverage of any portion of the extended health and dental benefits, but will provide the option for the employee to pay for the premiums out of pocket until they return to work.

For more information please see the Protected Leaves section under the Employment Standards Policies section.

Flipp Advertising firmly believes that a positive working environment will not only ensure maximum staff productivity and therefore long-term employability, but also a friendly and stimulating working atmosphere. An attitude of listening and openness is required in all departments of the company. Management’s door is always open to constructive exchanges and several means of communication are available to staff so that they can quickly and easily convey their message to the people concerned. Good understanding is the business of all members of the company.

We are committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for all our employees. In return, we ask for communication to Flipp Advertising. All employees must comply with the company policies and health and safety regulations outlined in the document below.

In the event of an emergency, please contact one of the following:

Craig LePan: 403-613-1973

Emily LePan: 403-818-8460