Gilsanz Murray Steficek
Orientation Guide
Welcome to Gilsanz Murray Steficek! We hope that you find your first few days at the firm to be a positive and enlightening experience. Pursuing your career in a new environment can be a daunting and sometimes overwhelming process, so we have compiled this packet to help ease your transition. In it, you will find a guide to the basics of employment at GMS, our personnel policies, and other resources to help get you started in the right direction. If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask! We want to make sure that you are fully equipped with all the information you may need. We wish you much success in all of your endeavors!
123 INTRODUCTION 1
ABOUT THE FIRM 2 What We Do Locations PHILOSOPHY 3
CODE OF ETHICS 4 The Fundamental Principles & Canons THE BASICS 5 Hours Payroll Leave Dresscode New Employee Documents COMPANY STRUCTURE
COMMUNICATION
NEW YORK
OVERVIEW
Contents
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ACTIVITIES 7 Lunch Seminars Happy Hours Education and Involvement
NEW YORK 8 Printers Scanners Fax Machine Kitchen Office Supplies Library Cameras, Flashlights, and Tape Measures for Site Visits Recycling
USING THE TELEPHONES 12 Setting Up a New Mailbox Changing Your Security Code and Name Recording Accessing Your Voicemail with the Office Phone Accessing Your Voicemail Outside the Office Receiving Calls Inter-Office Calls Holding a Call Transferring a Call Conference Call Back Door Number EMAIL WITH MICROSOFT OUTLOOK 14 Sending E-mail Writing E-mail The Master List Adding Contacts E-mail Organization Shortcuts/Favorites Deleted Items Sifting Through Spam and Junk Mail Sending Large Files and Setting Up an FTP Site Drop Box Other Ways of Organizing with Outlook Checking E-mail at Home
INTRODUCTION 18 Introduction Network Backup Individual PC Workstations NAVIGATING THE NETWORK 20 K Drive N Drive O Drive P Drive X Drive
EMERGENCY INFORMATION
TRACKING TIME
COMPUTER & NETWORKS
456 DELTEK TIMESHEET EXCEL TIMESHEET
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REQUESTING TIME OFF
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FIRE 26 Organization Chart for Fire Drill and Evacuation Assignment Fire Evacuation Plan BURGLARIES AND TERRORISM THREATS NY OFFICE LAYOUT AND EMERGENCY EXITS: FLOOR 4 29 NY OFFICE LAYOUT AND EMERGENCY EXITS: FLOOR 5 30
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Overview
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Emergency Information
Introduction Welcome to GMS. The GMS employee handbook includes the orientation guide, personnel policies, and job specific guide. Its intent is to establish the policies and practices expected by the company of its employees, and to explain the resources that are available for the employee’s use. The need for this document is in large part a result of the continuing success of this company. When GMS was smaller, it was possible to disseminate the information contained herewith by word of mouth. However, as the company has grown, it has become apparent that there is a growing need for a medium such as this. When new employees join the company, or when an established practice is changed, it is important to have a reference document which collects a description of the company’s policies. This manual should be treated as a living document, constantly under review and revision. There will undoubtedly be errors and omissions which will need correction. Please keep it in a place where you can easily refer to it, and where you can update it as such revisions are published. Legally, we are required to state that there is no promise of any kind contained in this manual. Regardless of what the manual says or provides, the employer promises nothing and remains free to change wages and all other working conditions without having to consult anyone and without anyone’s agreement. The employer is able to fire anyone with or without good cause.
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About the Firm The partnership of Gilsanz Murray Steficek was formed in 1991 by Ramon Gilsanz, Philip Murray and Gary Steficek to provide full structural engineering services. During that time we have designed and managed many high profile projects and have grown to 65+ person firm. The firm currently has six partners and grosses $12 million in fees and has won over 300 awards. In the meantime, the firm has extended its service range to building envelope design, blast control consulting and inspection and testing services. WHAT WE DO
GMS provides structural engineering services for a wide range of new construction and restoration projects. Our projects include tall office towers, theaters, housing, educational buildings, sports facilities and special structures. Renovation and rehabilitation are a valued part of our practice. Our building envelope work (through our architectural division) includes the design of new facades, roofs and waterproofing systems, construction technology, and testing. Additionally, the firm offers special inspections, which is not commonplace among engineering firms. LOCATIONS
GMS is headquartered at 129 West 27th Street in New York City and maintains branch offices at 744 Broad Street in Newark, NJ and 523 West Sixth Street in Los Angeles, CA. Our New York and New Jersey offices form Gilsanz Murray Steficek, LLP, while our California office is incorporated under Gilsanz Murray Steficek, Inc. Each office’s contact information is as follows:
Gilsanz Murray Steficek, LLP
Gilsanz Murray Steficek, Inc.
129 W 27th Street, 5th Floor New York, NY 10001 T (212) 254-0030 F (212) 477-5978
523 West Sixth Street, Suite 810 Los Angeles, CA 90014 T (213) 943-4850 F (213) 943-4851
744 Broad Street, Suite 2060 Newark, NJ 07102 T (973) 273-0077 F (973) 273-0117
2 G I L S A N Z M U R R AY S T E F I C E K
Philosophy GMS’s fundamental philosophy is to produce a valuable product while maintaining respect for the people involved, including clients, colleagues and the general public, where a valuable product is one that is both safe and profitable, with primary emphasis on safety. GMS is committed to maintaining a high standard of ethical conduct and believes that good business and sound ethics are complimentary and symbiotic. It is our goal to foster an ethical climate that is conducive to morally responsible conduct. To that end it is our intent to promote a combination of formal organization and policies, informal traditions and practices, and personal attitudes and commitments that foster high standards of excellence for our work and ethical commitment to the public good. In pursuit of the above, we expect high standards from our employees in four fundamental areas: honesty, competence, diligence and loyalty, all of which are essential to the company’s goals. Honesty, both in the negative sense of avoiding deception, and in the positive sense of being candid in stating all relevant facts and in being truthful about how the facts are interpreted. n Competence means being well trained and adequately experienced. n Diligence refers to carrying out tasks carefully and promptly. n Loyalty is serving the interests of both the company and our clients. That means avoiding conflicts of interest, maintaining confidentiality, and in general showing concern for the interests of the company and our clients. n
GMS places a strong emphasis on providing high levels of service and standards in all of the areas outlined above. We believe that this is key to both the professional and business growth of the company as a whole and for the growth of the employees individually, who are both the essential component of the company and ultimately its beneficiaries.
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Code of Ethics THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
Engineers uphold and advance the integrity, honor and dignity of the engineering profession by:. n n
n n
Using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare; Being honest and impartial, and serving with fidelity the public, their employers and clients; Striving to increase the competence and prestige of the engineering profession; and Supporting the professional and technical societies of their disciplines.
THE FUNDAMENTAL CANONS
Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public in the performance of their professional duties. n Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their competence. n Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner. n Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interests. n Engineers shall build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall not compete unfairly with others. n Engineers shall act in such a manner as to uphold and enhance the honor, integrity and dignity of the profession. n Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their careers and shall provide opportunities for the professional development of those engineers under their supervision. n
TAKEN FROM THE ACCREDITATION BOARD FOR ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
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The Basics Information from Personnel Policies is subject to change. HOURS
The firm maintains standard business hours of 9 A.M. to 6 P.M., Monday through Friday and employees are allotted an hour per day for lunch. Schedules are tracked via employee-submitted timesheets. PAYROLL
Pay is provided on a bi-weekly basis and covers the previous two weeks. Please allow for up to seven days after timesheets are submitted for payroll to be processed. LEAVE
Vacation time is accrued at a rate of .833 days (6.67 hours) per completed month of employment from an employee’s first day of work, which totals approximately 10 days per year. This amount increases after 5 and 10 years of service to 15 and 20 days, respectively. Five days are allotted per year for paid sick or personal time off and may not be taken in conjunction with vacation time. DRESS CODE
The dress code is business casual; however, employees are expected to adhere to a business dress code when occasion calls for it. GMS also maintains casual Fridays during the summer. NEW EM POLYEE DOCUMENTS
You’ve been hired, congratulations, and now its time to fill out some paper work. Below is a list of forms that you have filled out recently or will be expected to fill out in the very near future. Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification documents that you are eligible to work in the country. n W-4 enables your employer, GMS, to withhold the correct federal income tax from your pay n Direct Deposit Authorization allows your pay check to be directly deposited to your bank. n Employee Acknowledgment of GMS Employee Handbook n
5 OVERVIEW
Company Structure The management team is comprised of Partners, Principals, Associate Partners and Associates. They are responsible for strategic planning and project management. Their role as mentors is especially important, as GMS does not hold a typical perspective concerning work specialization. While other firms have employees that focus solely on specific niches in the life cycle of a project, GMS believes that individually seeing a project through from inception to completion enhances the professional development of our employees. Our management reflects this perspective through its commitment to hands-on training and open communication. Our main divisions are Engineering, Architecture, Inspections, and Drafting. In terms of administration, there are Accounting, Operations, Marketing, and Human Resource divisions.
Engineering Project Engineers Senior Engineers Intern Engineers
Architecture Project Architects
Inspections
Senior Architects Intern Architects
MANAGEMENT Accounting
Partners Principles Associate Partners Associates
Operations
Drafting
Marketing Human Resources
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Activities LUNCH SEMINARS
Every so often, GMS hosts a lunch seminar on the fifth floor. At these get-togethers, GMS usually provides a catered lunch. The seminars include topics concerning new developments and best practices. Attendance is not mandatory, but highly recommended. Employees who have an interesting topic that they would like to share are encouraged to present their own seminars! HAPPY HOURS
Each season, GMS hosts a happy hour at the office after work. Food and drinks are provided and they are great opportunities to relax and get to know everyone at the firm. EDUCATION AND INVOLVEMENT
GMS is committed to getting involved in the community—Whether it be structural engineering events or non-profit efforts, we try to stay informed and make a difference. We like to encourage everyone to get involved in these efforts however they prefer, so GMS maintains an education fund for employees who wish to continue their education or attend seminars, in addition to sponsoring employees’ involvement in philanthropic work.
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New York
New York PRINTERS
5TH FLOOR
HP LaserJet 5200 Reception n Copier on 5th—where large pdf files should be sent; is faster than Reception and can print double-sided n
4TH FLOOR
HP LaserJet 5100 Architect n HP LaserJet 5200 Engineer n
PRINTING I N C O L O R n
HP Color LaserJet 5500 (on 4th)
SCANNERS
The large scanner is on the 4th floor, opposite the drafting area—for all paper sizes; can scan in color n The Copier on 5th also scans—for 11x17 or letter sized paper; only black and white scans. For detailed instructions on how to scan using the copier, refer to: K:\Office Forms\scanguide.pdf. n
*scanners are generally set to write files into the O:\SCANS folder. However, you can set them to write directly into the network folder you are working in. Just be sure to set it back to the SCANS folder and a generic file name (e.g. “scan”) when you are finished so that nobody accidentally overwrites your files or saves to a random location in the network!
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