Page 17 - Employee Handbook January 2018

Sick leave will not be paid out at termination of employment.

*When you have exhausted your paid sick time allotted by the company, any days missed from work thereafter will be
considered as unexcused absences. SEE Section 6.1 for further information.

4.9 Educational Assistance Program

The Company has established an Educational Assistance Program to help eligible employees develop their skills and
upgrade their performance. All full-time regular employees who have completed their (90) day introductory period are
eligible to participate in the program.
Hercules will reimburse to a maximum of $1,500 annually for tuition for undergraduate level courses and $2,100 annual-
ly for tuition for graduate courses incurred by a qualified employee for continuing education through an accredited pro-
gram/course that offers growth in an area related to the employee’s current position. Included reimbursement pertains to
college credit courses, continuing education unit courses, seminars and certification tests. College course reimbursement
requires that the employee maintains a “C” average or a pass/fail course requires a “pass” rating. Receipts must validate
expenses. A copy of the final grade card or certification must be presented to show hours or certification received. Prior
approval for reimbursement is required.

PROPER PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW FOR REIMBURSEMNT CONSIDERATION:

1. Employee must communicate, to his/her manager, information regarding the course. The course must relate to
the employees current position with the company.

2. The pre-approved section of the Tuition Reimbursement Form should be completed and appropriate signatures
(Regional and Property Manager) need to be obtained prior to the enrollment for consideration.

3. The signed form will be forwarded to Human Resources and filed in the employee’s personnel file.

4. Upon completion of the course, the employee should resubmit a copy of the Tuition Reimbursement Request
with all receipts and evidence of passing grade or certification attached.

5. HR will then coordinate the reimbursement with the Payroll department.

If the employee voluntarily leaves the company within the first 12 months of their employment, the employee will be
responsible to pay back the entire amount of any and all educational assistance reimbursement made to them during their
employment. Where permissible by law, reimbursement will be taken directly from employee’s final paycheck.

Hercules Living Employee Handbook March 2016 Page 17