Onboarding

As soon as you sign your contract, you will fill out your I-9 employment forms, as well as receive your Differential email and access to Differential's services (see "Tools We Use").

You'll then get an email outlining what to expect in the coming weeks and months, including how to prepare for your first day and week.

We're thrilled to have you on the team, and look forward to helping you rapidly unlock value. Ready? Set. Go!

Company Structure

After much research, discussion, trial and error (and more to come, no doubt), we've landed on a team-based leadership structure. We value diversity of experiences and thought across all teams, so anyone can (and should) find ways to contribute to teams that are non-core for them.

To learn more about the different teams and leaders, see Differential Accountability Chart and Core Processes.

Tools We Use

• Basecamp — All internal and client projects/teams are managed in Basecamp. We have discussions, check off to-dos, and answer automatic check-in questions to stay on the same page.
• Slack — Our day-to-day tool for water-cooler talk, jokes, and well-timed GIFs (because who doesn't love a picture of a cat coding?).
• Google for Work — Email, calendar, file-sharing / storage and Google Docs.
• GitHub — This is where we store the code we write (both internal and client projects).
• Figma — Our design-tool-of-choice we use to bring user experiences and interfaces to life.

Confidentiality And Privacy

Confidentiality

By nature, we deal with confidential and sensitive information about our operations and clients. Everyone on the team is expected to keep these secure within the company.

All regular full-time and part-time (not co-ops or interns) employees are required to sign a non-compete agreement at the time of hire.

Please refer to your employment offer letter and HR for details.

Identity-Theft Protection

We respect the privacy of your personal data and are committed to ensuring that it will only be accessed and utilized as necessary. If at any time you feel as if your personal data has been misused or improperly accessed, please report your concerns to HR.

HIPAA Privacy and Security Compliance

Differential safeguards and protects the privacy and security of its applicants', employees', and customers' "protected health information" as defined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA").

Visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/laws-and-regulations/laws/hipaa for more information.

Anti-Discrimination and Harassment

Background: All employees of Differential are expected to maintain a high standard of responsible, professional and personal conduct at the office, at client sites, and at any company event. We are all adults and as adults we know how to do the right thing and treat one another kindly and with respect.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy: Differential does not discriminate against or harass any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or transgender status, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability or because they are a protected veteran.

Visit https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/discrimination for more information.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Differential does not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities and is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are disabled or become disabled during your employment, you should contact your career coach to discuss reasonable accommodations (that would not result in undue hardship for the company) that will enable you to perform the essential function of your job.

Visit https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/disability/ada for more information.

Policy Prohibiting Harassment, Discrimination and Bullying: Differential strives to maintain an environment free from discrimination, harassment and bullying where employees as well as non employees treat each other with respect, dignity and courtesy. Inappropriate behavior unreasonably interferes with a person's work performance and / or creates an intimidating, hostile work environment and / or a risk to an employee or group of employees' health and safety. Some examples of inappropriate behavior includes, but is not limited to: slurs, jokes and other verbal or physical conduct relating to any category under federal, state or local law.

Resolving Conflict

Every effort should be made to resolve the situation in a timely manner. The ideal process is outlined below.

1. Attempt to mediate the misunderstanding or conflict between yourself and the other party; proceed to step two if this is not sufficient or appropriate.
2. Discuss the situation with your Alliance Coach; proceed to step three if this is not sufficient or appropriate.
3. Meet with HR (in person or by filling out the Complaints and Concerns form) who may proceed to conduct an investigation into the situation (as confidentially as possible) and work to find remedies.

Employees who, in good faith, bring up a misunderstanding or conflict to their Alliance Coach, a partner or HR will not be adversely affected in terms and conditions of employment, and will not be retaliated against or discharged because of a complaint. Anyone who engages in such retaliatory behavior will be subject to appropriate discipline, up to and including termination.

FAQ

What do people wear?

We're generally super casual in the office. If you don't have client meetings (or we don't have clients coming in), you'll definitely see flip-flops and shorts in the summer.

Obviously clients vary widely, but in general, err on the side of the new business casual: jeans and a shirt with a collar/blouse or nice-looking non-logo t-shirt or daytime dress works just fine.

We do sometimes work with more formal corporate clients and may occasionally want to dress up a bit more, but jeans and a nice shirt will go a long way.

Can I work from home?

Yes. And from coffee shops, another country, a co-working space, your Grandma's. Wherever.

When it comes to office closings, the general rule of thumb is that if there is any question as to whether or not to come to the office — be it for weather or safety reasons — err on the side of caution and work from home.

We do ask that remote employees have a strong and reliable internet connection, a camera for video conferencing, and a reliable space (quiet, private, and presentable background) for calls.

If you're in Cincinnati, there will be times we ask you to be in the office (and you'll probably want to regularly - it's pretty awesome), but by and large we trust you.

What about general safety?

We are committed to maintaining a safe and healthy environment for all employees and comply with all OSHA requirements.

Visit https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/safety-health/occupationalsafety and https://www.osha.gov/ for more information.

Employee Records

Please keep your name, address, telephone number, marital status, number of dependents, military service status, beneficiaries, and emergency contacts up to date within Rippling and Guideline. It makes record keeping and payroll easier for us. On the more fun side of things, it makes it easier for us to send you cool stuff in the mail on special occasions!

Next: Benefits