Northwind Robotics Employee Handbook Author: People Operations Team Document ID: POL-101 Version: 3.2 Effective date: 1 March 2026 Last review: 12 February 2026 Next review: 12 August 2026 Classification: Internal - All Employees Owner: Chief People Officer Approver: CEO ============================================================================== 1. PURPOSE AND SCOPE ============================================================================== This handbook is the authoritative source for employment terms, workplace norms, and people policies at Northwind Robotics Ltd ("Northwind", "the Company"). It applies to all permanent employees, fixed-term contractors engaged for six months or longer, and seconded staff working under Northwind management. Where this handbook conflicts with a signed employment contract, the contract prevails for that individual. Where this handbook conflicts with local law in a jurisdiction where Northwind operates, local law prevails. Managers may not create team-level exceptions that weaken a company policy without written approval from People Operations. This document does not create a collective agreement. Policies may be updated with notice on the company intranet; material changes that affect pay or contractual leave are communicated by email with at least 30 days' notice unless a shorter period is required by law. ============================================================================== 2. OUR COMPANY AND VALUES ============================================================================== Northwind Robotics designs, manufactures, and supports autonomous mobile robots for warehouse and light industrial environments. Our headquarters are in Cambridge, UK, with satellite offices in Berlin, Austin, and Singapore, plus remote employees across the UK, EU, and North America. Company values (used in hiring, performance, and promotion decisions): Safety first. Robots and people share floors. Shortcuts that risk injury or unsafe deployments are never rewarded. Customer truth. We prefer an honest delayed ship date over a surprise failure in a customer's aisle. Own the outcome. Roles are not fences. If you see a broken process, you either fix it or escalate with a proposed fix. Teach what you learn. Documentation and demos are part of the job, not optional polish. ============================================================================== 3. WORKING HOURS ============================================================================== Working hours are 09:00 to 17:30, Monday to Friday. The standard full-time week is 37.5 hours excluding a 30-minute unpaid lunch break. Part-time schedules are agreed in writing and stored in the HRIS. Overtime is not routinely expected for salaried roles; when a deadline requires evening or weekend work, managers must record the hours and offer time off in lieu within the following calendar month. Core collaboration hours for cross-office meetings are 10:00 to 15:00 UK time. Teams should avoid scheduling mandatory meetings outside that window unless a customer incident or launch requires it. Flexible start times between 08:00 and 10:00 are allowed if the employee still covers core collaboration hours and their manager agrees in writing. Flex arrangements are reviewed each quarter. ============================================================================== 4. REMOTE WORK AND HYBRID WORK ============================================================================== Remote work. Employees may work remotely up to three days per week. Fully remote arrangements require director approval and are reviewed every six months. Employees working remotely must be reachable on Slack during core hours, which are 10:00 to 15:00. Hybrid default. Most UK and EU roles are hybrid: at least two days per week in a Northwind office or an approved customer site when the role requires it. The two in-office days are chosen with the manager so that team overlap is maximised (typically Tuesday and Thursday at Cambridge). Desk booking. Cambridge and Berlin use hot desks. Book a desk by 17:00 the day before via the Workplace app. Unbooked desks may be released at 09:30. Austin and Singapore keep assigned desks for manufacturing and field-support staff. Home office standards. Remote and hybrid employees must have a private space for confidential calls, a reliable internet connection of at least 50 Mbps down / 10 Mbps up, and an ergonomic setup that meets the Display Screen Equipment checklist. Northwind reimburses up to £350 (or local equivalent) once every 36 months for approved home office equipment. Claims go through the expenses policy (see POL-114). International remote work. Working from a country that is not the employee's contracted work location for more than 10 working days in a rolling 90-day period requires approval from People Operations and Tax. Unapproved long stays can create permanent establishment and payroll risks for the Company. Customer sites. Field engineers and deployment specialists follow the customer site access rules in SPEC-WB9 and the Security Policy (POL-207). Customer-site days count as in-office days for hybrid tracking. ============================================================================== 5. TIME OFF AND LEAVE ============================================================================== Annual leave is 28 days plus public holidays. Leave year runs from 1 January to 31 December. New joiners accrue leave monthly in their first year. Up to five unused days may be carried into the next leave year with manager approval; carried days expire on 31 March. Payment in lieu of untaken leave is only made on termination as required by law. Booking leave. Submit requests in the HRIS at least 10 working days in advance for absences of three or more consecutive days. Peak blackout periods (for example final week of a major customer go-live) are published by team leads each quarter. Managers must respond to leave requests within five working days. Sick leave. Notify your manager and People Operations before 09:30 on the first day of absence. Self-certification covers the first seven calendar days. After seven days, a doctor's note is required. Northwind provides company sick pay above statutory minimums as described in the benefits summary on the intranet; details vary by country entity. Compassionate leave. Up to five paid days for the death of an immediate family member. Additional unpaid leave may be agreed with People Operations. Jury service and civic duties. Northwind supports employees summoned for jury service. Notify People Operations immediately and provide the court summons. Pay continuation follows local statutory rules plus company top-up where applicable. Study leave. Employees enrolled in an approved professional qualification may request up to five paid study days per year, subject to manager and People Operations approval. Course fees may be supported under the Learning and Development budget (see Section 11). ============================================================================== 6. PAY, EXPENSES, AND TRAVEL ============================================================================== Salary is paid monthly in arrears on the last working day of each month (UK payroll) or per local entity calendar. Payslips are available in the HRIS. Questions about tax codes or deductions go to payroll@northwind.example. Expenses and travel reimbursement are governed by the Expenses Policy (Document ID: POL-114). That policy is authoritative for mileage rates, meal caps, receipt rules, and submission deadlines. This handbook does not override POL-114. Company credit cards are issued to roles that travel monthly. Cardholders must reconcile transactions within 14 days. Personal spend on a company card is a disciplinary matter. ============================================================================== 7. CONDUCT, CONFLICTS, AND SPEAK-UP ============================================================================== Expected conduct. Treat colleagues, customers, and suppliers with respect. Harassment, discrimination, bullying, and retaliation are prohibited. Northwind investigates reported concerns promptly and confidentially to the extent practical. Conflicts of interest. Disclose outside employment, board seats, and financial interests in competitors or suppliers to People Operations. Do not use Northwind confidential information for personal gain. Gifts and hospitality. Accepting gifts over £50 (or local equivalent) requires manager approval and a register entry. Cash gifts are never acceptable. Customer entertainment must comply with anti-bribery rules. Speak-up channels. Raise concerns with your manager, People Operations, or anonymously via the ethics hotline listed on the intranet. Security incidents (lost laptop, suspected phishing) must also follow POL-207 reporting timelines. Social media. Do not post confidential product, customer, or personnel information. Personal opinions should be clearly personal. Official company statements are issued only by Marketing or an authorised spokesperson. ============================================================================== 8. PERFORMANCE, FEEDBACK, AND PROMOTION ============================================================================== Goal cycles run twice per year (February and August). Employees and managers set outcomes that are specific, measurable where practical, and tied to team OKRs. Mid-cycle check-ins are required; waiting for the formal review is not a substitute for coaching. Performance ratings use a four-point scale: Exceeds, Meets, Developing, and Unsatisfactory. Unsatisfactory ratings trigger a written improvement plan with clear milestones and a review date of no more than 90 days. Promotions. Level changes require a calibration packet (impact evidence, peer feedback, and manager nomination) reviewed by the relevant director and People Operations. Promotions are not automatic with tenure. Pipelines and PIP exits. If an improvement plan is not met, Northwind may proceed to termination consistent with local employment law and the employee's contract. ============================================================================== 9. EQUIPMENT, SYSTEMS, AND DATA ============================================================================== Northwind issues a company laptop and identity account on day one. Personal devices may access email and Slack only through approved MDM or SSO paths. Storing customer data on personal devices is forbidden. Security baseline. Follow the Security Policy (POL-207) for passwords, multi-factor authentication, encryption, and incident reporting. People Operations will not override Security timelines. Software installs. Use the company software catalogue. Unlisted tools that process customer or employee personal data need a Security review before use. Shadow IT that stores Northwind data in personal cloud accounts is a policy violation. Offboarding. Return all company equipment within five working days of the last employment day. Access is revoked at end of last working day unless a shorter timeline is required for a security incident. ============================================================================== 10. HEALTH, SAFETY, AND WELLBEING ============================================================================== Warehouse and lab areas require closed-toe shoes and adherence to local safety inductions. Never bypass robot safety interlocks. Report near-misses in the Safety app within 24 hours. Display screen assessments are mandatory in the first 30 days and after a role or primary workspace change. Occupational health referrals are available via People Operations. Mental health. Employees have access to the Employee Assistance Programme (confidential counselling). Managers are trained to respond to wellbeing concerns without diagnosing medical conditions. ============================================================================== 11. LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT ============================================================================== Every employee has an annual L&D allowance published by People Operations (amounts vary by level and entity). Allowances cover courses, books, and conference tickets that relate to the role. Unused allowance does not roll over. Internal teaching. Engineers and specialists who deliver an approved internal workshop of 60 minutes or longer receive recognition in the promotion packet and may claim preparation time against team capacity with manager agreement. Mandatory training. Security awareness, anti-harassment, and (for relevant roles) product safety modules must be completed within 30 days of joining and annually thereafter. Incomplete mandatory training can block system access renewals. ============================================================================== 12. EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION ============================================================================== Northwind is an equal opportunity employer. Hiring, pay, and promotion decisions must be based on role-relevant criteria. Reasonable adjustments for disability are coordinated by People Operations. Pronouns and names. Use the name and pronouns an employee has recorded in the HRIS and Slack profile. Deadnaming or deliberate misgendering is misconduct. Religious observance. Managers should accommodate prayer times and religious holidays where operationally feasible, using annual leave or flexible hours as agreed. ============================================================================== 13. GRIEVANCES AND DISCIPLINE ============================================================================== Informal resolution is preferred for minor issues. Formal grievances are submitted in writing to People Operations. An investigator who is not the subject's direct manager will be appointed. Employees may bring a companion to formal meetings as permitted by local law. Disciplinary processes follow a staged approach for most conduct issues: verbal warning, written warning, final written warning, then dismissal. Gross misconduct (theft, violence, serious data breach, fraud) may lead to summary dismissal subject to local law. Appeals. Employees may appeal a formal outcome within five working days of receiving the decision letter. Appeals are heard by a more senior manager not previously involved. ============================================================================== 14. DOCUMENT CONTROL AND RELATED POLICIES ============================================================================== Related documents referenced by this handbook: POL-114 Expenses Policy (Finance) POL-207 Security Policy (Information Security) SPEC-WB9 Warehouse Robot Product Spec (Engineering) - operational constraints that affect field staff scheduling and site access Questions about this handbook: people@northwind.example Policy change requests: submit via the Policy Change Jira form End of POL-101