Holidays - The Company observes nine holidays: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after and Christmas Day. An additional day taken at Christmas time will be determined at the discretion of the Company. Provisions have been made for employees to take time off to observe religious holidays if different from those listed above.
Vacations - Vacations are a time to rest, relax and pursue special interests. ERMI provides paid vacations as one of the many ways in which we show our appreciation for employee loyalty and continued service. In general, during the first calendar year of employment, 3.33 hours of vacation per month worked is earned. Thereafter until completion of the fifth year of service, vacation is earned at the rate of 6.66 hours per month for a cumulative total of ten days per year. After five years of service, vacation is earned at the rate of 9.99 hours per month worked for a total of 15 days of paid vacation per year. After ten years of service, vacation is earned at a rate of 13.33 hours per month worked for a total of 20 days of paid vacation per year.
Personal Leave - Full time, hourly paid employees are eligible to take two days of paid personal leave during each anniversary year to attend to business that cannot be performed during non-working hours. Unused personal leave is reimbursed at the end of the anniversary year.
Sick Leave - Full time, hourly paid employees qualify for up to five paid days of sick leave per anniversary year. Sick leave may be used for the purpose of visiting doctors, dentists or other practitioners in their offices. This time may also be used for tending to a serious illness suffered by an immediate family member in the event the illness requires the employee's personal time and attention. Unused sick days are reimbursed at the end of the anniversary year.
Bereavement Leave - Employees are entitled to take up to three work days with pay to attend the funeral and take care of personal matters related to the death of a family member.
Jury Duty - It is everyone's civic duty as a citizen to report for jury duty whenever called. If called for jury duty, we permit employees to take the necessary time off and we wish to help them avoid any financial loss because of such service. We make up the difference between an employee's regular rate of pay and the amount paid for serving as a juror for a maximum of ten days.
Family/Medical Leave of Absence - Unpaid leaves of absence may be granted for illness, disability or pregnancy. Leaves of this type are typically for a maximum of 90 days although requests for extensions of the leave may be made in 30 day increments for a maximum of one year. If so desired, any accrued personal or sick leave and/or vacation will be paid at the time the leave begins.
Personal Leave of Absence - A personal leave of absence may be granted for up to 30 days in very special circumstances.
Educational Leave of Absence - An educational leave of absence may be approved if the desired curriculum is of mutual benefit to the employee and the Company. This type of leave is handled in much the same way as a personal leave of absence.
Military Leave of Absence - Full time employees inducted into the Armed Forces will be eligible for re-employment after completing military service under certain standard provisions. Employees who serve in military organizations or state militia groups may take the necessary time off without pay to fulfill this obligation and retain all of their legal rights for continued employment under existing laws. Accrued personal leave and vacation time may be applied during this period if so desired.
Election Day - We strongly encourage employees to exercise their voting privileges in all local, state and national elections. If it should be necessary, up to two hours paid leave from work will be allowed to ensure employees have the opportunity to vote.
Community Activities - We recognize the importance of employee involvement in the community. Our business is dependent upon the community for employees and for customers and the community is dependent on our business for employment opportunities and the services we offer. We encourage and support participation in service activities that contribute to the community by paying employees their regular hourly rate for up to three hours of normal work time per month to participate in an approved community service activity.
Retirement Program 
The Company has an Employee Retirement Plan to provide eligible employees with a benefit upon retirement. The plan includes provisions for normal retirement at age 65 and early retirement or disability retirement benefits for employees meeting certain qualifications. The main part of this program is a 401k plan. Currently under this provision of the program, the Company will contribute $0.50 for each $1.00 employees contribute up to a total of six percent annual gross salary. Contributions can be invested in a number of vehicles to satisfy investment objectives.
Credit Union
ERMI Environmental Laboratories is a member of the Texans Credit Union, one of the largest credit unions in the United States. All services offered by the Credit Union are available to employees.
Miscellaneous Benefits
ERMI has a number of other benefits including: direct deposit, employee recruitment bonuses, expense reimbursement, open door management, service awards, employee gift fund, discount on in-house environmental chemistry analyses, safety wear (lab coats and safety glasses) and for certain jobs, uniforms.
.:: non-Core Benefits ::.
Insurance
Health Insurance - Dependent coverage through the HMO plan is available at a modest rate.
If PPO coverage does not meet an employees particular need, they may choose alternative
HMO health insurance for them and their dependents. The difference in cost between PPO and
HMO coverage is paid for by the employee.
Life Insurance - Dependent life insurance coverage with AD&D and loss of sight benefits is available.
Additional Insurance - A variety of additional life and individual dental and vision insurance plans are available through our insurance agent.
- All non-core insurance benefits are paid for by the employee. These can be paid with pre-tax dollars, for dependent coverage for health and dental insurance, and payroll deducted for convenience.
- All benefits are administered according to the
current revision of the Environmental Laboratories Employee Manual.
