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Opti Insider General Announcements Events Wellness Benefits Training Development Compliance HR Tips Optima Cares D I Employee Recognition Growth OFG Wins Employee Engagement July 2022 All the latest news happenings going on at Orange County Phoenix s best company

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS Core Value Inclusive We celebrate diversity and treat each other with respect Redemption Period July 1st 31st Be sure to cash out your earnings Be on the lookout for ranking report raffle details coming soon Opti Rewards Program Congratulations to last month s Top 10 Want to learn more about opportunities to earn points Click Here Earn more points and work your way up the ranking

Spirit Squad Two teams AZ CA will be competing to support and donate to a charity of their choice Click Here to Sign Up Event RECAP Knott s Berry Farm June 24th 360 employees attended our family friendly picnic and park event Top Workplace Survey June 14th 28th Thank you for participating in the Top Workplace Survey We had 93 7 participation

Upcoming EVENTS CA Company Picnic Saturday July 23rd at Mile Square Park 100 points CA Q2 Off Site Summer Sizzle Friday July 29th at AMC Theatres 50 points Off Sit e Wellness Benefits Managing Fatigue at Work Between hectic schedules stress and difficulty sleeping many people find themselves fatigued during the workday Fortunately there are steps you can take to reduce your fatigue levels and stay more alert at work Click here to learn more Vision Care Because many eye and vision conditions exhibit no obvious symptoms individuals are often unaware that there is a problem Early diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders such as cataracts glaucoma and macular degeneration are important for maintaining good vision and preventing permanent vision loss making eye exams an important part of routine preventive health care Click here to learn more

HR IS HERE TO HELP Announcing the New Benefits Intranet Page We are happy to introduce our new Employee Benefits Intranet Page The Employee Benefits Intranet page will provide Frequently Asked Questions Tools Resources and Carrier Contact Information in an easy to navigate format Additionally the intranet page will be regularly maintained to provide our employees the most up to date information Please click Here to access Optima s Benefits Intranet page Housekeeping Conflict of Interest and Concurrent Employment Optima Tax Relief LLC Optima recognizes that current employees may want to engage in outside employment and other activities including second jobs consulting engagements self employment and volunteer activities Below is a link to Optima s policy Conflicting Interest in Employee If you are considering outside employment but are not sure if it complies with the rules and guidelines set out in this policy you should speak with your direct manager or business unit leader who will help you determine whether the outside employment complies with Optima s policy Submit a ticket via Paycom s Ask Here or email your HR Business Partner directly with any questions or concerns

Training Development UPCOMING EVENTS PROGRAMS PD Workshop Series for Q2 Q3 Series Communication Workshop 4 June 19th 21st Time TBD Communication Anyone interested in Optima s Leadership Accelerator OLA Phase 1 learning more about career advancement and growth opportunities at Optima email careerdevelopment optim ataxrelief com In this month 7 Team Leads will be beginning OLA Phase 1 The TL s will focus on The Landscape of Leadership

Optima Cares Recap CA COMMUNITY BLOOD DRIVE Benefits the American Red Cross June 1st 22 Donors 63 Potential Number of Lives Saved AZ AZCEND FOOD BANK VOLUNTEER DAYS 9 Optima employees volunteered at the food bank sorting donated items and delivering them to clients June 10th 17th Upcoming Optima Cares Events CHIPOTLE FUNDRAISER Optima Cares Foundation Chipotle night Wednesday July 13th from 4p 8p AZ CA Check the email from Optima Cares to find which Chipotle location is partnering with us for this fundraiser Say your purchase is for Optima Cares before paying for us to get credit We must hit 150 in sales at both locations to then gain any sort of donation from Chipotle BRACKEN S KITCHEN VOLUNTEER OUTING Help in their prep kitchen and package meals Thursday July 14th Sign up here

Employee Recognition Anniversaries 13 years Kristen Bemis 10 years Kaleigh Fisher 9 years Son Huynh 8 years Fernando Arguello Steve Dearing Lucy Jones Neil Leaves Mike Meeker Ashley Pohl Theresa Salazar 7 years 4 years 2 years 3 years 1 year Kevin Betancourt Melissa Castillo Anne Loughman DeVaughn Brooks Ed Vargas Maria Cabrera Celene Garcia Mirna Aguilar Carlos Maggi Lili Asvar Charles Bennett John Mash Constance Cates Marisa Bruce Gabriella Mayorga Yaritza Cerna Kim Carson Branden Silva Gabriela Flores Kateri Drewes Yliana Toledo Michael Gonzalez Sandra Flores David Yi Delia Hernandez Christina Hill Chuck Johnson Ashley Lewis Denisse Kalantar Mikkia Massey Craig Campbell Tyler Mendez Sandra Navarro Mark Lumsdon Grant Merryman Gilly Sotelo Kara Nicholas Larry Torgersen Phillip Padilla Cyrus Sanaei Sam Chavez Breanna Sommers Brenda Gudino Melissa Torres Leticia Guerrero 6 years 5 years Julie Harris Lori Heath Brian Holden Rella O Connor Vanessa Soria Maggie Wang Happy Birthdays Employee Growth New Hires Destiny Contreras ACS Case Manager AZ Justin Leamon ACS Case Manager AZ Robert Williams ACS Case Manager AZ Marie Taylor ACS Case Manager Erin Beemer Data Analyst Monica Cabral Client Relations Associate Makayla Morgan Client Liaison 2 Ish Smith Call Review Analyst Promotions Transfers CLICK ON THE BIRTHDAY HAT DeVaughn Brooks Protection Specialist Jack Castillo Protection Specialist Monika Espinosa Senior Tax Associate Tony Gaeta Senior Debt Consultant Nancy Khader Director of Sales Angela Manzo Customer Service Representative II Jennifer Sibrian Customer Service II Team Lead Ruby Villatoro Customer Service III Team Lead Zuleima Puebla Retention Agent 2 Kaleigh Fisher Retention Agent 3 Eydalid Barboza Tax Prep Manager Andy Torres Tax Prep Support Manager

Shoutouts Debtmerica Shout out to Roberta Settle for finishing in 1st place this month We appreciate your teamwork and contribution Keep the momentum going Culture Circles Check out the D I page here for the latest updates joining a circle and suggesting a new culture circle Lisa Massey TAX PREP SUPPORT SPECIALIST Lisa takes a lot of pride in her job and providing excellent customer service She works really hard to always hit her numbers and dedicates her time to completing the all the documents with the client She is an example of how customer driven we should all be

Getting to know you Optima Cares Team Hello Optimians We are excited to have the opportunity to introduce ourselves to all of you We are the Optima Cares Team Thanks for taking the time to learn a little bit more about us Our mission is to unite with local partners to provide care and services to families in need throughout the Orange County and Phoenix area Jennifer rejoined Optima in February of 2022 and is so excited to be in this new role with Community Engagement She has a heart for philanthropy and can t wait to be working alongside all her fellow California Optimians either on campus or out in our community McKenna began her new role as Event and Community Engagement Specialist in January of 2022 She is eager to connect Arizona Optimians with the community and create long lasting relationships with our charity partners She feels honored to be able to work for a company that places such high importance on giving back Julie leads the Office Operations teams and currently serves as the Operations Chair with the Diversity and Inclusion Council Julie and her team transitioned into overseeing Optima Cares this year and look forward to bringing many opportunities your way to engage and serve our local communities in both Arizona and California Visit our Intranet page here to find out about our upcoming fundraising events volunteer opportunities to suggest a charity and much more Thank you for reading and we look forward to working alongside you to support our communities

Timecards All hourly employees must review their timecard in Paycom weekly and ensure all hours are accurate If they are correct please approve them If they are incorrect submit new punch or punch change requests sick time requests or other time off requests that apply Click here for screenshots of the timecard approval process If you have questions about the timecard approval process please submit an Ask Here to the HR Department We d be happy to answer any questions you have Client Reviews Very pleased with the service Was easy to upload the documents needed for my case The team members were very knowledgeable and informative I would recommend their services to anyone Excellent customer service Dylan Townley was a great help throughout my final stages of resolution These are the tax people to contact to relieve the fears of the IRS To anyone having restless nights thinking of when the IRS going to knock on your door and demand payment for yesteryear s mistakes these are the people to contact I highly recommend Optima Tax Relief

LEadership Fun Facts Erica Benjamin What is your favorite thing about working at Optima My favorite things about working at Optima is our fun culture the talented people that I work with and how we all work together to make a difference for our clients What s your hidden talent My hidden talent is cooking which I have been doing since the age of 9 I am the primary cook for my family but the only one that is Pescatarian I enjoy turning traditional recipes into dairy free meatless meals with the hope to eventually persuade my family to adopt a Vegan Pescatarian diet Who inspires you My inspiration comes from my children I have 3 kids 22 17 and 14 My oldest is a student at Cal State Fullerton My middle child just graduated from High School and will be attending Cal Poly Pomona in August and my youngest is on his way to High School next school year What was your first job My first jobs were working for my mom and grandfather as a child My mom had a gift flower shop I would work at every day after school Saturday s and holidays Valentine s day was a big holiday for us and I remember working long hours on those holidays During the summer I would work at my late grandfather s dry cleaners Both jobs really developed my passion and foundation around customer service and really prepared me for the workforce Do you have any pets I have 2 9 month old Shih poo s puppies Nola and Nikko They are a mix between Shih tzu and poodle In addition to my kids they keep me busy I often refer to them as my two 4 legged toddlers

Employee Engagement Enter your answer to our monthly question in the link below by no later than July 15th Anyone who participates will receive FIVE Optima Rewards Points You will also be entered in a raffle for a chance to win a 25 gift certificate Congrats to for winning last month s Employee Engagement question 25 gift card coming your way Last Month s Answer Freedom