Return to flip book view

For when a child is born the mother also is born again General Announcements Events Wellness Benefits Training Development Optima Cares D I Employee Recognition Growth Compliance HR Tips OFG Wins Employee Engagement May 2022 All the latest news happenings going on at Orange County Phoenix s best company

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS Core Value Nurture We care about each other and our community Opti Rewards Ranking April Top 10 1 2 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 Maria Cabrera Marissa Villareal Tony Solis Santiago Vergara Karina Garcia Amber McAdams Nelly Ramos Elias Zamora Reyna Castellanos Sosa Ashley Lewis Cristian Gonzalez Soria Opti Rewards Program Want to check where you stand Click Here 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 May s report coming soon

Event RECAP AZ Relay for Life Event April 23rd Perry High School Several AZ employees participated in this event to raise funds for cancer VITA Lunch April 29th Thank you VITA Volunteers for such a great tax season All Star Lunches AZ April 21st CA April 29th We enjoyed celebrating your accomplishments It was great company and food

Upcoming EVENTS AZ Offsite Friday May 6 50 points CA Offsite Friday May 13 50 points AZ After Tax Season Bowling Thursday May 19 50 points CA After Tax Season Bowling Thursday May 19 20 50 points WELLNESS BENEFITS Mental Health Awareness Mental Health Awareness Month sought to put a spotlight on the importance of mental health and wellness Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness This document lists out what mental health resources are covered under our insurance provider Click here to learn more Women s Health Women are particularly at risk of developing problems in their reproductive organs That s why it s important to make efforts to reduce your risks by engaging in regular screenings examinations and tests to detect problems early on Read on for some preventive care recommendations Click here to learn more

Training Development UPCOMING EVENTS PROGRAMS PD Workshop Series for Q2 Q2 Series Communication Workshop 2 May 24th 26th Time TBD Written Communication Optima s Leadership Accelerator Phase 1 In this month 6 Team Leads will be completing the final month of the OLA Phase I 1 The TLs will focus on Identifying their Leadership Style 2 Build a leadership portfolio 3 Have 1 1 interviews with Senior Leadership Discuss how to effectively use written communication in the workplace Review email writing skills

Optima Cares Recap 2K RAISED Raised funds to support World Central Kitchen Thank you for all the donations 8 HOURS CONTRIBUTED Volunteers helped children with homework read books in library and played group games April 19th 74 PARTICIPANTS AZ and CA offices dressed in blue to support Autism Awareness Month April 21st Volunteer fundraiser to support Autism Speaks special shout out to Liz Negron in Sales for hosting this April 21st 1K LBS OF FOOD 5250 LBS OF CLOTHES 80 BAGS OF SHOES DONATED Supported OC Rescue Mission and Shoes for the Homeless April 29th

D I Recap 28 HOURS CONTRIBUTED Volunteers helped pack and distribute food to the Santa Ana community Thank you to our volunteers We really appreciate you taking the time to partner with Latino Health Access and giving back to our local community Upcoming D I Events We aim to educate beyond stereotypes revolving around mental health inspire a better wellbeing and promote a safe atmosphere for all Our upcoming meeting will be Winnie The Pooh themed Share your favorite character as we dissect the representation of mental illnesses and the power of community Wednesday May 25th 1pm

Employee Recognition Anniversaries 11 years 9 years 8 years Jeret Stroing Tan Le Paulina Scafidi Alina Yuryeva Trina Nguyen 5 years 4 years 3 years Patrice Bragg Maria Camacho Alexis Hernandez Citlally Martinez Jorge Mendez 7 years Iliana Cruz Cindy Dominguez Jose Lopez Tracy Nguyen Zuleima Puebla Nelly Ramos 1 year Joshua Conyers Melissa Andrade Leah Kirksey Isaac Cornejo David Nichols Kenia Gomez Anthony Sarashid Victoria Sanchez James Swaner Maggie Szeliga Ezekiel Washington Jeffrey Tran Employee Growth New Hires Happy Birthdays Promotions Transfers CLICK ON THE BIRTHDAY HAT

Shoutouts Debtmerica Rain or shine once again Bernie leads the team in first place Kudus for consistency Mr Melendez Forward Tax It was a full speed ahead for Monika from day one she ended the month with double digits ahead of everyone congrats for taking first place Our very own Zully Puebla will be competing in the USPA United States Powerlifting Association event in August 2022 She has been working tirelessly in efforts to prepare for this grueling challenge Zully maybe small but she is quite mighty GO Zully GO Kennia Garcia TAX PREP SUPPORT SPECIALIST Kennia is always on point showing up to work and getting the job done

Getting to know you N A E L MAC U V My name is Maclean Vu I was born in Fountain Valley CA but moved to Stockton CA when I was 2 years old and spent most of my life there I graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton as a Media major in the Spring of 2020 and wanted to move to Southern California after college but I had to put my plans on hold due to COVID After working retail for a year as a sales associate and then assistant manager I decided it was finally time to move onto something new So I flew to Orange County at the beginning of 2022 The move was nerve wracking but exciting I brought just one small suitcase with the thought of starting fresh While exploring and getting used to my new life here I was also on a hunt for a new job and at the start of March I started working at Optima I didn t expect to find a great company like Optima and have been pleasantly enjoying my role as Communication Assistant I ve been able to use my skills and explore my interests while also challenging myself and learning new things My hobbies include journal and creative writing arts and crafts reading fiction stories watching YouTube videos and playing games I like to relax in my free time so outside of work you could probably find me either at home a caf or a library

Housekeeping Updates to Employee Safety Intranet Page Optima is committed to maintaining a safe and healthful workplace We are continuously updating our rules and guidelines to further this goal Now in addition to updates on Optima s COVID 19 policies and protocols employees can visit the Employee Safety Intranet page and find Emergency Protocols Injury and Illness Prevention Plan Optima s Abusive Language Policy Contact employeesafety optimataxrelief com or Security optimataxrelief com or 949 266 9072 with any questions concerns or suggestions HR IS HERE TO HELP Did You Know that Optima has bereavement leave What is bereavement Bereavement is a period of mourning or a state of grief following the death of a loved one It can involve attending a memorial or funeral service spending time with family members to remember the person recently lost or other ways to honor the loved one For the full policy please click here If you have further questions about the policy please submit an Ask Here to the HR Department We d be happy to answer any questions you have

LEadership Fun Facts Michele Rock Are you a morning person or a night owl I am a morning person especially during the Arizona summer months when all outside activities need to be completed by 7a During this time the overnight temperatures in Phoenix average between 80 and 90 degrees One sometimes wonders why anyone lives in Phoenix AZ with the average daytime temperatures at 110 degrees However then October arrives and the weather breaks with temperatures under 100 degrees And all Phoenicians remember the wonderful weather we experience October through April What is your favorite travel destination I love traveling across the US and around Europe I was actually born in Berlin Germany and have spent many months across several visits through the years visiting family Berlin Germany has a special place in my heart What is the best advice you ve ever been given Great leaders live to serve they always promote and emphasize the needs of others before their own Great organizations don t become successful by accident it all starts with leadership and understanding that you can t exceed your customers expectations unless you exceed the expectations of your people first What is your favorite TV show This Is Us is an amazing show with great acting scripts story flow and directing I love the flashbacks that help the viewer understand why the characters are behaving the way they are It is a heartwarming story about Family Do you have any pets Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love They depart to teach us about loss A new dog never replaces an old dog it merely expands the heart Erica Jong I found this quote when my husband and I decided to adopt a new fur baby We had lost our 13 year old Yorkipoo and our house felt so empty without him In June of 2021 we met Muffy an 8 year old Shih Tzu who had just lost both of her elderly parents Our little princess has filled our house with unconditional love

Optional Days a y d i s l o H Optional Day on May 27th Memorial Day on May 30th Client Reviews Excellent customer service Dylan Townley was a great help throughout my final stages of resolution My advisor was very professional knowledgeable great personality She really went above and beyond I would give her 6 stars if I could Made everything very easy for me to just continue on with my daily activities while they dealt with IRS Thank you for your help My experience from start to finish was exceptional Everyone I worked with at Optima was knowledgeable and courteous

Employee Engagement Enter your answer to our monthly question in the link below by no later than May 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