Toku: Contributor Handbook - Toku Help Center

Global employment and conduct guidance

📝 Updated November 2026

Welcome to Toku

This handbook explains the general standards and support available to people working through Toku. It covers employment arrangements, time off, respectful conduct, reporting concerns, and the responsible use of information and company resources.

Your individual rights and obligations depend on applicable law, your employment or services agreement, and any other binding employment terms. Read this handbook alongside those documents and any local policies or notices provided to you. The sections below explain how these documents work together.

Getting support

For questions about your employment, leave, workplace concerns, or this handbook, contact Toku HR. For payroll and benefits questions, use the relevant contact below.

Support	Contact
Employment and HR	[email protected]
Payroll	[email protected]
Benefits	[email protected]

Concerns involving your manager or HR can be raised through the alternative routes described under Reporting concerns. In an emergency, contact the appropriate local emergency services first.

Browse the handbook

Employment relationships and governing terms

Who this handbook covers

An employee is a person engaged under an employment relationship. A client is the organization for which the person performs their day-to-day work or services. This handbook provides Toku’s general employment and conduct guidance. Your employment agreement identifies the legal entity responsible for your employment.

The employment and benefits sections apply to employees where relevant to their arrangement. Conduct, confidentiality, safety, and security standards also apply to contractors, consultants, and other contributors to the extent appropriate to their services and applicable agreements. This handbook does not itself determine employment status.

Toku and your client

Toku supports you with employment-related matters, including payroll, benefits, leave, and HR questions. Your client generally directs your day-to-day work. Raise questions about your employment terms or a proposed change with Toku so they can be reviewed under the applicable employment agreement and local requirements.

Local guidance

Local requirements and procedures may differ from the general guidance in this handbook. If you work in Finland, Kenya, or Serbia and have questions about how this guidance applies to you, contact Toku HR at [email protected] for support. If you work in the United States, also read the United States: harassment, discrimination, and retaliation policy section of this handbook. Your employment agreement and applicable law continue to govern your employment.

How the terms apply

Mandatory law takes precedence over any inconsistent wording in this handbook. Your employment agreement and other binding terms, including any applicable collective agreement, award, or mandatory local policy, govern your individual employment rights and obligations. This handbook does not reduce or waive those rights, including enforceable benefits that exceed statutory minimums.

To the extent permitted by law, this handbook is general policy guidance and does not itself create a contract for a particular duration, guarantee continued employment, or establish benefits beyond those applicable to you. It does not override a binding employment term or replace a separately required local policy, notice, statement, or procedure. Contact HR if you need help understanding which terms apply.

Working arrangements and pay

Employment status and eligibility

Your working hours, employment type, probationary terms where lawful, and benefit eligibility are determined by applicable law and your employment documents. Full-time, part-time, fixed-term, temporary, and probationary employees receive the rights applicable to their circumstances. No single global hours threshold determines eligibility under this handbook.

Independent contractors provide services under their services agreements. Employee benefit and paid-leave provisions do not apply to a genuinely independent contractor unless required by law or expressly agreed. A contractual label does not remove rights arising under applicable law.

Working hours and records

Follow your agreed schedule and the working-time, break, rest, and overtime rules that apply to you. Record hours and absences accurately through the process communicated for your employment. Seek any required approval before working overtime, but record all time worked, including work outside your usual schedule. Payment for work performed is determined by applicable law and employment terms; a missing approval does not remove a statutory entitlement.

Raise concerns about workload, missed breaks, inaccurate records, or after-hours expectations with your manager or HR. Applicable rest and disconnecting rights remain protected. Your contract and local arrangements determine any lawful availability or on-call expectations.

Pay and benefits

Pay, pay frequency, allowances, and benefits are governed by the applicable employment terms, benefit documents, and law. Review your payslip and report a suspected error to [email protected] promptly so it can be reviewed. Questions about benefit eligibility, enrollment, or coverage should be directed to [email protected].

Submit business expenses through the applicable process with the required supporting information. Approval procedures do not remove any mandatory reimbursement right. An additional client benefit applies according to its applicable terms and does not reduce statutory or contractual rights.

Work location and authorization

Keep Toku informed of changes to your address, work location, and other information needed to administer your employment. Obtain any required approval before working from another country or changing an agreed work arrangement, so immigration, employment, payroll, tax, and security requirements can be assessed.

Provide the work-authorization documents lawfully required for your role and notify Toku of relevant changes or renewal needs. Authorization and document checks must follow applicable law, including any lawful extensions or alternative evidence. Contact HR if you are unsure how a change affects your ability to work.

Annual leave and time off

Your entitlement

Employees receive the annual leave, public holidays, and other time off required by applicable law and their binding employment terms. The amount, eligibility, calculation method, leave year, and payment rules depend on the location and employment arrangement. Temporary, fixed-term, part-time, or probationary status does not by itself exclude an employee from statutory leave.

Your employment documents and applicable local guidance explain your entitlements. Contact Toku HR if you need clarification or cannot locate this information. This handbook does not set a uniform global leave allowance.

Requesting and recording leave

Submit planned leave through the Toku platform or the alternative process communicated by Toku, and follow the applicable notice and scheduling requirements. Coordinate planned absences with your manager. If a client uses a separate calendar or request tool, follow the employer’s instructions for ensuring the required employment records are also maintained.

Leave scheduling is subject to applicable law and employment terms. A client’s discretionary approval cannot remove a statutory right. If you cannot use the usual system or there is a disagreement about leave, contact Toku HR so the request can be reviewed. The process for unexpected sickness and other protected absences is explained in the Sickness and other protected leave section.

Balances and corrections

Leave balances may be recorded in the Toku platform, payroll records, or another designated system, depending on the arrangement and leave category. Ask Toku HR how to obtain the relevant balance and report any discrepancy. A system display or administrative error does not change your legal entitlement.

Carryover and unused leave

Accrual, carryover, expiry, payment during leave, and payment for unused leave when employment ends follow applicable law and binding employment terms. There is no universal forfeiture, annual reset, or no-payout rule under this handbook. Any lawful conditions or deadlines will be determined under the terms applicable to you.

Additional or unlimited client leave

A client may offer additional or unlimited time off under a policy applicable to your assignment. Such a policy does not reduce statutory or contractual entitlements or automatically replace a separate category of protected leave. Continue to follow the required request and recordkeeping process. Contact Toku HR to clarify how a client policy interacts with your local leave, pay, carryover, and termination rights.

Sickness and other protected leave

Employees may be entitled to leave or other support for their own illness, injury, treatment, or other qualifying circumstances under applicable law and employment terms. Eligibility, permitted reasons, available days or hours, payment, and documentation requirements vary. Applicable sick-leave rights may also cover care for others or safety-related needs.

If you cannot work, notify your manager and Toku HR as soon as reasonably practicable, using the local absence process. If an emergency prevents personal notification, another person may notify the appropriate contact where practicable. Do not delay seeking urgent care to complete an administrative step.

Any request for medical evidence or other supporting information must be permitted by applicable law and proportionate to the purpose. Use the designated confidential channel for sensitive information. You are not required by this handbook to disclose a diagnosis to a client manager. HR can help clarify what information is lawfully needed and how to provide it.

Family and other protected leave

Depending on the applicable law and employment terms, leave or workplace adjustments may be available for pregnancy, childbirth, adoption, parental responsibilities, caring for a family member, bereavement, domestic or family violence, civic duties, military service, or other protected circumstances. These examples do not limit any right available to you.

Contact Toku HR for the relevant eligibility, notice, evidence, payment, and return-to-work requirements. Give advance notice where required and reasonably possible. For an unforeseen need, contact the appropriate person as soon as reasonably practicable.

Pay and benefit claims during leave

Job-protected leave and income replacement are separate questions. Depending on your circumstances, pay may come from your employer, a government program, an insurer, or a combination of sources. A benefit claim may require a separate application. Ask Toku HR or the benefits team how the applicable arrangements work; this handbook does not promise full salary during every absence.

Overlapping leave and payment schemes will be coordinated only as permitted by applicable law and employment terms. General or unlimited time off does not automatically absorb another statutory entitlement.

Protection and returning to work

Toku prohibits retaliation for requesting or using protected leave. Return-to-work arrangements, required adjustments, continued benefits, and reinstatement rights are governed by applicable law and employment terms. Raise any concern about pressure to work during protected leave or an adverse response to a leave request through the reporting channels in this handbook.

Equality and respect at work

Equal opportunity

Toku is committed to fair treatment and prohibits unlawful discrimination. Employment decisions must be based on legitimate requirements and qualifications, without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, family or marital status, military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Accommodations and adjustments

Contact Toku HR if you need an adjustment relating to disability, pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, religion, domestic or family violence, or another protected circumstance. Requests can be raised in ordinary language. Toku HR will help you understand the applicable process and support review of the request in accordance with local requirements.

The review may involve discussing the work-related need and possible options, with only the supporting information lawfully required. Sensitive information will be handled through appropriate confidential channels. You may use an alternative reporting route if you are uncomfortable approaching your manager. Requesting a protected adjustment must not lead to retaliation.

Harassment and bullying

Harassment, sexual harassment, bullying, threats, and intimidation are prohibited. Examples include unwanted sexual attention or contact, sexual requests linked to employment opportunities, degrading jokes or slurs, threatening messages, humiliating treatment, and targeted exclusion or abuse. Conduct can be verbal, physical, written, or digital. A serious single incident may require action; you do not need to wait for behavior to recur before raising a concern.

Reasonable, respectful performance feedback and lawful management instructions are not, by themselves, bullying. Differences in intent or cultural expectations do not excuse prohibited conduct. Local definitions and protections apply where they provide additional requirements.

Where these standards apply

These expectations apply to work-related interactions with colleagues, clients, contractors, suppliers, and other business contacts, including remote work, electronic communications, work travel, and work-related events. Concerns about a client representative can be raised with Toku directly.

Responsibilities

Treat others respectfully and cooperate with lawful, fair reviews of workplace concerns. Managers must promptly escalate suspected harassment, discrimination, or retaliation through the applicable local process and take reasonable steps within their role to prevent further harm. You are not required to confront a person or put yourself at risk before seeking help.

Reporting concerns

How to raise a concern

You may raise employment, safety, conduct, fraud, legal-compliance, or other workplace concerns with your manager or Toku HR at [email protected]. You may report orally or in writing. You do not need to use a particular form or speak to the person involved before raising a concern.

If the concern involves your manager, HR, or the usual contact, you may approach an uninvolved member of Toku senior management directly or use another applicable local reporting channel. You do not have to report to someone involved in the concern. Local reporting officers, committees, or other statutory procedures apply where required.

Review and response

Concerns will be assessed and handled through the applicable local process. Oral reports will be taken seriously; assistance can be provided to document a concern where the applicable procedure requires it. A review may involve interviews, records, and other relevant evidence. The people involved will have the opportunity to participate as required by the applicable process.

Information will be shared only as reasonably necessary to assess, investigate, respond, or meet legal requirements. Absolute secrecy cannot be promised. Anonymous reports will be considered where permitted and practicable, although limited information may affect the ability to investigate. Any required acknowledgment, response, appeal, or feedback periods are governed by the applicable procedure.

Whistleblowing and external reporting

You may raise concerns about suspected wrongdoing, including unlawful conduct, fraud, misuse of personal information, unsafe practices, or breaches of workplace rights. You do not need to prove wrongdoing before raising an honest concern or making a report protected by law.

Nothing in this handbook requires company permission before a legally protected report to a regulator, law-enforcement body, court, worker representative, or other authorized recipient. It does not restrict access to legal advice or require you to exhaust internal channels before exercising an external right. Internal reporting does not extend a statutory filing deadline.

No retaliation

Toku prohibits retaliation for raising an honest concern, making a legally protected report, participating in an investigation, requesting protected leave or accommodation, or otherwise exercising a protected right. Protection is not lost merely because a concern is not substantiated. Retaliation may include threats, dismissal, reduced opportunities, adverse assignments, or other detrimental treatment connected to the protected activity.

Report suspected retaliation through any appropriate channel above. Knowingly fabricated allegations or separate misconduct may be addressed through a lawful process, but must not be used as a pretext for retaliation. A person’s involvement in events does not automatically remove legal protection for reporting them.

United States: harassment, discrimination, and retaliation policy

This section applies to employees working in the United States. It adds to the Equality and respect at work and Reporting concerns sections above, and where it is more specific, it applies. Federal, state, and local laws protect you, and there may be additional local laws that apply where you work.

Our commitment

Toku prohibits harassment, discrimination, and retaliation based on any characteristic protected by law. Under California law, protected characteristics include race and color; ancestry and national origin; religion and creed; age (40 and over); mental and physical disability; sex and gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions); sexual orientation; gender identity and gender expression; medical condition; genetic information; marital status; military or veteran status; and reproductive health decision-making. Federal law and other states protect additional characteristics, and Toku prohibits harassment and discrimination based on any characteristic protected where you work.

Who this applies to

The law prohibits harassment, discrimination, and retaliation by supervisors, managers, and coworkers, and by third parties you come into contact with through your work, such as client personnel, contractors, vendors, and customers. This includes people at the client company you work with day to day.

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination and is unlawful under federal, state, and, where applicable, local law. It includes unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, and unwelcome conduct based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Under New York law, harassment does not need to be severe or pervasive to be unlawful. It is unlawful when it subjects a person to inferior terms, conditions, or privileges of employment.

Examples of sexual harassment include:

Unwanted sexual advances, propositions, or pressure for dates or sexual activity
Sexual comments, jokes, or slurs, or comments about a person’s body, appearance, or sex life
Sending or displaying sexual images, videos, messages, or memes, including through chat, email, video calls, or social media
Unwanted touching or physical contact, leering, or sexual gestures
Offering a job benefit, or threatening a job consequence, in exchange for sexual favors
Hostile or demeaning treatment because of a person’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, including intentional misgendering or harassment for not conforming to gender stereotypes
Retaliating against someone for rejecting sexual advances or raising a complaint Sexual harassment is employee misconduct. Toku will take action, up to and including termination, against anyone who engages in sexual harassment and against any supervisor or manager who knowingly allows it to continue.

How to report

Report orally or in writing to Toku HR at [email protected], or to any uninvolved member of Toku senior management. You do not have to report to your immediate supervisor or to anyone involved in the concern.
You may use the Complaint Form for Reporting Sexual Harassment, available on New York State’s model policy and training page, and send it to [email protected]. Using the form is optional. If you report verbally, Toku HR will record your complaint on the form for you.
Supervisors and managers who receive a complaint or observe possible harassment, discrimination, or retaliation must report it promptly to Toku HR so it can be addressed.

How Toku handles complaints

Toku will respond to your complaint in a timely way.
Complaints will be investigated fairly, promptly, and thoroughly by impartial, qualified personnel. Everyone involved will receive appropriate due process, including the chance to be heard, share information, and identify witnesses.
Toku will document and track each complaint to make sure it progresses, close it in a timely manner, and let you know when the investigation is complete.
Toku will keep complaints confidential to the extent possible. Complete confidentiality cannot be guaranteed, because information may need to be shared to investigate and respond.
Conclusions will be based on the evidence gathered. If misconduct is found, Toku will take appropriate remedial measures, which may include training, discipline up to and including termination, and steps to prevent it from happening again.
Where appropriate, Toku may take interim steps to protect you while the investigation is ongoing.

Retaliation is unlawful

It is unlawful to retaliate against anyone who complains of harassment or discrimination, or who testifies or assists in any investigation or proceeding involving harassment or discrimination. You will not be retaliated against for making a complaint in good faith or taking part in a workplace investigation. Report suspected retaliation through any of the channels above.

Your legal rights and outside agencies

Harassment and discrimination are prohibited by federal law, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and by state and local laws, including the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, the New York State Human Rights Law, and the New York City Human Rights Law. Depending on the law and the forum, remedies may include back pay, reinstatement, compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and civil fines and penalties.

You may file a complaint with a government agency or court at any time. You do not need to use Toku’s internal process first. Filing deadlines apply and differ by agency, so check with the agency directly.

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): eeoc.gov
California Civil Rights Department: calcivilrights.ca.gov/complaintprocess, 800-884-1684
New York State Division of Human Rights: dhr.ny.gov
New York City Commission on Human Rights: nyc.gov/cchr
State or federal court
Local police, if the conduct involves physical touching, coercion, threats, or sexual assault

California employees

Read the California Civil Rights Department’s Sexual Harassment Fact Sheet.
The Civil Rights Department’s free sexual harassment prevention training is available at calcivilrights.ca.gov/shpt.
Read the Civil Rights Department’s Transgender Rights in the Workplace poster, which explains the rights of employees who are transgender or gender nonconforming.
For training requirements and deadlines, see Toku: U.S. Compliance Training Requirements by State.

New York employees

You will receive this policy and the complaint form when you are hired and at every annual training.
If you work in New York City, read the New York City Commission on Human Rights’ Stop Sexual Harassment Act fact sheet and poster, available on the Commission’s fact sheet and poster page. They explain your rights under the New York City Human Rights Law.
If your primary language is Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Haitian-Creole, Bengali, or Italian, contact Toku HR to receive this policy and the complaint form in that language.

Acknowledgment

Toku will ask you to confirm that you have received and read this policy.

Professional conduct and workplace safety

Professional standards

Act honestly, carry out your responsibilities with reasonable care, and treat colleagues and business contacts respectfully. Follow lawful and reasonable instructions and the policies applicable to your work. Ask for clarification if an instruction appears unsafe, unlawful, or inconsistent with your employment terms.

Keep employment, time, expense, and business records accurate. Do not knowingly falsify information or misuse company, client, or another person’s property.
Disclose work-related conflicts of interest through the appropriate management or HR channel. Do not offer or accept an improper payment or benefit in connection with your work.
Use company and client resources only as authorized, and protect confidential information and personal data.
Notify the relevant contact of unexpected absence or difficulties affecting your work as soon as reasonably practicable. Protected leave and other protected activity are not misconduct.

Safe working conditions

Follow applicable health and safety instructions, including those relevant to remote work or client premises. Report work-related injuries, hazards, threats, or unsafe conditions promptly when it is safe and practicable to do so. If there is an immediate danger, seek emergency assistance first. Applicable rights to report hazards or decline unsafe work remain protected.

Violence, threats, and deliberate endangerment are prohibited. Follow lawful site rules on access, equipment, and weapons. Raise concerns about unsafe workloads or other work-related health risks with your manager or Toku HR.

Alcohol and drugs

Do not work while impaired in a way that creates a safety risk or prevents you from performing your duties appropriately. Unlawful possession, use, sale, or distribution of drugs in connection with work is prohibited. Alcohol at a work-related event must be permitted by the applicable event or workplace rules and must not lead to unsafe or inappropriate conduct.

This policy does not prohibit lawful use of prescribed medication. If medication or a health condition affects your ability to work safely, contact the appropriate confidential HR or occupational-health channel to discuss support without disclosing unnecessary medical details to others. Any testing or related employment action is subject to applicable law and local procedures.

Information security and confidentiality

Using systems and devices

Follow the security instructions applicable to your role and the systems you use, including relevant Toku and client requirements. Protect devices and accounts whether working remotely, traveling, or on site.

Use approved systems and software for work information. Do not place confidential or personal information in an unapproved application, public AI service, or personal account.
Protect passwords and authentication methods, use required security controls, and do not share personal account credentials.
Lock devices when unattended and secure physical records and equipment against unauthorized access.
Access information only when authorized and needed for your work. Check recipients and permissions before sending or sharing information.
Be alert to phishing, suspicious attachments, unusual payment requests, and unauthorized access. Report a suspected incident promptly through the designated security channel or, if that is unavailable, to management or HR for escalation.

Protecting confidential information

Confidential information may include nonpublic business plans, client information, technical material, financial records, access credentials, and personal information entrusted to you. Use it only for authorized work purposes and share it only with appropriate recipients, subject to the protected rights below.

Follow applicable retention, preservation, and secure-disposal instructions. Do not remove or delete records that must be retained for a legal or business requirement. Return company or client property and information through the applicable offboarding process. Continuing confidentiality obligations are governed by applicable law and agreements.

Protected disclosures and discussions

Nothing in this handbook prevents a disclosure or activity protected by law, including reporting suspected wrongdoing, obtaining legal advice, cooperating with a regulator or court, engaging in protected worker representation or collective activity, or discussing pay and working conditions where protected. Company authorization is not required for those activities.

Applicable legal protections for disclosures of trade secrets or other confidential information remain in force. These exceptions do not authorize unrelated access to another person’s records or disclosure beyond what the relevant protection permits. Contact HR if you need clarification, but you do not need to seek approval before exercising a protected right.

Personal information and privacy

Employment information

Toku may need personal information to administer employment or services, including identity and contact information, payment details, work records, benefit information, and information needed to meet legal obligations. Collection, use, sharing, and retention must have an appropriate legal basis and comply with applicable data-protection requirements.

Sensitive information, including health information, must be handled with the safeguards and additional legal conditions that apply. Keep the information you provide accurate and use the designated secure channel for sensitive documents.

Privacy information and rights

This section is general guidance. Toku will provide the privacy information required for its processing, including the responsible entity, purposes and legal grounds, sharing and transfers, retention, and available rights. Contact [email protected] to request the applicable information or raise a privacy question.

Depending on the applicable law, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to, or obtain a copy of certain personal information, and to raise a concern with the relevant authority. These rights are subject to their legal conditions and exceptions.

Personal information is used and shared only for lawful purposes and in accordance with the applicable privacy information. The purpose and required safeguards determine what information may be shared. Access should be limited to what is needed for the relevant purpose.

Information will be retained for the period justified by the applicable purpose and legal requirements, then securely deleted or otherwise handled in accordance with the applicable retention rules. Requests to delete information do not override mandatory retention or lawful preservation obligations.

Reading this handbook or confirming that you have read it is not blanket consent to personal-data processing. Where consent is appropriate for a specific activity, it will be sought separately and may be withdrawn as provided by law. Withdrawal does not affect processing that is lawfully undertaken independently of that consent.

Any monitoring of work systems or activities must comply with applicable law, required notices, and relevant local procedures. This handbook does not itself authorize unrestricted monitoring. Suspected data incidents should be reported promptly so the responsible organization can assess and meet any applicable response and notification duties.

Ending employment and policy updates

Concerns about performance or conduct

Performance or conduct concerns will be considered under the applicable employment terms and local process. Depending on the circumstances, lawful action may include guidance, corrective measures, disciplinary action, or termination. This handbook does not establish a mandatory sequence of warnings or remove any required investigation, opportunity to respond, representation, consultation, or appeal right.

Protected leave, reporting, worker representation, and other legally protected activity must not be treated as grounds for discipline. Any employment action must follow the applicable employment terms and local procedures.

Ending the relationship

Resignation, dismissal, expiry of a fixed term, notice, payment in lieu, severance, final pay, and unused-leave treatment are governed by applicable law and the relevant agreement. This handbook does not create a global right to terminate employment without cause or notice, or change any lawful at-will arrangement that otherwise applies.

Contact Toku when resigning and follow the notice and other requirements in your employment agreement and applicable law. Coordinate the handover and return of property through the applicable process. A change to or end of a client assignment does not by itself determine whether or how employment ends. Final payments and any deductions must follow applicable law and employment terms.

Changes to the handbook

Toku may revise this handbook to reflect changes in law, services, or policy. Revisions will be communicated and implemented subject to applicable employment terms and any required notice, consultation, agreement, filing, or other local procedure. No revision automatically removes accrued or otherwise protected rights.