Associates

The members of Caimito Agile Life S.L. are called associates.

While legally the associates are employees under Spanish and EU law being an associate has certain implications regarding expected behavior and resulting culture of the organization.

Without customers the organization cannot exist

At the very end the organization cannot exist without satisfied customers. It is the customers who provide the funds to operate any enterprise and not anyone else. Without customers the operation will soon have to stop and everyone will loose their income.

Therefore, associates understand that they are working for customers, first and foremost. An attitude of working for the boss or working for the money is not tolerated and will lead to dismissal.

Be passionate about your enterprise

Don’t become an associate, if you just work because you need the money and your passion is for something else.

Associates understand that they own the enterprise they are working in. Money will be a consequence of outstanding performance. Don’t expect anything above a basic renumeration from the organization that provides you the tools and resources to run your enterprise.

Associates understand that new enterprises may need a while to earn anything substantially. If you have done good market research, engage constantly in customer communication and learn rapidly to improve your enterprise, you will know for how long to hang in or close the enterprise to pursue something else.

Continuously improve your skills and knowledge

As an associate you never stop learning.

There is no expectation to be at your workplace performing tasks at certain hours or for a set duration of time. That means you can invest any time you see fit into learning. Obviously, you should take into consideration the needs of your enterprise and expectations of the team you are a part of.

Here are some ideas to improve your skills and knowledge:

• Walk the land and observe
• Read books
• Investigate on the Internet
• Participate in online forums and communities
• Talk to others
• Run small experiments
• Attend workshops and conferences

Stewardship of land and resources

The land and any resources are being provided to you in good faith. You are expected to treat everything well and keep everything clean and working.

If you are being given an item - such as a tool or vehicle -, return it the way you received it. You should examine the item before accepting it. If you break something, tell others, request help and repair it.

Tools and vehicles require frequent cleaning and maintenance. Perform these tasks without anyone reminding you. Tools and vehicles are to be kept clean and operational. That helps us to avoid unnecessary expenses.

Accidents and mistakes happen. When something bad happens, we will investigate how to prevent it from happening again. That way we protect the land and the resources we work with.

The land needs our special attention:

• We do not drive heavy vehicles outside designated areas except when needed to perform a special task.
• We do not litter
• We respect each and every plant that grows and animal that we encounter
• Based on the principles of Holistic Management and Permaculture we manage plants and animals. Actions are based on agreed upon practices that are documented in this manual.
• Toxic substances are not spilled and handled with special care
• Non-organic waste is collected wherever and whenever found and taken to a designated area for disposal

Safety

A farm is a dangerous place and special attention to safety is required. Associates look out for each other. If you see unsafe behavior, please tell your fellow associate about it in order to prevent an accident.

Here are some basic safety rules to be followed:

• If there is no seat for you on a vehicle, don’t get on it
• Don’t leave tools with sharp edges anywhere. Store them safely immediately after use. That includes eg. a rake laying in the gras.
• Pay attention to potential fire hazards - especially during the dry season
• Do not multitask. Finish one task and return the tools before starting another task.
• Store material in an appropriate place and manner.

Help your team

If you happen to work in a team of multiple associates, always ask yourself how you can help your team to achieve its goal.

Communicate ahead of time about what you want to do and what you are currently doing so that others are in the know and can offer their help to you.

Continously document progress and results so that you and your team can learn from your experience and observations. Share what you see and learn.

Help the organization

There may be times when you have free time. You could go on vacation or help out other enterprises / teams or work on improving the organization as a whole. Associates are expected to use good judgement.

Employment contract and renumeration

Every associate signs the same employment contract with Caimito Agile Life S.L. as an associate with no specific job title. Working hours, vacations, etc. are in accordance with Spanish employment law but there are no perks of any kind. Everything is set at the minimum allowed by the law.

Renumeration is defined as the minimum salary allowed by law. Once the associate joins an existing enterprise, that enterprise may offer additional renumeration. If the associate creates a new enterprise, renumeration depends on available funding and when the new enterprise becomes profitable. Renumeration above the minimum salary allowed by Spanish law is voluntarily.