Our Board of Directors has established four standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and the Capital Committee. Each of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee complies with the listing requirements and other rules and regulations of the NYSE, as amended or modified from time to time. All members of these committees are independent as such term is defined in the NYSE’s listing standards and as affirmatively determined by our Board of Directors. Further, our Chairman of the Board, Frank C. McDowell, presides at regularly scheduled executive sessions of the independent directors.Our Environmental & Social Steering Committee supports our on-going commitment to environmental, health and safety, corporate social responsibility, and other relevant public policy matters. At Piedmont, we strive and are committed to hiring and supporting a diverse workforce that fosters skilled and motivated people working together to deliver results in support of our core business values. We encourage all employees, tenants, and vendors to mu- tually respect one another’s diversity in order to maintain a cohesive work environment that values fairness and equal treatment. The results that we achieve are determined in large part by how we perform—as individuals, as teams, and as a company. The means by which we focus our efforts, use our talents, manage our time, and work together will also impact the degree of our success. Performance management is the organized method of monitoring results of work activities, collecting and evaluating performance results to determine achievement of goals, and using performance information to make decisions, allocate resources and communicate whether objectives are met.We intend to maintain a safe and secure workplace for all its employees. The Company has had no reportable incidents per OSHA requirements. The Company does not tolerate fighting, threats or other acts of violence against employees, co-workers, job applicants, clients, or vendors. The Company’s Employee Handbook prohibits workplace harassment and harassment of our employees by third parties, such as contractors, suppliers, vendors, and clients in conjunction with their work. Further, the Company provides medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance for each of its employees and their families.