Paid time off
Hey, if you’re here is ‘cause you want to take some days off to rest and you have some doubts about the process, right? No worries, here’s everything you need to know.
How many days do I have?
You receive 14 continuous days of paid time off per year after completing six months of service (including the 3-month trial period). To clarify: vacations are composed of 5 weekdays + weekends = 7 days. If there’s a US holiday during your vacation period, you won’t receive an extra day for it—so be wise and check your calendar in advance 😉. Vacations must be used during the current year, as unused vacation days are not reimbursed.
How many days should I get? Take a look:
After 6 months of service (including your 3-month trial), you get 14 days
After 5 years, this increases to 21 days per year.
Vacation days reset at the start of each calendar year.
Is there any minimum of days I should take?
Yes, the minimum you should take is one week. If you'd like, you can split your 14 or 21 days (depending on your situation) into two. For example, you can take 7 days at one time, then another 7 days a couple of months later, and so on.
Do I have to give prior notice?
Of course! We should prepare everything to back you up in your project. So if you’re thinking about letting everything and laying on the beach, skiing, or exploring a new country, think about the ones that stay 🙄. If you have already given a heads-up 90 days before, excellent! If not, as soon as you decide to take the days off. Please notice that if you ask for the time off out of the mentioned dates, the vacations may not be approved.
To whom should I talk?
Every request should be addressed to your HoD. They are going to review your situation with other departments and the guys from Finances will be sending an email confirming you can go and rest on the days you asked for. In case something else comes up, we will review the situation together with you.
How I can request my PTO?
Ask your Head of Department (HoD) or direct manager if the dates you want to take off are available.
The HoD needs to check with the Head of Finance to confirm if those days are still available. If applicable to your area, also check with the Integrated Producer of your project and Lisandro to ensure that this absence will not affect ongoing projects or any future projects that are planned.
If everything is OK, The HoD must update the information in Forecast and the Days off/PTO Google Calendar. And the Head of Finances will update the spreadsheet tracker.
Ensure everyone is aware of your PTO by:
Remind your project team about it; dropping a message in the internal project channel does the trick.
Setting your Slack status to OOO (from X to X) so we can all quickly see.
Blocking your Google Calendar using the PTO event to avoid accidental meeting invites.
Set your Gmail autoresponder only for long periods, such as more than 2 days in a row.
What happens if I need more vacations than expected?
Vacations are what they are, and we appreciate your understanding and respect for what corresponds to you. If you’re planning a long trip and need an extra week, talk to your HoD first so they can ensure your absence won’t affect the continuity of work or can be handed off to someone else. If it’s possible and approved, please note that this extra time will be unpaid, and the additional days will be deducted from your invoice when you take them.
Will my unused vacation days carry over to the following year?
Unused vacation days for prior years will be lost ☹️. We encourage you to get out of the office and refresh!
When should I start my vacation?
You can start your vacation any day of the week. It doesn’t matter if it is not a Monday, as long as it is for a minimum of a week.