Sick and Safe Leave Policy

Eligible team members are entitled to accrue up to 40 hours of paid leave per year for the illness of themselves or a family member, or to help ensure the safety of themselves or a family member as provided below. This leave is separate from other types of leave like Holidays or Paid Time Off (PTO).

Eligibility

This sick leave policy applies to full- or part-time (20 hours per week or more) regular team members who have been with the company for at least 3 months. Temporary, contract, or intermittent team members and interns are not eligible for this benefit.

Accrual

Team members begin to accrue leave under this policy at the start of employment and can use leave anytime thereafter. One hour of paid sick or safe time accrues for each 43 hours in a pay period, including any holidays, paid time off, or overtime, up to a maximum of 40 hours per year.

Unused sick or safe time leave under this policy caries over at the end of each calendar year. Full-time team members may carry over up to 40 hours. Part-time team members may carry over up to 20 hours.

However, a team member cannot use, in any one calendar year, more than their maximum annual accrual of hours (40 hours for full-time team members and 20 hours for part-time team members).

Sick or safe time leave is not paid out on termination of employment.

What if I need to use more sick or safe leave time than I have accrued?

If a team member takes sick or save leave time that exceeds the amount they have accrued OR exceeds their maximum allowed sick or safe leave time per year, the company will deduct the time from their PTO balance.

If a team member does not have enough hours in their PTO balance to cover the sick or safe leave time, the time they take off will be unpaid.

Usage

Sick or safe time can be used for:

  1. The team member's own illness, injury, or medical condition;
  2. The team member's need to obtain diagnosis or treatment or preventive care (i.e., doctor's appointments);
  3. The team member's need to care for a family member for reasons covered by Nos. (1) and (2), above;
  4. An absence resulting from the team member or a family member becoming a victim of stalking, domestic violence, or sexual abuse.

A "family member" includes:

  • A spouse, including a domestic partner;
  • Parents of a spouse;
  • Children (including foster children and grandchildren);
  • Spouses of children;
  • Parents;
  • Siblings;
  • Spouses of siblings;
  • A child who lives with a team member and for whom the team member permanently assumes and discharges parental responsibility;
  • A person with whom the team member shares or has shared, for not less than the preceding 12 months, a mutual residence and with whom the team member maintains a committed relationship.

Process

The following guidelines should be used in informing the team of an absence:

  • The team member must inform the manager before or at the start of the team member's work day.
  • The team member must keep the manager informed of the date they expect to be back.
  • The team member or the manager will post in Hive to inform others of the absence.
  • The team member will submit time off in Hrvey. Regardless of if this is for sick or safe leave, please select "Sick leave" as the type of request.
  • The manager is responsible for notifying any clients of their absence if the team member is expected to attend any meetings which are scheduled for that day.
  • In the case of a more serious illness, injury, or safety concern, managers should inform upper management (CEO and COO) so that accommodations may be made and understanding given in case the situation impacts the team member's performance. Details will be kept confidential between these parties.

No documentation will be required before three consecutive days of absence. Team members who take sick or safe time leave for three or more consecutive days may be required to provide reasonable certification of the need for leave including, for example, a signed document from a health care professional. Unity may not require disclosure of information relating to domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking, or the details of a team member's medical condition as a condition of providing paid sick and safe time leave. If Unity possesses such information, it shall be treated as confidential.

When providing certification, no health care provider shall be required to provide information protected by the Social Security Act or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Team members will not face retaliation or reprisal for requesting or using leave or asserting rights under this policy.