FTO Policy

Flexibility: Orchestra  provides paid time off with flexibility to accommodate employees' needs, including vacation, sick days, wellness days, and personal time. There are no specific limits on the amount of FTO you can take.

Eligibility: Employees who work at least 32 hours per week are eligible for FTO.

Request and Approval: All requests for FTO are subject to approval by Orchestra . When a specific reasonable request for FTO is denied, the manager will work with the employee to attempt to reschedule the requested FTO for a time that is acceptable for both the employee and Orchestra . If the FTO request is received during a high-volume time, the manager will attempt to reschedule the requested FTO, typically within one month after the originally requested leave.

Blackout Periods: Orchestra  may designate blackout periods in which FTO requests are unlikely to be approved barring unusual circumstances. Absent circumstances making such notice impracticable, Orchestra  will provide at least 30 days’ advance notice before designating a FTO blackout period.

Tracking: Employees are responsible for tracking FTO using Paylocity.

No Accrual: FTO does not accrue. Orchestra  will not pay out any FTO or unused leave upon separation from employment or at any time during employment.

Statutory Leave: Except as set forth herein, this policy does not apply to use of any statutory leaves of absence where employees are not expected to perform work during the absence period. This includes, but is not limited to, leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, or any other state law of similar impact. Such leave will be provided as set out under applicable law, and will be unpaid unless subject to an applicable Orchestra  paid leave policy.

Workers’ Compensation and Disability: The policy also does not cover time away from work that is covered by Workers Compensation, Orchestra  Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability Plans, or by a state administered wage replacement plan, like state disability insurance or paid family leave. To ensure compliance with any federal, state or local paid leave requirements, to the extent not fully covered by any other paid leave statute or plan, the first two weeks of any statutory leave of absence will run concurrent with FTO. The integration of FTO with other forms of Orchestra  paid leave policies will be addressed in those policies as may be amended by Orchestra  from time to time.

Request Submission: All eligible employees must submit FTO requests through Paylocity. Employees who are medically unable to submit a request must notify their supervisor, or have someone provide notice on their behalf, as soon as is practicable.

Pay: Employees will continue to be paid their regular base salary or hourly rate during their approved FTO. For non-exempt employees, FTO is not considered hours worked for purposes of calculating overtime.

Performance and Discipline: Employees will not be disciplined or given a performance rating of unsatisfactory because they used approved Flexible Time Off. Notwithstanding anything contained in this policy, employees whose work performance is unsatisfactory will be subject to appropriate performance discussions, and potentially, disciplinary action.

Cancellation: Approved Flexible Time Off may be canceled because of previously unforeseen business needs but will not be arbitrarily canceled by Orchestra  without permission from the employee.

Holidays: FTO is separate from Orchestra -designated holidays.

Employees are required to:

• Avoid taking time off that negatively impacts their job and Orchestra .

• Coordinate with account team leads prior to requesting leave in order to ensure adequate staff coverage on accounts.

• Request approval from their supervisors at least two weeks in advance, when possible, for FTO requests 2-4 consecutive workdays.

• Request approval from their supervisors a minimum of two months in advance for FTO requests of 5+ consecutive workdays,

• Non-Scheduled FTO is to be utilized for sick time, personal emergencies or an unexpected circumstance that prohibits an employee from reporting to work. It is the employee’s responsibility to submit unscheduled FTO using the prescribed recordkeeping platforms or systems. Retroactive submissions for unplanned FTO will be allowed. Upon a written request from Management, an unplanned FTO of three (3) days or more, and related to illness or injury, may require submission of written documentation from a medical professional. FTO leaves that exceed five (5) consecutive weekdays related to illness, injury, or parental leave will be governed by Orchestra ’s disability and/or parental/family leave plans.

• Enter all FTO requests using Paylocity.

Managers will:

• Approve FTO in accordance with Orchestra  or Department needs.

• Not unreasonably deny FTO requests.

• Document all denials of FTO requests with reason for denial.

• Work with the employee to attempt to reschedule the requested FTO for a time that is acceptable for both the employee and Orchestra  if FTO is reasonably denied, typically within one month of the reasonably requested leave.

Manager and Employee shared responsibilities

Communicate and collaborate to ensure appropriate FTO use without disrupting operations.

Plan for and manage projects and work responsibilities that will be affected by time off. Manager may NOT reject FTO leave requests for any of the following reasons:

• For the purpose of disciplining employees, although FTO requests may be denied for an employee who is on a performance plan.

• To force employees to fulfill non-business-related duties.

• To arbitrarily force an employee to defer their requested leave in favor of another employee who made a later request, although nothing precludes the manager from considering any rationale provided for the earlier and later requests. 

FTO doesn’t mean every request is automatically approved every time. If there are conflicts between multiple requests for

FTO, managers should consider:

• Tenure, with longer-term employees possibly being given preference over newer ones.

• Business/client needs

• Employee performance

Coverage

If an employee changes teams and has vacation already approved, they should communicate the dates to the new team(s) ASAP. If there are conflicts, the account leader of the new team(s) should address them immediately. All teams need at least an Account Director or above covering.

Each account team needs to be staffed at least 50% of its current staffing (ex: for a team of six (6), three (3) people need to be working)–meaning that vacation requests are very unlikely to be approved if it would result in this staffing target not being met. Both employees and managers should use good judgment and adhere to Orchestra  policies when requesting/approving time off. 

Abuse of this policy is defined as what would reasonably be considered excessive time off, where in Orchestra ’s judgment, the team or organization sees that deliverables are not being met and/or there is undue stress on the person’s team due to their absence(s). 

When a person requests time off in excess of a total of six (6) weeks in a calendar year, HR will schedule a check-in meeting with the person, their manager, and the Practice Leader, and any additional time off must be approved by all three (3) of these people. These additional approvals are required in recognition that FTO of more than six (6) weeks in a year may often be excessive, but approval will not be unreasonably denied.

Effective communication between team members is vital to make this policy work for everyone.

You may use FTO to care for short term illness for a family/parent/child or yourself. If you are out sick for more than 5 consecutive days you'll need to file a short-term disability claim. For more details, please refer to our Short Term Disability program. 

You can use your FTO for various reasons, including:

• For Yourself or a Family Member:

  • To address mental or physical illness, injury, or health conditions, even if they haven’t been diagnosed or don’t require medical care at the time of your leave request.

  • For the diagnosis, care, or treatment of these conditions, or for preventive care.

• If You or a Family Member is a Victim of Domestic Violence, Sexual Offense, Stalking, or Human Trafficking:

  • To get help from a domestic violence shelter, rape crisis center, or other support services.

  • For safety planning, temporary or permanent relocation, or other actions to increase safety for yourself or your family.

  • To meet with an attorney or social services provider for information, advice, or to prepare for or participate in any criminal or civil proceedings.

  • Foreseeable Leave: If you know in advance that you’ll need to use FTO for sick time, please give reasonable notice to your direct Supervisor.

  • Unforeseeable Leave: If you need to take leave unexpectedly, notify your direct Supervisor and Human Resources as soon as possible. If you can, let us know how long you expect to be absent.

Family member means: 

• Your child, spouse, domestic partner, parent, sibling, grandchild, or grandparent; or

• the child or parent of your spouse or domestic partner.

Parent means:

• Your biological, foster, step- or adoptive parent; or

• a person who acted as your legal guardian or a person who stood in loco parentis when you were a minor child.

Child means:

• Your biological, adopted, or foster child;

• a legal ward; or

• a child for which you stand in loco parentis.

Orchestra  may coordinate your FTO with any other pay or benefits you’re receiving (such as short- or long-term disability benefits or government-paid family/medical leave). It’s your responsibility to apply for these benefits through the appropriate channels. 

Interns will receive between 1-3 PTO days for the Fall internship semester (depending on your length of employment) as well as paid holidays when Orchestra  is closed for business. Paid time off will not be counted towards hours to determine over-time. Time off must be approved in advance.

 In addition to general PTO, interns also receive 1-3 banked wellness days per internship to be used for health and wellness—be it physical health, mental health or personal time. Wellness days, like PTO days, are allotted at the start of the internship.

Details about your FTO for Sick time requests will be kept confidential, except as required by law or if needed to ensure your safety at work. You don’t need to share specifics about your medical condition or any related domestic violence/sexual offense matters.