USA Time Off

Employees who work more than 30 hours per week are eligible for vacation. Time will be pro-rated for new hires and those working less than 40 hours but more than 30 hours per week. The annual allowance is determined by years of service based on your date of hire:

*Based on a 40 hr work week.

Vacation time accrual is based on full calendar months of service. Vacation begins accruing immediately upon employment. The cycle for keeping track of vacation time earned and used is the calendar year. Vacation time must be used in the year in which it is accrued. Vacation days cannot be carried over into the next calendar year. Any accumulated vacation time will be paid out upon separation of employment. Use of vacation time in advance of accrual will constitute a loan or advance from the company that will be paid back over time as the employee accrues vacation. If there remains a balance on a vacation loan or advance at the time of employment separation, the amount will be deducted from the final paycheck in accordance with the employee’s signed authorization to do so.

The scheduling of vacation time is subject to the requirements of the office and the approval of each employee’s supervisor. CIEE reserves the right to determine when an employee takes a vacation. Employees should request vacation at least 30 days in advance. No vacation time will accrue during a disability leave of absence that exceeds four weeks in duration.

CIEE allows for seven (7) days off for personal time each calendar year, pro-rated for new hires. Personal/Sick time is not intended to be used as a substitute for vacation time, but personal/sick time may be used if an employee needs to provide care for a family member who is ill. Personal/Sick time may also be used if an employee needs time off for scheduled medical appointments or procedures.

Employees are encouraged to schedule appointments in such a manner as to avoid disruption in the workday. Personal/Sick time may be taken in 1 hour increments, recorded and approved through the time management system.

Personal time is not paid out upon separation of employment, and cannot be carried over into the next calendar year. Personal time must be used in the calendar year in which it is accrued.

Personal time will not accrue during a leave of absence exceeding four weeks in duration. 

At CIEE, we value both working hard and having fun. That calls for us to balance our priorities to provide the highest level of service to clients, participants and partners, while we provide our employees time to recharge, recreate and spend quality time with family and friends.

Our base policy in the U.S. is to provide 10 paid holidays (plus a December holiday of at least a week) each year to all active full-time, Regular employees working 30 hours or more per week. The schedule will be distributed annually and electronically posted on the HR web site. We recognize and accept that many of us may need to work on some of these days to maintain the level of service and support expected of CIEE.

Supervisors are expected to manage their teams to ensure we maintain exceptional service levels. This may mean that certain employees work on holidays and supervisors must communicate clearly and timely with their teams. Comparable days off will be provided to any employee who is required to work on a CIEE Holiday.

Notes
a. Employees may need to work these days, depending on their supervisors’ final determination.

Some additional thoughts:
It’s important to take time off, but let’s work together to ensure we continue to provide the highest quality of service. All vacation and holiday time should be set and approved, in ADP, well in advance of taking the days.

CIEE transforms lives and builds bridges between individuals and nations by sponsoring a wide variety of opportunities for the exchange of ideas and experiences. We help people develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world.  We encourage our employees to contribute positively to the communities in which they live and work. 

All CIEE staff are eligible for one day off per calendar year to perform a volunteer day of service of their choosing.

Eligibility and General Information

• All full-time and part-time regular CIEE employees are eligible for this benefit. Date of hire does not affect your eligibility for this benefit.
• Hours are pre-loaded in ADP in January of each year. New hires will receive this benefit upon date of hire.
• Volunteer time should not conflict with the peak work schedule, other work-related responsibilities, create need for overtime, or cause conflicts with other employees’ schedules.
• The time away from work is paid at the employee’s regular rate of pay.
• Interested employees must communicate with their manager to discuss and schedule their volunteer time.
• Staff must enter their volunteer request into the time-off system used in their respective country to get manager approval. Approval is at the discretion of the employee’s manager.
• The volunteer activity or service project must be done in conjunction with an organization.
• Use #cieedayofservice and #cieepeople on social media.

Process

• Submit a PTO request, at least 30 days in advance, through ADP and select “Day of Service” as the type of time off requested to get the approval of your manager.
• Perform the Day of Service (and be sure to have someone take a photo of you/your group during your service project).
• At the end of the Day of Service, please send along a photo and a few sentences about your project to Jill Sady.

New employees are eligible for Bonus Fridays on the first of the year following the employee’s hire date. Employees may select only Fridays and must get advance written approval from supervisor at the beginning of the season to enable appropriate scheduling and coverage.

2 Winter Fridays - Must be taken between January 1 and May 30
4 Summer Fridays - Must be taken between May 15 and September 12

Q: Does PTO rollover into the next calendar year?
A: No, we have a “use it or lose it” policy. All PTO balances are reset in January of each year.

Q: What happens if I stop working at CIEE?
A: Upon termination of employment, only vacation hours will be paid out. If you used more vacation time than you had accrued as of your last day worked, the balance will be deducted from your final pay.

Q: Where can I find my available PTO plans?
A: You can find your PTO plans in ADP by this path: Myself > Time Off > Time Off Balances

CIEE will provide parental leave to US-based employees related to the birth or adoption of a child. The purpose of parental leave is to enable the employee to care for and bond with a newborn or a newly adopted child. This policy will run concurrently with Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), as applicable. This policy will be in effect for births or adoptions occurring on or after January 1, 2017

Timeline
Once you're ready to share your pregnancy with HR, please request a meeting with HR Benefits. Together, we will review CIEE's maternity leave process and paperwork that you will be required to complete.

** Designates forms that require information from your medical provider. Remember to bring these items with you to one of your appointments.

Resources
Parental Leave Policy Effective 1.1.19

• Request for FMLA/Parental Leave
• Certification for Employee Health Condition
• Certification for Family Members Health Condition
• Certification for Military Leave

CIEE provides all benefits-eligible employees with Short Term Disability (STD) insurance.  Claims are reviewed by Reliance Standard for medical necessity. Once approved, benefits are paid at 100% of regular salary, with a maximum benefit period of thirteen (13) weeks.

Standardizing the (non-medical) leave benefit for all parents represents CIEE’s belief in gender equity (as caring for newborns is not solely the work of birthing mothers). And it reflects how we value the multitude of different ways to create a family.

CIEE provides paid bereavement leave to benefit eligible employees. CIEE will grant up to three workdays paid leave in the event of a death in your immediate family (five days for spouse/domestic partner and children). Please notify your Manager of the reason for taking leave as soon as possible.

Immediate family includes an employee’s:

• Spouse or significant other
• Parents
• Children
• Grandchildren
• Grandparents
• Brothers and sisters
• Current mother-in-law or father-in-law
• Current son-in-law or daughter-in-law
• Legal guardian of person

Leaves of Absence
Leave of Absence Forms and Instructions
Restrictions and Capabilities
Request for Personal Leave
Cigna Healthy Babies Maternity Healthy Start
Cigna Breast Pump Reimbursement Claim Form

Many states have passed laws allowing for leave for employees who have been victims of domestic violence. If you are in need of time off due to yourself or a loved one having been the victim of domestic violence, please reach out to Human Resources to discuss the options in your state.