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Paid Time Off

Employees are eligible for PTO after completing 90 days of employment. Arrangements may be made with your individual supervisor in the first 90 days, as needed.

At Foothills Unitarian Church, we expect employees to be passionately committed to serving our congregation and church vision. To maintain that passion and commitment, it is necessary to take time away from work to focus on other interests and parts of our lives.

We believe that taking time off work to recharge and to follow non-work-related pursuits leads employees to be happier and more productive when they are at work. Foothills is committed to ensuring that all employees feel comfortable taking enough personal or vacation time every year to refresh and to remain focused, productive, and genuinely happy to be at work.

Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) for Salaried Exempt and Full Time Employees

Foothills full time, exempt employees do not accrue vacation time or receive a fixed minimum or maximum amount of time off each year.

Instead, full time, exempt employees are encouraged to take the time that they need off to balance their personal and professional goals.  We trust employees to decide how much time they need but encourage all full-time employees to take at least 15 days off per year in accordance with the guidelines described below.

Our goal is to create an environment where every employee is easily able to take at least that much time off.  Supervisors strive to check in at least quarterly to ensure all employees are on track to taking restful PTO as needed.

While the total amount of PTO available is flexible and unlimited, for purposes of compliance with federal and state-mandated leaves of absence and/or personal leaves of absence, an employee may not request or be granted more than 3 consecutive weeks of PTO under normal circumstances.

Employees who require additional consecutive time off should speak to their supervisor to ensure that their job responsibilities are addressed fully and within the constraints of the organization’s resources. In the event an employee requests, qualifies for, and is authorized to take an extended leave of absence, only the first 8 consecutive weeks away from work is eligible to be paid.

Foothills Unitarian tracks employee time off for internal management purposes, to appropriately pay overtime, and to determine actual time worked, and to determine if/when leave laws or policies should be applied. In the event an employee appears to be abusing the flexible policy to the extent their work is not being accomplished, we reserve the right to investigate through all appropriate means and to take appropriate disciplinary action.

 Flexible Paid Time Off for Hourly, Non-Exempt Employees

Foothills also offers access to restful paid time off and sick leave for hourly employees. In accordance with record-keeping requirements under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, hourly employees must request and track paid time off. We offer part-time employees the opportunity to engage in a flexible work schedule that allows them to meet other personal priorities. Hourly employees are encouraged to utilize PTO for personal rest by taking off the equivalent of their regularly scheduled workweek at least twice per year and up to the equivalent of 3 weeks of paid time of their contracted, regular hours. If hourly, non-exempt employees are sick and unable to work, they may also take up to 5 days in row of paid sick leave. If paid sick leave exceeds 15 days per calendar year, approval for further sick leave may be required. 

 Guidelines for Paid Time Off

Employees need to request days off in advance by following the Request for PTO/Vacation policy below. 

Some positions may require working during standard U.S. holidays. Your team will work together to ensure that as many team members can take off these days as possible. If you work one holiday, we will endeavor to facilitate your taking off another one, if you so choose. Alternatively taken holiday pay is not guaranteed and is up to the employee to work with their supervisor to directly make a plan.

Ideally, employees will give a 14-day notice when requesting time off. Exceptions will be allowed, but they should be rare and may limit the Foothills’ ability to approve your request.

Please try to spread your time off throughout the year and to consult the calendar for important all-staff times, and preferred vacation times. There are seasons in our church rhythm that are more difficult to accommodate requests, as we need more support. Please consider the following "all-hands-on-deck" dates before submitting a request:

Easter through weekend before Memorial Day: Transition to Summer
Aug 15 - Sept 15: Transition to fall+ Water Communion
December 10-25: Holiday events and special services

TBD Annually: Congregational Meetings (Typically 3rd weekend in May or 1st weekend in June AND Last week in Nov or First week in Dec).

TBD Annually: Other important events as communicated.

Conversely, March, June, July, and Christmas Day through the first two weeks of January are slower times and traditionally easier to accommodate longer times off.

Finally, the best rule to follow: “Do what’s right for you, and do what’s right for the church.” If what’s right for you appears inconsistent with what’s right for the church, let us know and we’ll seek a fair, middle course together.

In addition to personal rest, rejuvenation and vacation, all employee full time or otherwise may use PTO for any of the following reasons:

    • in the case of a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition that prevents them from working;
    • when preventive medical care is needed, or to get a medical diagnosis, care, or treatment, of any mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition;
    • when there is a need to care for a family member who has a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition, or who needs the sort of care listed in category (ii).
    • when the employee or the employee’s family member has been a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or criminal harassment, and needing leave for related medical attention, mental health care or other counseling, victim services (including legal services), or relocation; or
    • due to a public health emergency, a public official having closed either
      • the employee’s place of business, or
      • the school or place of care of the employee’s child, requiring the employee needing to be absent from work to care for the child.

If the reason for the absence is one of the above, employees should notify their supervisor each day at the beginning of their shift when unable to come to work. In addition, they must let the supervisor know when they expect to return to work.

Because employees of Foothills Unitarian do not accrue PTO, there is no payout of unused PTO at the time of separation from the company.

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