Leaves of Absence

This is not a new policy, as it has existed in the PTO policy and the Employee Handbook for many years. It’s being put in this separate policy to make it easier for employees to locate.

Taking off more time than is defined for each employee, even when unpaid, causes additional costs for the company because someone else must cover that position during the employee’s absence. Work goes undone and our speed of particle flow and therefore our income is diminished.

However, under special circumstances, full-time employees who have completed one year of employment may be granted a leave of absence (LOA) without pay. The granting of this type of leave is normally for compelling reasons and is dependent upon the written approval of the corporate officer that is over the employee’s department (the COO or the CFO).

Employees requesting an LOA must have at least 40 hours of PTO accrued. All available PTO will be used during the initial absence, and then the remainder of the LOA will be granted without pay. Leaves may not exceed two months during which time no benefits will accrue. The Company will continue to provide medical insurance for employees on an authorized leave of absence, up to a maximum of two months. During this time, the employee will be responsible for paying his or her portion of the monthly premium(s). After two months, the employee will be responsible for paying 100% of the monthly premium(s). If the employee does not pay the premium(s), the coverage will be canceled.

If the employee returns from leave on or before the agreed upon date, the Company will make reasonable efforts to return the employee to the same or similar job that he or she held prior to the leave of absence, subject to our staffing and business requirements. An employee who returns after the agreed upon date, or any time after two months have passed, may or may not return to work, subject to our staffing and business requirements.

Any employee that is on unpaid leave of any kind is not eligible to earn or be paid any bonuses that are a part of the incentive pay for that department.

Salespeople on unpaid leave will earn only the commission on sales they started before they went on leave. Splits on sales to that salesperson’s customers with the salespeople who handle the sale will cease as soon as the unpaid leave begins.

Any employee that has taken an LOA during the calendar year is not eligible to take any unpaid time off that may be offered by the Company after Christmas and including the following January/February.