Vacations
Think about the Frogs before you book. Don’t be selfish.
Every Frog starts with the same amount of vacation: 2 weeks (or 10 working days).
Vacations will be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to Treefrog’s approval. All vacation requests must be submitted via the vacation system at least 2 weeks prior to the start of the vacation time, to ensure the company can make up for your absence. Treefrog has the sole discretion to approve or decline the requested vacation dates, based on the impact to company deliverables. We will try as a team to do everything reasonable to accomodate you, providing it doesn’t hurt others or damage Treefrog.
A week is a good vacation. Not too short, not too long.
Frogs are encouraged take a minimum of 5 consecutive days (1 week block) vacation in any calendar year. However, Frogs may request additional days for longer than this in writing pending approval of their Pod Leader (who will balance the implications to your team members in your Pod), under extenuating circumstances. The remainder of the allotted vacation days may be taken in subsequent requests consisting of, but not limited to, shorter periods.
Frogs should also NOT take more than 5 consecutive days (1 week block) if possible, to minimize the exhaustion of other team members supporting their absence and to ensure they have additional days for alternate vacations. Vacations over 5 consecutive working days should be discussed in detail with your Pod leader before approval.
If circumstances require you to cancel the already approved vacation time, Treefrog has the sole discretion to approve/decline the change in vacation dates. It’s a two-way street, we should be reasonable with one another.
Carry Over Time
You should take vacation days during the calendar year in which it is earned. However, unused vacation days may be carried over so that an employee may have a maximum of one additional week (more than they are entitled to) in any one year.
- Permission to carry over any unused vacation time must be requested prior to the start of a new calendar year.
- Should a Frog carry over vacation time from one year to the next, at the time permission is requested to carry such time over, the Frog must provide Treefrog with a timeframe as to when said vacation time shall be used.
- Anything in excess of 10 days that has been carried over and not used by the pre-determined timeframe will be lost and not compensated. Upon termination of employment, an employee shall receive vacation pay for any accrued but unused vacation. If the employee terminates from the company with a negative vacation balance, their final pay cheque will be reduced by those hours/days taken in advance. As per the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000, an employee shall not receive less than 4% of gross wages in vacation pay for any unused vacation.
You are responsible to schedule your own vacations. If you feel pressured by Treefrog in any way to not take your vacation, please send it in writing directly to the CEO, who will help you manage it accordingly. Everybody needs a break.
Schedule of Vacation
Two weeks, that’s industry standard, and seems fair.
Everyone gets two weeks vacation, which increases with tenure as theoretically you can do the same job in less time and with much greater efficiency given your experience.
During the first three years of continuous service at Treefrog, Frogs will be eligible for two weeks (ten working days) paid vacation per year.
During the first six (6) months of continuous service for new employees, no vacation time will be granted. However, during the first year of service, vacation time accrues on the basis of 5/6 day vacation for each month of service. Therefore, after the initial six months, an employee is eligible for five (5) days vacation (5/6 x 6 = 5 days) with an additional 5/6 day per month accrued thereafter until the maximum (10 days) is achieved.
| Years of Service | Annual Vacation Amount | Annual Vacation Time |
|---|---|---|
| 6 months to < 1 year | Paid Salary | prorated 10 days |
| 1 to 3 years | Paid Salary | 10 days |
| 3 to 10 years | Paid Salary | 15 days |
| 10 to 20 years | Paid Salary | 20 days |
The $1000/day Rule
Take as many vacation days as you want, at $1000/day.
Anyone can ask for additional days off without CEO approval, by simply paying Treefrog $1000/day to keep their job on ice. (Or, by negotiating their salary $1000 lower per additional holiday day taken off).
This seems ridiculous - but think about it. Treefrog is designed around hourly rates, the average person at Treefrog should be generating approximately this amount per day, from which we pay all other expenses to keep your in absentia job intact. As a matter of perspective - it actually costs MORE than this to get your job done in your absence, as the job still needs to get done, so someone needs to fill in for you.
Exceptional Circumstances
Some Frogs hired from other companies who already had earned holidays through longevity with their previous company are granted (through pre-hiring negotiation) additonal vacation days.
After three years, these holidays become regular holiday days - they do not get appended, but resolved into the regular calendar schedule above.
These days may only be granted by the CEO during initial contractual negotiation before starting at Treefrog and usually represent significant drops in salaries for new employees who also could prove their holidays were greatly in excess of Treefrog standards as well.
Vacation Calendar
Vacation requests are to be logged in the vacation system (http://holidays.treefrog.ca). Everyone can see a full calendar with all Frogs’ time that has been booked off tentatively (orange), and approved (green). You must go into the calendar and select the time off you are requesting. Your Champion will view your request and approve or decline your request based on staffing and company deliverables. All vacation requests must be submitted in the tracking system at least 2 weeks prior to the start of your request.
Once approved, your vacation time should be added to:
- your calendar in Google Workspace (to avoid you being added to meetings during that time),
- your work schedule in Wrike (so you won’t be added to tasks or projects during that time),
- your tab in the Huddle sheet.
Champion Pod Members
As pod-champions are members of two pods (their own, and the Champion Pod), their time must be cognizant of the scheduling of both Pods. Ergo - Pod Champions set their own holidays, but are expected to make sure their own pod bases are covered in case of sickness/etc. and additionally be available for all critical Champion activities.