Paid time off

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Paid time off
A Guide to Time Off
Mattermost is a high performance, fast-paced startup where staff are empowered to do the best work of their careers. We love what we do and we love doing it from anywhere, working remotely and often blending our work and personal lives.
In many ways, Mattermost can be "the Olympics" of our professional careers, with the opportunity to grow and achieve far beyond anywhere we've worked before.
At the same time, like star athletes, our growth and peak performance benefit greatly from the ability to interleave periods of exertion with periods of rest and reflection.
Paid Time Off ("PTO") is a process to help ensure our staff develop a strong practice of self-care by effectively rotating their time around work, family, friends and all the things that matter most to them.
Note: If you are taking Pregnancy or Parental Leave, please see Leave Policies.
Communicating time off
When you take time off (full days only) please do the following
1.Communicate your Paid Time Off (PTO) by booking time off in BambooHR > Time Off > Paid Time Off. PTO covers any number of things - including vacations, stay-cations, moving days, bereavement, etc. PTO is in addition to official public holidays in your region of residence. In some countries where there are statutory vacation requirements, public holidays are a supplementary entitlement.
2.When entering a public holiday, please enter these days in BambooHR > Time Off > Public Holidays to distinguish it from vacation time.
3.If time off is being taken for sickness, including physical and mental needs, please enter these days in BambooHR > Sick, to distinguish from other types of PTO. Follow the appropriate process according to the statutory requirements in your region of residence. If taking extended time off for medical leave or for other types of leaves, reach out to HR: [email protected]
4.PTO requests must be "approved" in BambooHR to show up in the "Who's Out" calendar. Managers are responsible for approving their direct reports' time off requests in BambooHR.
5.As long as you have entered your time off in BambooHR, and you have arranged for coverage while you are gone, you are able to take your vacation before it has been approved in BambooHR. More than 14 consecutive days off require manager approval in BambooHR prior to the vacation starting.
6.​Automatically direct Mattermost message replies and set your out-of-office email response.
7.Enjoy your time off!
Where to go to see who's out
​Stand-up channel​
​BambooHR Who's Out Calendar. You can create an iCalendar Feed to link the Who's Out Calendar to your GCalendar.
Common time off questions
1.Is there really no limit? There is no limit to how much time off you can take when your work is meeting or exceeding expectations. We strongly recommend a minimum of 2 weeks per year.
2.Is PTO monitored? PTO is not monitored, but we encourage managers to ensure their direct reports are taking at least the recommended minimum of 2 weeks off per year (and/or the statutory minimum in their region of residence). Time off is reported in regions where there is a statutory requirement to do so.
Holidays
Please take off holidays relevant to your culture, resident country/region, and preferences. When doing so, please follow the time off process in Communicating Time Off.
Family and Friends days
Family and Friends days are automatically added to BambooHR and you don't need to book that time off.
Typical public holidays in Canada, Germany, Australia, UK, and US
We have entities in Germany, Australia, UK, US, and we have a large Canadian contingent, so below are holidays we’re expecting people from those countries to take off. These are not mandatory company holidays, just guidelines for people in specific country/regions.
Entity holidays for 2022
New Year’s Day (All) (1/03/2022)
MLK Jr. Day (US) (1/17/2022)
Australia Day (Australia) (1/26/2022)
Presidents’ Day (US: Select states) (2/21/2022)
Family Day/Islander Day (Canada) (2/21/2022)
Good Friday (Canada, Germany, UK, Australia) (4/15/2022)
Easter Monday (Germany, UK, Australia) (4/18/2022)
Anzac Day (Australia) (4/25/2022)
Early May Bank Holiday (UK) (5/02/2022)
Victoria Day (Canada) (5/23/2022)
Ascension Day (Germany) (5/26/2022)
Memorial Day (US) (5/30/2022)
Spring Bank Holiday (UK) (6/02/2022)
Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday (UK) (6/03/2022)
Whit Monday (Germany) (6/06/2022)
Juneteenth (US) (6/20/2022)
Canada Day (Canada) (7/01/2022)
Independence Day (US) (7/04/2022)
Civic Holiday/Provincial Day (Canada: AB, BC, SK, ON, NB, NU) (8/01/2022)
Summer Bank Holiday (UK) (8/29/2022)
Labor Day (US, Canada) (9/05/2022)
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Canada: BC, MB, NS, PEI) (09/30/2022)
Day of German Unity (Germany) (10/03/2022)
Thanksgiving (Canada) (10/10/2022)
Veterans Day (US) (11/11/2022)
Rememberance Day (Canada: BC, PEI) (11/11/2022)
Thanksgiving (US) (11/24/2022)
Christmas Day (All) (12/26/2022)
Boxing Day (Canada, Germany, UK, Australia) (12/27/2022)
It’s up to meeting chairs to decide whether to reschedule if few people can attend (e.g. if a large number of staff will not be attending the meeting).
Mattermost communication best practices
Family and Friends day
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Communicating time off
When you take time off (full days only) please do the following
Where to go to see who's out
Common time off questions
Holidays
Family and Friends days
Typical public holidays in Canada, Germany, Australia, UK, and US