Time-off is undoubtedly a great perk for any remote company looking to nurture a healthy and committed workforce. While these times away from work comes in different forms depending on the remote company’s policy, research shows that time offs increase the productivity of employees.
The question is, how do you provide time off policies for your remote company? What are the options available? In this guide, we take you through the types of time offs that most remote companies usually provide. We would also show you through some examples of remote companies and their time-off policies and how you can adapt that to make yours better.
Regulated or limited time off policies
Some remote-friendly companies offer allotted set of paid time off for its remote employees. It could be 20 days or 4 weeks a year or any set of days depending on the company. These allotted days are usually inclusive of sick days, vacation, holidays, and some personal time. This is usually not different from the traditional time-off policies set by large companies.
For example, data for machine learning company Appen has allotted time off for its employees in a particular year.
Our full-time employees receive four weeks of vacation a year. One of our most prominent core values is work-life balance, so we encourage our teams to take advantage of their PTO to rest and rejuvenate.
Hybrid time off policies of remote companies
Some remote companies have limited time offs but also made the policy open enough for employees to make some changes or have some extra personal days. These policies are usually clear for any remote employee and the company usually lays down each rule that applies to take time off – you get to know the number of days you’re taking time off and whether it’s paid or unpaid.
An example of a company that practices this kind of time off policy is BELAY, a 100% remote team with no headquarters and 600+ employees spread around the world. This is what BELAY had to say about its time off in Remote.co
Our PTO/VTO is generous and flexible. Our full-time employees get five VTO days/year (Volunteer Time Off), as well as 15 days PTO (personal time off), and three bereavement days.
Another great remote company that has limited time off policy but quite open is roadmap software provider Aha, according to the company.
Aha! currently offers 15 days of paid time off to all teammates in their first year and 20 days in the following years, as well as 10-12 holidays. We also offer one paid volunteer day each year so teammates can help support an organization in their community.
The time-off policies of these types of companies are more like finding a balance between a limited time off policy and an unlimited one. And while these policies help companies measure their employees’ time off policies, they also give employees the freedom to have some to “chill” without worrying much about their salaries at the end of the month.
Unlimited time offs
For some remote companies, there are no allotted times. Employees can take as many days as possible. It’s crazy, right? It’s possible. Many remote companies have unlimited time offs for their teams. Usually, for these companies, employees usually have to notify their supervisor or manager about taking time-off. This helps keep the team sync on who is available and who isn’t.
If your remote company is using a platform like RemoteTeam, then you won’t have to worry about notifying because once you request time off, your manager would be automatically notified and your request will be approved or denied.
An example of a company with unlimited time off is education and training software provider Articulate. This is what the company, which is 100% remote, has to say about its time offs:
Take whatever time you need. We’re a ROWE environment.
WordPress parent company Automattic also has an unlimited or open time off policy. Here’s what it says on Remote.co:
We have an open time off policy, which translates to take the time off that you need. We ask each person to discuss time off with their team lead and post to time off P2. That way, it’s transparent when people are available and when they’re offline.
What next?
Now that you’ve seen how these remote companies create time-off policies, it’s time to create one for your remote company. Head over to RemoteTeam, create an account for your remote company, and you will have access to a time of tool which is synched with many other tools such as payroll, payment platforms, and productivity management tools.
Further reading
What is Payroll? Introduction to Payroll
What Are W-8 BEN and W-8 BEN-E Forms?
