1. Policy Statement
Family Promise of Puget Sound (FPOPS) provides a comprehensive Paid Time Off (PTO) benefit to eligible employees to support their well-being, work-life balance, and personal needs, including vacation, personal time, and minor sick days. This policy also outlines the organization’s approach to observing holidays. This policy outlines the accrual, usage, and management of PTO, along with holiday pay guidelines, ensuring fairness, consistency, and compliance with all applicable laws. Our aim is to provide a clear framework that allows employees to take necessary time away from work while ensuring continuity of our vital services to families experiencing homelessness.
2. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to:
* Define the PTO benefits and holiday observances provided to eligible employees.
* Establish clear guidelines for PTO accrual based on length of service.
* Outline the procedures for requesting and managing PTO to ensure efficient scheduling and minimal disruption to operations.
* Clarify policies regarding PTO carryover and payout upon termination of employment.
* Define holiday pay practices for all employee types.
* Ensure compliance with all relevant federal and Washington State labor laws, including those related to paid leave and holiday pay.
3. Scope
This policy applies to all paid full-time and part-time employees of Family Promise of Puget Sound.
4. Guiding Principles
* Employee Well-being: Support employees in taking necessary time off for rest, personal needs, minor illness, and to observe holidays.
* Fairness and Consistency: Apply PTO benefits and holiday procedures consistently and equitably across all eligible employees.
* Operational Continuity: Manage PTO requests and holiday staffing to ensure efficient scheduling and minimal disruption to operations and vital services.
* Compliance: Ensure compliance with all relevant federal and Washington State labor laws.
5. Paid Time Off (PTO)
a. Eligibility
* Full-Time Employees: All regular full-time employees are eligible to accrue PTO from their date of hire.
* Part-Time Employees: All regular part-time employees are eligible to accrue PTO from their date of hire on a prorated basis, proportional to their scheduled hours.
b. Accrual
Accrual details
Accrual method is Fixed, earned throughout the year in pay periods
Employees receive accrued hours on Every payroll, on the day payroll is submitted
Accrual rates
Milestone / Annual Accrual rate / Max yearly accrual
Base rate / 184 hours / No limit
2nd anniversary / 224 hours / No limit
7th anniversary / 264 hours / No limit
Waiting Periods
Accrual waiting period
None
Usage waiting period
None
Time off balance and carryover
Max time off balance
No limit
Max hours accrued per year
No limit
Can request more time off than is available
Yes — Employees can request time off even if they don’t have enough hours in their current available balance, but Family Promise of Puget Sound does not guarantee approval and use.
Max carryover 40 hours
c. Usage
* PTO can be used for vacation, personal appointments, family needs, minor illnesses, or other personal reasons.
* Employees must request PTO through Gusto and obtain supervisor approval prior to taking time off.
* For planned absences (e.g., vacations), requests should be submitted as far in advance as possible, preferably at least two weeks prior, to allow for proper scheduling and coverage.
* For unplanned absences (e.g., sudden illness), employees must notify their supervisor as early as possible on the first day of absence, ideally before their scheduled start time.
* PTO must be used in increments of no less than one hour.
* In cases where an employee is out for an extended period due to illness or injury covered under FMLA or workers’ compensation, PTO may run concurrently with such leave, as required by law and policy.
* FPOPS reserves the right to deny PTO requests based on operational needs, staffing levels, or other legitimate business reasons.
d. Carryover
* Employees may carry over a maximum of 40 hours (5 days) of unused PTO from one calendar year to the next.
* Any unused PTO balance exceeding 40 hours at the end of the calendar year will be forfeited. This policy is in place to encourage employees to utilize their time off for rest and rejuvenation.
e. Payout Upon Termination of Employment
* If an employee’s employment is terminated for any reason (voluntary or involuntary), the number of PTO days available to the employee will be prorated based on the number of full months the employee worked in the year of termination.
* If the employee has not used that prorated number of PTO days, they will be paid for the remaining number of prorated PTO days in their final paycheck.
* If the employee has used more than the prorated number of PTO days for the year of termination, the salary for the overage will be deducted from the final paycheck, to the extent permitted under applicable Washington State law.
6. Holidays
FPOPS observes the following holidays. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, it will generally be observed on the preceding Friday. When a holiday falls on a Sunday, it will generally be observed on the following Monday.1
2025 Holiday Schedule:
* New Year’s Day: Wednesday, January 1, 2025
* Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Monday, January 20, 2025
* Presidents’ Day: Monday, February 17, 2025
* Memorial Day: Monday, May 26, 2025
* Juneteenth:2 Thursday, June 19, 2025
* Independence Day: Friday, July 4, 2025
* Labor Day: Monday, September 1, 20253
* Columbus Day (Indigenous Peoples’ Day): Monday, October 13, 2025
* Veterans Day: Tuesday, November 11, 2025
* Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 27, 2025
* Christmas Day: Thursday, December 25, 20254
* Custom Holiday: [Insert Date for 2025 Custom Holiday – e.g., Day after Thanksgiving] (This will be communicated annually)
Holiday Pay Guidelines:
* Full-Time Exempt Employees:
* Exempt employees will receive their regular salary regardless of whether a holiday is observed or if they work on a scheduled holiday.
* Working on a designated holiday does not result in additional pay for exempt employees beyond their standard salary.
* Exempt employees may be required to work on holidays as operational needs dictate.
* Full-Time Non-Exempt Employees:
* Full-time non-exempt employees will receive their regular pay for observed holidays when they are scheduled to be off.
* If a full-time non-exempt employee is required to work on an observed holiday, they will be compensated at 1.5 times their regular hourly rate for all hours worked on that holiday, in addition to their regular holiday pay.
* Part-Time Employees:
* Part-time employees are not automatically paid for observed holidays.
* If a part-time employee is assigned and works on a designated holiday, they will be compensated at 1.5 times their regular hourly rate for all hours worked on that holiday. To receive holiday pay, part-time employees must be assigned to work and actually work on the holiday.
Holiday Administration:
* FPOPS will automatically include holidays as paid time off for eligible employees when running payroll through Gusto.
* Employees can view the holiday schedule on their Gusto dashboards.
7. Responsibilities
* Employees: Responsible for understanding this policy, managing their PTO balance, requesting PTO in a timely manner through Gusto, providing prompt notification for unplanned absences, and understanding holiday pay guidelines.
* Supervisors: Responsible for reviewing and approving/denying PTO requests based on operational needs, ensuring employees follow proper procedures, documenting absences, and managing holiday staffing schedules.
* CEO/Payroll Administrator: Responsible for overseeing the PTO and holiday programs, ensuring accurate accrual, payout, and holiday pay, and maintaining compliance with all relevant laws.
8. Policy Review and Revision
This policy will be reviewed annually by the CEO and Board of Directors, or more frequently as needed, to ensure its continued effectiveness, relevance, and alignment with organizational needs, best practices, and all applicable federal and Washington State laws. Any revisions will be communicated to all relevant personnel.