Paid Holiday Leave Overview

Employees are paid for regular holidays based on their regular number of hours normally worked and at the base rate of pay. Holidays are designated each year; check the posting in your department or on the ADP Self-Service Portal.

Employees on unpaid leave of absence are not entitled to holiday pay. If an employee is absent (unscheduled absence) on his/her scheduled days of work either preceding or following a holiday, documentation of an illness or emergency may be required in order to receive holiday pay.

Upbring’s Corporate office is closed on designated holidays each year.

Vacation
Vacation hours is intended to give employees a break from work to take care of themselves, spend time with family and friends, recharge and refresh, avoid burnout and sustain strong employee loyalty and morale.

Eligibility
Full-time employees and part-time employees regularly scheduled to work twenty (20) hours a week or more are eligible to earn vacation hours.

Accruals
Beginning the first day of employment, employees accrue vacation hours each pay period. The vacation accrual rate is aligned in accordance with an employee’s hours of work, length of service and respective Agency program. Refer to the ADP Self-Service Portal for the Vacation and Sick Accrual Sheet, to find more information about accruals based on hours/per pay period. Vacation accrual rates for full-time employees are listed below.

Full-Time Employees – Upbring

Full-Time Employees – Head Start Program

Employees are eligible to take vacation after ninety (90) days of employment. For exempt employees, time off shall be taken in full day increments. Non-exempt employees may take time off in one (1) hour increments. Employees may not take more than two (2) consecutive weeks for vacation at any one time and must return to work on the day he or she is scheduled to return to work. Any employee who does not return to work as scheduled is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

The maximum amount of vacation hours an employee accrues is determined by his or her rate of accrual. Once the maximum is reached, accruals will stop until vacation hours are taken and fall below the maximum allowed. Vacation hours cannot be used before they are accumulated. Employees are not permitted to borrow against expected future accruals. Employees who have exhausted their vacation hours may be granted unpaid leave with manager approval. Vacation hours will not accrue during an unpaid leave of absence; leave of absence resulting from a work related injury, covered by the Agency, exceeding four (4) weeks; or while an employee is in an inactive pay status.

Compensation for vacation hours is calculated based on an employee’s regular rate of pay. Time worked in excess of forty (40) hours per week does not count toward vacation accrual and vacation hours do not count when calculating overtime pay.

Approvals

Vacation time must be approved by the employee’s manager. Employees are encouraged to request vacation time as early in advance as possible. Managers will try to accommodate each request, but the approval will depend on business operations and staffing requirements.

Vacation time may be granted to attend to a personal emergency or unforeseeable circumstance. Under these circumstances, employees may be required to provide supporting documentation substantiating the request for vacation time. Managers may condition approval of vacation time upon receipt of the documentation.

If an employee is ill or injured while on vacation, and provides the Agency medical documentation from a health care provider, including specific dates of the illness or injury, he or she may be allowed to use sick hours in lieu of vacation hours. If the Agency does not receive the medical documentation, the employee’s request to use sick hours will be declined.

Reporting Used Paid Time Off

It is each employee’s responsibility to accurately and timely report any and all used vacation hours. To request vacation time, employees must submit a Time-Off-Request to their manager using the ADP Self-Service Portal and/or follow departmental procedures. Employees shall report vacation hours used no later than the pay period following the pay period in which the vacation hours was taken. Failure to report used vacation hours may lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Termination of Employment

Upon voluntary termination of employment with Upbring, employees with one (1) or more years of service will be paid for any accrued vacation hours so long as the required resignation notification period was met. Please refer to HR Policy 2.35 Separation of Employment. Employees who are terminated under HR Policy 2.29 Progressive Disciplinary shall not have accrued vacation paid out.

Military Leave provides employment protection, income protection and a means for employees to secure time off when called to uniformed U.S. military service.

Notification or Request for Military Leave

The employee must notify the manager of the call to military service as soon as the information is known. Service members must provide advance written or verbal notice to their employers for all military duty unless giving notice is impossible, unreasonable, or precluded by military necessity. A copy of the orders is required by Upbring policy, and may be provided at the end of such leave should circumstances prevent the employee from providing it in advance.

Funeral Honors Duty

Funeral honors duty can be used by employees for the purpose of performing authorized funeral honors duty under section 10 U.S.C. 12503. (Section 10 references “service in the uniformed services.”)

• USERRA’s definition of “service in the uniformed services” includes a period for which an employee is absent from employment for the purpose of performing authorized funeral honors duty under 10 U.S.C. 12503 (members of Reserve ordered to perform funeral honors duty) or 32 U.S.C. 115 (Member of Air or Army National Guard ordered to perform funeral honors duty).
• Funeral honors duty performed by persons who are not members of the uniformed services, such as members of veterans’ service organizations, is not “service in the uniformed services.”

Military Leave is also covered under state law.

Texas Law

State Government Code Chapter 437 (Chapter 437) provides certain employment protections for members of the state military force regarding discriminatory treatment because of their military training and/or duty.

The state military force consists of the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, Texas State Guard, State Militia (when on active duty), or a member of a state or federally authorized Urban Search and Rescue Team and any other active militia or military force organized under state law.

An employer may not terminate the employment of an employee who is a member of the state military forces of this state or any other state because the employee is ordered to authorized training or duty by a proper authority. The employee is entitled to return to the same employment held when ordered to training or duty and may not be subjected to loss of time, efficiency rating, vacation time, or any benefit of employment during or because of the absence. The employee, as soon as practicable after release from duty, must give written or actual notice of intent to return to employment.

An employee who is a member of the state military forces, a reserve component of the armed forces or a member of a state or federally authorized Urban Search and Rescue Team is entitled to a paid leave of absence while in authorized training or duty authorized by proper authority for not more than fifteen (15) workdays in a federal fiscal year.

During a leave of absence the person may not be subjected to loss of time, efficiency rating, personal time, sick leave or vacation time.

Louisiana Law

Louisiana law also protects employees who are members of the state’s military forces. Employees who are called to active duty in the Louisiana National Guard, the National Guard of any other state, the state militia, or any branch of the state military forces are entitled to reinstatement when their service is complete.

Employees on military leave are entitled to the same benefits available to employees who take leave for other reasons. Employees who have been reinstated cannot be discharged without cause for one (1) year. In addition, Louisiana law prohibits employers from discriminating against employees based on their obligations as members of the United States reserves or the Louisiana National Guard.

Sick Days

Sick is intended to provide employees pay in the event of health related issues that prevent the employee from performing his or her regular job duties during his or her regularly scheduled work hours. In addition, employees may use sick hours for routine medical appointments, examinations and/or treatment; hospitalization; pregnancy, childbirth or adoption; or to attend to an immediate family member who is ill or injured; hospitalized or passes away.

Eligibility

Full-time employees and part-time employees regularly scheduled to work twenty (20) hours a week or more are eligible for sick.

Accruals

Beginning the first day of employment, employees accrue sick hours each pay period. The sick accrual rate is aligned in accordance with an employee’s hours of work and their respective Agency program. Refer to the ADP Self-Service Portal for Vacation and Sick Accrual Sheet, to find more information about accruals based on hours/pay period. Sick accrual rates for full-time employees are listed below.

Employees are eligible to use sick after their first day of employment. For exempt employees, sick shall be taken in full day increments. If an exempt employee is absent for less than one (1) regularly scheduled workday, the hours away from work will not be deducted from their accrual balance. Non-exempt employees may take sick in one (1) hour increments. If no such time is available, the employee may use vacation hours or unpaid leave.

The maximum amount of sick hours an employee accrues is determined by his or her rate of accrual. Once the maximum is reached, accruals will stop until sick hours are taken and fall below the maximum allowed. Sick hours cannot be used before they are accumulated. Employees are not permitted to borrow against expected future accruals.

Sick hours will not accrue during an unpaid leave of absence; leave of absence resulting from a work related injury, covered by the Agency, exceeding four (4) weeks; or while an employee is in an inactive pay status. Employees will not accrue or receive pay for sick during the same period of time he or she receives compensation for workers’ compensation, short-term disability (STD) or long-term disability (LTD). Employees may continue to receive sick pay pending the determination of a pending application for workers’ compensation, short-term disability or long-term disability.

Compensation for sick is calculated based on an employee’s regular rate of pay for regularly scheduled work hours. Time worked in excess of forty (40) hours per week does not count toward sick accrual and sick hours do not count when calculating overtime pay.

Upbring offers bereavement time to full-time and part-time employees, who work twenty (20) hours or more a week, after the loss of a family member. All benefit employees are eligible for bereavement leave from the date of hire.

Bereavement time is granted for making funeral arrangements, attending the funeral and burial, paying respects to the family at a wake or visitation, managing the estate and will and any other matters that employees must address when a loved one passes away.

Policy

Upbring empathizes with the impact that death can have on employees and their families. Upbring provides full-time and eligible part-time active employees who experience the death of an immediate family member including a parent, step-mother, step-father, legal guardian, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandparent, brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, aunt, uncle, current spouse, child, step-child, foster child, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandchild or step-grandchild, up to three (3) consecutive days of paid bereavement leave. If the employee requires more than three (3) days leave, they may use available vacation time or unpaid time with manager approval. In some instances, within a reasonable period of time, the employee may be required to submit proof of their relationship to the deceased.

One (1) day of paid bereavement leave is allowed for the death of a non-immediate family member or a friend. Employees are allowed up to four (4) hours of paid bereavement leave to attend the funeral of current employees, members of boards, employees of groups associated with Upbring, retirees of the Agency, and to serve as pallbearers, or in a similar capacity, provided their absence from work will not interfere with normal operations of the program/department. This time off will be considered by the employee’s manager on a case-by-case basis.

Bereavement pay is based on the base pay rate at the time of the absence. It does not include overtime or shift differentials.

Upbring encourages employees to fulfill their obligation to the community when called to serve on a jury. This policy outlines steps employees should follow when he or she receives notice of jury duty or is called to appear in court.

Upbring provides income protection for regular full-time and part-time employees called to perform jury duty. While an employee serves jury duty, Upbring will pay the employee the difference between his or her regular straight time earnings (up to three (3) regularly scheduled work days and jury compensation). Overtime pay does not count toward jury duty or court appearances.

Process

Upon receipt of notification from the state or federal court of an obligation to serve on a jury, the employee should immediately notify and deliver a copy of the jury summons to his or her manager. The manager will make arrangements to cover the employee’s shift and/or duties until the employee returns to work. While serving jury duty, employee is expected to keep his/ her manager updated about their status.

Employees are expected to return to work at the end of the trial. If the court recesses for the day, before the middle of his or her shift, and there is a reasonable amount of time remaining in the workday, employees are expected to return to work immediately. This does not apply to employees on non-standard shifts. Employees must submit verification of time for jury duty served and jury duty compensation to his or her manager and Payroll.

Compensation

An employee subpoenaed to serve on a jury or appear as a witness during scheduled work hours, who is not a party to the case, will be paid up to three (3) regularly scheduled work days.

An employee subpoenaed or required to appear in court for Upbring as a witness to testify about his or her job duties will be paid his or her regular rate of pay.

An employee appearing in court on his or her own behalf is required to use available paid leave or take time away from work without pay.

An employee serving jury duty is required to endorse and submit the court’s pay check to Upbring.

Jury duty shall not be counted as an absence under the HR Policy 2.4 Attendance and Tardiness.

Postponement

If Upbring is experiencing a heavy workload or cannot find an employee to assume the duties for the employee called to perform jury duty, Upbring may submit a letter to the court requesting the court postpone the employee’s jury duty.

No employee will face disciplinary action due to their service as a juror or court ordered appearance in federal or state court.

Upbring offers benefits to those employees who work 30 or more hours per week. If you are an active employee working 30 hours or more per week, you are eligible to enroll in our benefits programs on the first of the month following 30 days from the date of hire.

You may enroll your eligible dependents in the medical, dental, vision, and voluntary life plans. You may enroll your eligible children into the medical, dental, vison, and voluntary life plans up to the age of 26.

You will enroll for your benefits online through the ADP Self-Service portal. New hires will have exactly 30 days from the date of hire to enroll in the benefits. Employees that do not enroll in the benefit plans prior to 30 days will be eligible to enroll during open enrollment (next plan year). Upbring’s plan year begins July 1 of each year.

Employees have 30 days from a qualifying event to make changes, such as birth, adoption, marriage, divorce, death, or loss of coverage of a spouse or child(ren).

Your medical, dental, and vision plans end the last day of the month following your last day worked.