Leaves and Paid Time Off 

​Paid Studio Production Breaks

Each year, LAIKA announces planned breaks where production may be shut down for a predetermined amount of time. These breaks generally are announced no later than December of each year for the following year. Production Breaks may vary for each separate production. Production employees are paid in full during these breaks. Business Operations employees may choose to take time off during these breaks by submitting a request for time off to their supervisor and using available PTO.

​Paid Time Off (PTO)

We want you to enjoy time off with your family and friends, and we will pay for it! The Paid Time Off or “PTO” plan provides for scheduled days off, vacations, personal time, and sick days (beyond our 5-day Sick Pay benefit). Although Production and Business Operations employees receive the same amount of paid time off based on length of service, Production employees received paid production weeks and front-loaded PTO at the beginning of each year, while Business Operations employees accrue the equivalent number of hours/days over the course of the year.

​How PTO is Determined

Production Regular Staff have their full PTO balances available at the beginning of the year. If you are hired mid-year, your PTO balance will be pro-rated based on the number of remaining pay periods in the year. PTO hours are also pro-rated based on the number of hours scheduled. For example, part-time employees scheduled to work 20 hours per week receive 50% of the PTO hours a full-time employee receives. Details are outlined in the annual Benefits Handbook available on Backstage and Backstage Now.





​Notifying Your Supervisor to Schedule PTO

Employees generally must request PTO at least two weeks in advance. Adequate notice to your supervisor is necessary to provide coverage and minimize disruption to business operations. While we attempt to accommodate all requests, there may be times when your supervisor is unable to accommodate your request due to workload demands, in which case, you will be asked to reschedule your time off. Requests of more than two weeks in duration must seek additional approval from department leadership. If you do not have enough PTO accrued to cover the entire request, you must submit a Personal Leave of Absence request. Official PTO Requests must be submitted via the D365 Timesheet System. If time off is necessary for qualified reasons under the federal Family Medical Leave Act, Oregon Family Leave Act, and/or Oregon Sick Leave Law, notice and certification procedures can be found by referencing the Studio Leave Policy on LAIKA’s intranet.

​How to Use Your PTO

Non-exempt employees may use PTO for any absence during all or part of their scheduled workday. PTO may be taken in hourly increments. PTO hours do not count toward hours worked for the purpose of calculating overtime. Exempt employees are required to use PTO for approved full day absences. If the Exempt employee does not have enough PTO to cover the absence, weekly compensation will only be reduced for full day absences. If an absence is related to an illness or injury, an employee may be allowed to use Sick Pay instead of PTO. See the Sick Pay section of this document for more information. If an absence is related to an instance of protected family medical leave, an additional pay benefit may apply. See the LAIKA Studio Leave Policy for more information.

​How PTO Is Paid

PTO will be paid at the employee's current base pay rate at the time the PTO is processed, provided that the requesting employee has accrued sufficient PTO to cover the request. For a full week's absence, employees may use PTO hours amounting to their current scheduled workweek.

Year-End Balances/Maximum Balances

At the end of each calendar year, unused PTO hours are carried over into the next calendar year up to the maximum cap associated with an employee’s tenure at LAIKA. If your accrued PTO balance reaches the maximum at any time during the calendar year, you won’t receive any additional PTO hours until you use PTO and your balance is below the specified cap for your years of service. If you receive front-loaded PTO and you are already at maximum balance at the beginning of the year, you will not receive additional hours until the following year.


Length of Service Max Total PTO Cap
0-10 Years 240 hours 
10+ Years 280 hours

​Payout of PTO Upon Termination of Employment

Employees who work for twelve (12) or more months, consecutively or cumulatively, will receive a PTO Payout upon termination of employment at LAIKA as part of the final pay process. The PTO Payout is calculated based on all available and unused hours up to the applicable PTO maximum balance associated with the employee’s tenure at LAIKA, at current base rate of pay.

Service Credit – Rehires and PTO

We want you back, so if you return as a regular staff employee and you were eligible to receive the PTO benefit within the past five (5) years, you will receive appropriate credit for prior tenure when we determine your PTO benefit. If your break in service is more than 5 years, you will earn PTO as if you are a new hire.

​Personal Leave

Eligible Regular Staff employees may request a personal leave of absence (click here for the personal leave request form). The Studio provides personal leaves of absence, with or without pay depending on available PTO (see PTO section), for employees who wish to take extended time off from work duties to fulfill personal obligations.

Personal leave approval is discretionary and must be requested for time off more than two (2) consecutive weeks, if you do not have a sufficient PTO balance to cover the entire leave. As soon as an employee becomes aware of the need for a personal leave of absence, the employee should request a leave from their supervisor and contact benefits@laika.com. Project Staff employees are not eligible for personal leave.

Personal leave may be requested in the first year of employment after having completion of thirty (30) consecutive days of service as an Eligible Regular Staff employee for up to two weeks. After the first year of employment as eligible Regular Staff, leave may be granted for a period of up to 30 calendar days. If this initial period of absence is insufficient, consideration will be given to a written request for a single extension of no more than 30 calendar days. An employee must use any available PTO as part of the approved period of leave.

Requests for personal leave are evaluated based on a number of factors, including business needs, anticipated workload requirements, staffing considerations during the proposed period of absence, and performance. LAIKA has full discretion to approve or deny a personal leave request. There must be at least twelve months between personal leave requests.

Subject to the terms, conditions, and limitations of the applicable plans, benefits are provided until the end of the month in which the approved personal leave begins. At that time, employees who desire continuation of health benefits need to enroll in COBRA for the remaining leave. Employees on an approved personal leave of absence continue to receive Holiday Pay during the leave. Employees do not accrue PTO when on unpaid leave.

When a personal leave ends, every reasonable effort is made to return the employee to the same position, if it is available, or to a similar available position for which the employee is qualified. However, LAIKA does not guarantee reinstatement at the conclusion of the personal leave of absence. Additionally, if an employee fails to report to work promptly at the expiration of the approved leave period, LAIKA will assume the employee has voluntarily resigned.

​Sick Pay

Effective January 1, 2016, the State of Oregon enacted the Oregon Sick Leave Law (OSL), which requires employers to provide paid sick time for all employees. The specifications regarding the protections under OSL are described in detail in the LAIKA Studio Leave Policy.

LAIKA provides all Eligible Regular Staff employees with 40 hours (5 days) of Sick Pay per payroll year and are available, in full, as of the first pay period of the payroll year, which may include days from the previous calendar year. Sick Pay does not accrue or roll over and does not pay out upon termination of employment.

A doctor’s note is not required in most cases. If you have been off work for four (4) consecutive days due to an illness or injury, a release to return to work must be submitted to benefits@laika.com. An employee may not exchange scheduled PTO with Sick Pay if they become ill during scheduled PTO time.

Sick time beyond 40 hours in a payroll year would be covered by PTO hours. Please see the LAIKA Studio Leave Policy for more details.

​LAIKA Paid Holidays

The Studio has 11 paid holidays per year for all Regular Staff employees.

Eligible Regular Staff employees scheduled to work at least 40 hours per week are eligible for eight hours of Holiday Pay on each observed holiday.

Eligible Regular Staff employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week are paid a prorated amount of Holiday Pay based on their schedule. For example, if the employee is scheduled for all five work days for 30 hours per week, the employee is paid six hours of Holiday Pay on each observed holiday. In addition to Holiday Pay, a Non-Exempt Eligible Regular Staff employee who is required to work on an observed holiday is paid for time worked. Eligible Regular Staff employees who are not scheduled for all five workdays receive Holiday Pay for observed holidays they are scheduled to work.

If an Eligible Regular Staff employee is scheduled to work on an actual (not observed) holiday that falls on a Saturday or Sunday, and the Studio is closed that day, they may choose to use PTO to cover the time off with pay or receive approval from their supervisor to make up the unpaid time by working on another day.

​Veterans Day Holiday

LAIKA honors the service of our employees who have served in the armed forces. Such employees (“veterans”) are entitled to time off from work on Veterans Day (“Veterans Day Leave”) if the following criteria are met:

(1) The employee would otherwise be required to work on Veteran’s Day;

(2) The employee provides at least 21 calendar days’ notice of the intention to take Veterans Day Leave; and

(3) The employee provides, upon request, documentation sufficient to identify veteran status within the meaning of ORS 408.225(f).

Employees requesting leave will be notified at least 14 days prior to Veterans Day whether the Leave will be granted. Veterans Day Leave is unpaid, unless the employee wishes to use available PTO. Veterans Day leave may not be granted if it would cause a significant operational disruption. In that instance, the employee will be granted a separate “floating” holiday that may be taken in the year following. The “floating” holiday will be unpaid, unless the employee wishes to use available PTO.

LAIKA Paid Leave

LAIKA Paid Leave and Oregon Paid Leave is in full effect, but what does this mean for you?

In the most basic terms, you will receive 80% of your wages for up to 12 weeks for your own illness or injury. If you are caring for a family member you will receive 60% of your wages for up to 12 weeks. This time can be supplemented if you wish to use PTO or sick time.

LAIKA is not participating in the Oregon State Plan, so you will not apply for paid leave through the state nor will you see tax deductions coming from your paycheck. LAIKA is funding its own equivalent plan.

  • You receive richer benefits, which started 1/1/2023, which means you will not experience any “growing pains” from the state plan.

    • Depending upon your type of leave, your payment will come from Paid Leave Oregon (LAIKA), Short Term Disability policy (UNUM), Long Term Disability policy (UNUM) or a combination. Paid leave will not start until the required paperwork is submitted.

​Bereavement

Flexible Paid Bereavement Leave

LAIKA provides Eligible Regular Staff employees with the following inclusive bereavement leave:

  • 40 total hours of paid bereavement leave per calendar year for the loss of a loved one.
  • 80 total hours of paid bereavement leave per calendar year for the loss of a partner, spouse, or child, including the loss of a pregnancy/miscarriage (short-term disability may also apply).
  • 8 hours total per calendar year of bereavement leave for the loss of a pet.

    • This policy is supplemented by and runs concurrent to Oregon law, which includes up to two weeks of unpaid, protected bereavement leave for eligible family members as defined by OFLA. Project Staff are not eligible for Bereavement Pay but may qualify for bereavement leave under OFLA or may use PTO. Refer to the Studio Leave Policy on LAIKA’s intranet for more information.

Family Medical Leave, Oregon Family Leave, Oregon Sick Leave

What are Family Medical Leave and Oregon Family Leave?

Family Medical Leave (FMLA) and Oregon Family Leave (OFLA) are State and Federal laws that provide job protection should you need to take a leave of absence from work for the following reasons:

  • Your own serious health condition. 
  • A serious health condition of a qualified family member.
  • To bond with a newborn baby or newly adopted child.
  • To care for a non-serious illness of a child (Sick Child Leave).

What is Oregon Sick Leave?

Oregon Sick Leave (OSL) is an Oregon law that requires an employer to provide 40 hours per year of paid, protected sick time for qualified OSL purposes. LAIKA’s PTO Plan provides beyond the required annual accrual for OSL for all active LAIKA employees, and employees are able to utilize their accrued PTO for their qualifying OSL purposes or for their personal/vacation time. OSL alone does not grant employees the right to additional paid leave beyond the LAIKA PTO Plan.

Who is eligible?

For OSL –ALL employees of LAIKA immediately upon employment. For OFLA - ALL employees of LAIKA who have been employed for at least 6 months and have worked an average of 25 hours per week immediately preceding the need for OFLA. For FMLA – ALL employees of LAIKA who have worked one year and 1,250 hours worked for the 12 months immediately preceding the need for FMLA.

How long is allowed?

Each employee is allowed up to 12 weeks per rolling calendar year under FMLA/OFLA. A rolling calendar year begins the first day of the leave and looks back 12 months (there are exceptions to the length of leave allowable by law in certain situations). Under OSL, an employee is provided 40 hours of paid, protected sick time per year.

​Military Leave

LAIKA is committed to protecting the job rights of employees absent on military leave in accordance with federal and state law. No employee or prospective employee is subjected to any form of discrimination or retaliation on the basis of that person’s application for, membership in, or obligation to perform service for any of the uniformed services of the United States. Specifically, no person is denied employment, reemployment, promotion, or other benefit of employment on the basis of such application or membership. If any employee believes that they have been subjected to discrimination in violation of this policy, the employee should immediately contact benefits@laika.com.

Employees are not paid for military leave. However, you may use any available PTO. Health insurance benefits continue consistent with applicable laws.

If you are on military leave for 30 days or less, you must return to work on the first regularly scheduled work period after your service ends (allowing for reasonable travel time). If you are on military leave for more than 30 days, you must apply for reinstatement in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.

When you return from military leave (depending on the length of your military service), you are placed either in the position you would have attained if you had stayed continuously employed or in a comparable position. For the purpose of determining benefits that are based on length of service, you are treated as if you had been continuously employed.

Contact Benefits for more information at benefits@laika.com.

Jury Duty Leave

The Studio encourages employees to fulfill their civic responsibilities by serving jury duty when required. Regular Staff employees may request up to 5 days of paid jury duty leave over any 12-month period.

Victim's Leave

Employees who have worked at least 180 days averaging 25 or more hours per week may take an unpaid leave of absence to attend criminal proceedings if the employee or his or her immediate family member has suffered financial, social, psychological, or physical harm because of a personal felony. An immediate family member includes a spouse, domestic partner, father, mother, sibling, child, stepchild, or grandparent.

An employee who is the victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or is the parent or guardian of a minor child or dependent who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, is eligible to take unpaid leave to seek legal or law enforcement assistance to ensure the health and safety of the employee or the employee’s minor child or dependent. This includes leave to prepare for and participate in legal proceedings (criminal or civil), to seek medical treatment, or to obtain counseling from a licensed mental health care professional.

Employees are required to give their supervisor reasonable advance notice of the need for leave and to provide written documentation verifying the need for leave. The Studio keeps the reason for leave confidential, to the extent possible. If the Studio determines that the leave will create significant business difficulty or expense, the Studio may contact the prosecuting attorney or other professional involved to limit the leave, if possible.

The leave is unpaid, but employees must use any accrued PTO, Sick Pay, or Disability Bank hours, if applicable, while on leave.

Paid Oregon Leave

Starting in September 2023, Paid Leave Oregon will serve most employees in Oregon by providing paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child, your or a loved one's serious illness, or if you experience sexual assault, domestic violence, harassment, or stalking.

For additional information, please see the Paid Leave Oregon notice.