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. The annual frontloaded PTO amount remains fixed for the entire calendar year and will not be adjusted due to any changes in production schedules, including increased hours, or any scheduled or unscheduled overtime. PTO hours frontloaded in the same year the employee terminates are paid out (if applicable) on a pro-rated basis reflecting the termination date. 





​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. For more information see the Personal Leave section of this handbook.

If time off is necessary for qualified reasons under the federal Family Medical Leave Act, or any applicable state leave and sick pay laws, notice and certification procedures can be found by referencing the LAIKA’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Policy on LAIKA’s intranet Backstage or contact benefits@laika.com 

​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. All applicable PTO or Sick leave must be exhausted before unpaid leave can be utilized.

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 LAIKA’s Paid Family and Medical 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, are eligible to receive a PTO payout upon termination as part of the final pay process. PTO cannot be applied to an employee’s last day of work, unless otherwise required by law. The PTO payout is calculated using the employee’s current base rate of pay for unused hours, capped at the maximum PTO balance associated with the employee’s tenure. For production employees, PTO hours frontloaded in the same year the employee terminates are paid out on a pro-rated basis reflecting the termination date. For example, a production employee who was eligible for a PTO payout and whose employment terminated six months into the year would receive a 50 percent payout.  

Service Credit – Rehires and PTO

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

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. LAIKA’s Sick Pay meets state and municipal requirements around sick pay in Oregon, California, and Washington.

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 workdays 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:

• The employee would otherwise be required to work on Veteran’s Day;
• The employee served on active duty in the armed services for at least six months and received an honorable discharge.
• The employee served in a reserve or National Guard unit and was deployed or served on active duty for at least six months. 

Employees requesting leave will be notified at least 14 days prior to Veterans Day whether the Leave will be granted. Veterans Day Leave is paid. 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” paid holiday that may be taken in the year following.

​​FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE & STATE LEAVE LAWS

LAIKA provides leaves of absence to all Eligible Employee in accordance with the federal Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) and any applicable state leave laws.

The federal law known as FMLA provides Eligible Employees up to 12 weeks of protected leave in a 12-month leave period for qualified family and medical leave purposes. Under FMLA, employees may take up to 26 weeks of leave in a 12-month leave period (combined total; up to 12 of the 26 weeks may be used for an FMLA-qualifying reason other than military caregiver leave) to care for a Qualified Family Member who sustains a serious illness or injury in the line of duty while on active military duty. Leaves are paid per LAIKA’s Paid Leave Policy, and employee’s job and benefits are protected by these laws. State laws in Oregon, California, and Washington may also apply depending on the employee’s work location. When allowable by law, FMLA will run concurrently with qualified state leaves. In some instances, the state laws are more generous than the federal law. LAIKA always follows the law that is most favorable to the employee.

Refer to LAIKA’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Policy on LAIKA’s intranet or the federal and state leave law posters on the employee bulletin boards for your rights and responsibilities under FMLA or state-specific laws and definitions eligibility. These laws have particular eligibility definitions, and your status as Regular Staff or Project Staff is not relevant to leave eligibility. If you have questions about leave, contact benefits@laika.com. 

    ​PAID LEAVE

    LAIKA provides a Paid Leave Benefit (Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, and Paid Family Medical Leave) for eligible medical and family care related time away from work for all eligible employees who have worked for LAIKA for at least 30 days. Paid Leave may be taken on an intermittent or continuous basis. For Oregon employees, the Oregon Paid Leave program is funded entirely through UNUM, LAIKA’s third party administrator. Washington and California employees who are eligible for paid family leave under their individual state’s paid family leave programs and must apply for paid leave benefits through the State of Washington or State of California. LAIKA’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Program supplements their pay as detailed below.   

    Paid Leave for Employee’s Own Medical Condition: Eligible employees may take up to 12 weeks of paid leave if they have a serious health condition that makes them unable to perform the functions of their position, including the time an employee is disabled by a pregnancy/birth. (Note: pregnant employees, in some circumstances, may be eligible for two additional weeks of paid leave under Paid Leave Oregon.) The amount of pay is based on the employee’s regular rate of pay, with all eligible employees receiving at least 80% wage replacement when they need leave for their own serious health condition.   

      FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE & STATE LEAVE LAWSFAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE & STATE LEAVE LAWS

      Paid Leave for Family Care: Eligible employees may take up to 12 weeks of paid leave for the following family care reasons:

      • To bond with a new child, including birth or placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care, within 12 months of the child’s birth, adoption, or foster care placement. (See note above regarding leave for pregnant employees in Oregon).
      • To care for the employee’s spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling, or any individual related by blood or affinity whose relationship is equivalent to family who has a serious health condition.
      • Any qualifying exigency due to an employee’s spouse, child, or parent being on covered active duty (or having been notified of an impending call or order to covered active duty) in the armed forces.
      • To care for a service member who is the employee’s spouse, child, parent, or next of kin.

      The amount of pay is based on the employee’s regular rate of pay, with all eligible employees receiving at least 60% wage replacement for qualifying family care reasons.

      Paid Safe Leave: Eligible employees may also take up to 12 weeks of paid leave for various reasons related to sexual assault, domestic violence, harassment, or stalking. The amount of pay is based on the employee’s regular rate of pay, with all eligible employees receiving at least 60% wage replacement for qualifying safe leave reasons. 

      ELIGIBILITY AND USE

      In most cases, the Paid Leave Benefit is available for the first 12 weeks of qualifying family medical leave under FMLA, OFLA, or other applicable state law. For the birthing parent of a child, additional paid leave may be available for employee’s own disabling condition (up to 12 weeks, depending on medical release) PLUS leave for time to bond with a new child (12 weeks).

      Employees may use other paid-time off such as Sick Pay or PTO hours to supplement their paid leave percentage, not to exceed a total of 100% of pay.

      Paid family and medical leave will run concurrently with leave provided under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or any eligible Oregon, Washington, or California state leave laws when applicable.

      For more information reference LAIKA’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Policy on LAIKA’s intranet Backstage or contact benefits@laika.com.  

        MILITARY LEAVE (USERRA)

        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.   

          OTHER LEAVES REQUIRED BY OREGON LAW

          Oregon recognizes several additional, less common leave entitlements. This includes, for example, leave to serve in the Oregon Legislature, leave to donate bone marrow, leave for volunteer firefighters, and leave to compete in the Olympics. Contact LAIKA’s benefits@laika.com to determine whether you may qualify for one of these less common categories of leave. 

            ​​FLEXIBLE PAID BEREAVEMENT LEAVE

            LAIKA provides Eligible Regular Staff employees 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 spouse or child, including 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 LAIKA’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Policy on LAIKA’s intranet Backstage for more information.

            CRIME VICTIMS AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 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 their immediate family member has suffered financial, social, psychological, or physical harm as a result 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, as practical. Additionally, employees should provide written documentation verifying the need for the leave to the Benefits Team. LAIKA keeps the reason for leave confidential, to the greatest extent possible. If determined that the leave will create significant business difficulty or expense, LAIKA may work with the employee involved to reduce the business impact.

            In some instances, leave may be eligible for additional protected or paid leave provisions. For more information reach out to benefits@laika.com. If unpaid, employees must use available PTO hours while on leave. 

              JURY DUTY

              We encourage our employees to fulfill their civic responsibilities by serving on jury duty when required. Eligible Regular Staff employees may request up to five days of paid jury duty leave over any 12-month period. Employees may retain any Jury Duty Pay that they receive from the court. Project Staff are provided leave to serve on jury duty but are not eligible for Jury Duty Pay.

              If employees are required to serve jury duty beyond the period of paid jury duty leave, they may use any available PTO or may request an unpaid jury duty leave of absence.

              Employees must show the jury duty summons to their supervisor as soon as possible so that the supervisor may make arrangements to accommodate their absence. Health insurance benefits continue for the full term of jury duty and benefit contributions are deducted from paychecks during jury duty leave. If the employee is not receiving LAIKA pay during a jury duty leave, the employee must make arrangements with a member of the Benefits team to pay the premium contributions during the absence.

              Non-Exempt employees’ jury duty hours are not considered hours worked for the purposes of calculating overtime pay for the pay period in which the jury duty is served. Employees are expected to report to work whenever the court schedule permits scheduled.

              Jury duty hours should be recorded on the employee’s timecard using the “Jury Duty” pay code.