Time off at SB Partners LLP

Vacation time is provided for team members to enjoy rest and relaxation away from work. The firm considers that time of rest to be valuable and an integral part of team member well-being. All team members are strongly encouraged to take all time to which they are entitled each year.

The vacation entitlement year runs from January 1 to December 31. Vacation entitlement will be prorated based on start, leave or departure dates. Additional annual entitlement based on years of service will be prorated based on your anniversary date. Vacation entitlement is as follows:

Team Member

Manager and Above

Partners and Principals

Vacation Scheduling and Approval

In order to maintain an uninterrupted workflow and continued client service, any vacation time must be approved in advance at least 2 weeks ahead of the time being requested. Team members must enter their vacation requests in Collage for manager approval.

If you are planning a vacation months in advance, we encourage you to get the request in as soon as possible for review. Time must be entered into iFirm and Collage, ensure the vacation dates and duration match.

Team members can take vacation in week blocks or single days but are encouraged to take at least one (1) week of vacation entitlement as a consecutive week off.

Extended Time-Off

If you are requesting more than two consecutive weeks off using vacation and or vacation and personal/family leave, birthday vacation days and unpaid time – this will require approval from your Manager and Human Resources. Please contact HR before booking time off in Collage or iFirm.

Vacation must be booked as a half day (3.75 hours) or full days (7.5 hours). Regardless of iFirm’s standard hours or the time of the year, a half day is 3.75 hours and a full day is 7.5 hours, unless you have an HR approved modified schedule.

The firm will try and accommodate team member’s requests but occasionally there may be operational needs that prevent approval of a particular request. Knowing vacation plans in advance will help in efficient scheduling of workflow and eliminate conflicts.

If a mutually acceptable time for vacation cannot be found, the firm reserves the right to schedule vacations for team members as a method of ensuring that vacation time is used before year-end. The team member will receive at least two weeks’ written notice of the start date of their vacation.

Should multiple team members, in the same department, request vacation on the same dates, these requests will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

It should be noted that vacation time will need to be taken prior to the approval of any unpaid time off.

A&A staff members: in order to populate the file schedule, please complete the Excel Vacation Schedule with your estimated vacation dates for the year. These dates are not set in stone nor are they approved; they are simply an estimate for planning purposes. This will be completed by November 30 each year for the following year.

Periods Not Available for Vacation

Based on client service needs there are some periods during the year that will not be available for vacation. Should you require an exception, please speak directly with your manager. Please check with your manager if you are unsure as to what periods may affect your department.

Carry Over of Unused Vacation

Team members are encouraged to use their vacation each year, however we understand that sometimes due to the needs of the business this is not always an option. Team members can carryover up to 4.5 vacation days to the following year if they are unable to use them due to needs of the business. These must be used within the first six (6) months of the new year.

Five (5) or more vacation days: if you have five (5) vacation days or more that you need to carry over, you must submit a request to your Manager and HR for approval to carryover these days. This request must also include when you intend to use these days; within the first seven (7) months of the year.

Termination of Employment

Upon termination of employment or resignation, team members will be paid all outstanding vacation pay. If, however, a team member has taken more paid vacation than what they have accrued, these days will be considered a loan and will be deducted from the last pay.

You have an important role to play in making the Firm a successful and rewarding place to work. SB Partners provides Family/Personal Leave to assist team members who are absent from work due to a personal or family related matter, illness, or injury.

SB Partners provides full-time team members with 40 hours of paid Family/Personal Leave per year. This time may be used for a variety of personal reasons – for yourself or family members, who are sick or need care or to attend to personal matters. This time is meant to assist you to better manage personal situations that may occur during the course of your employment. If you are unsure about whether or not a situation is covered under the Family Leave policy, please speak to the Director, HR for clarification.

All permanent team members, co-op students and those on contract with the Firm for a minimum of 6 months are eligible for this leave. Entitlement will be pro-rated for part-time team members or those working reduced hours.

Family Leave entitlement will be pro-rated based on start and/or departure date. Use of family leave under this policy will count towards the team member’s entitlement to leave under the Employment Standards Act (ESA).

Unused Family/Personal Leave

Family/Personal Leave is accrued on an annual basis from January to December of each year. Unused hours, as of December 31st each year, can be carried forward, up to a maximum of 200 hours at any time. Accrued family/personal leave beyond 200 hours is not eligible to be paid out and will be lost.

Requesting 3 or More Days of Family/Personal Leave

If you are requesting 3 or more Family/Personal Leave days in a row, you will require HR approval and may be asked to submit documentation.

Recording Leave Time

Family leave must be used in minimum increments of 30 minutes (0.50 hours). When possible, Family Leave should be scheduled two (2) weeks in advance and be approved by your manager when feasible. In these cases, team members need to notify their manager as soon as possible. If notice is given on the same day, it is the manager’s duty to alert Reception and IT.

Time must be entered into Collage and iFirm, please ensure the amount of time matches. All leave time must be entered, including if you need to take unpaid family/personal in excess of your available time. Be sure to contact HR & Finance.

In recognition of the hard work of our employees, SB Partners will recognize employee birthdays as a paid day off in addition to recognizing entitlement to vacation time, personal leave time, and statutory holidays.

Team members will receive this paid day off through fulfillment of the following eligibility requirements:

• All permanent, full-time team members and team members on a temporary contract of 6 months or more, will be considered eligible for the birthday day off. The birthday day off does not apply to team members who are classified as part-time, a co-op student or on a temporary contract for less than 6 months.
• The birthday day off is to be taken during the week of the team member’s birthday.
• All team members must mark the day off in their calendars noting “Birthday Day Off”. It will need to be entered in iFirm booking 7.5 hours to the code “915 – Birthday” and entered into Collage for manager review.

Due to unforeseeable work commitments, if the team member is unable to take their birthday day off, the next closest day of convenience shall be granted with prior approval from the team member’s manager.

Periods Not Available for Birthday Day

Based on client service needs there are some periods during the year that will not be available for birthday days. Should you require an exception, please speak directly with your manager. Please check with your manager if you are unsure as to what periods may affect your department.

SB Partners wants to support and enable team members to take leave for the birth of a team member’s child or the placement of a child with a team member in connection to adoption.

For the purposes of this policy, the definition of a parent includes birth parent, an adoptive parent or a person who is in a relationship of some permanence with a parent of the child and who plans on treating the child as their own.

SB Partners will not penalize a team member in any way because they are or will be eligible or plan to take pregnancy or parental leave.

Team members who anticipate applying for either of these leaves under this policy are encouraged to discuss plans with their manager and the Director, HR at the earliest possibility.

Prior to commencing either of these leaves, or the next reasonable day, team members must return all firm owned property.

Pregnancy Leave

Pregnant team members will be entitled to an unpaid pregnancy leave of up to seventeen (17) weeks provided they have been employed by the firm for a period of at least thirteen (13) weeks prior to their expected date of delivery. Team members are asked to provide the Director, HR at least two weeks’ written notice of their intention to take pregnancy leave or a change in start date of the pregnancy leave.

The leave may begin as early as seventeen (17) weeks prior to the expected date of delivery or earlier where the child is born more than 17 weeks before their expected date of delivery. If, at the end of 17 weeks, the child has not been born, the team member will be entitled to continue the leave until the birth of the child. The leave may begin no later than the expected date of delivery.

A team member who has a miscarriage or stillbirth more than 17 weeks before her due date is not entitled to a pregnancy leave. If a team member has a miscarriage or stillbirth within the 17-week period prior to the due date, she is entitled to take pregnancy leave. The latest date for commencing the leave would be the date of the miscarriage or stillbirth.

Parental Leave

Both parents have the right to take parental leave provided they have been employed by SB Partners for a period of at least thirteen (13) weeks prior to commencing the leave. Birth mothers who take pregnancy leave are entitled to sixty-one (61) weeks of parental leave. All other new parents are entitled to take up to sixty-three (63) weeks of parental leave.

A birth mother who takes pregnancy leave must ordinarily start parental leave as soon as pregnancy leave ends. Exceptions may apply. All other parents must begin their parental leave no later than seventy-eight (78) weeks after the date their child is born or the date their child first came into their care, custody or control.

Once a team member has started parental leave, they must take it all at one time. Team members are asked to provide the Director, HR at least two weeks’ written notice of their intention to take a parental leave.

Team members must provide at least four (4) weeks written notice to the Director, HR if:

• You do not intend to return to work after pregnancy or parental leave
• You want to return to work earlier or later than the planned date provided

Supplementary Benefits (Top-Up)

In addition to the statutory benefits provided with respect to pregnancy leave, SB Partners provides supplementary benefits to eligible team members. Supplemental benefits are paid for pregnancy leave to a maximum of 16 weeks.

The firm will pay the following:

• Regular salary for the one (1) week Employment Insurance (EI) waiting period
• Top up of weekly EI amount such that the team member will receive a combined amount equal to 50% of their normal weekly gross salary for a 15-week period

To be eligible, the team member must be a permanent, full-time team member of SB Partners for at least one year prior to the expected birth or adoption date. Team members may be required to show documentation to the Controller of EI payment(s) received in order to receive this supplementary benefit.

Should you receive supplementary benefits and not return from leave or return for less than six (6) months, you will be required to reimburse the firm any supplementary benefits that were paid to you.

With respect to pregnancy and parental leaves, team members are responsible for applying for benefits as outlined in the Federal Employment Insurance Acts.

Group Benefits

Team members are entitled to continue in the firm’s group benefit plan while on leave. SB Partners will continue to pay its share of team member premiums during pregnancy and parental leave.

If eligible for supplementary benefits, the team member portion of the monthly group benefit premiums will be deducted through payroll deductions from their pay for the 16-week period. After the 16-week period, or for those not eligible for supplementary benefits, team members who continue to be on leave, are required to pay monthly, their portion of the monthly group benefit premiums. Arrangements for these monthly payments can be made through the Controller.

Should a team member choose not to participate in group benefits during either of these leaves, they must notify the Director, HR, in writing, of this decision.

Accrued Vacation Time

Team members must take any accrued vacation prior to commencing pregnancy or parental leave. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Record of Employment

SB Partners will electronically file a Record of Employment at the beginning of your leave.

Return from Pregnancy or Parental Leave

When you return from pregnancy or parental leave, you are entitled to return to your previous position or to a position comparable to the one you left if your previous position no longer exists.

SB Partners understands that team members require time off work to attend funeral or memorial services, grieve in private, and deal with family issues in the event of the death of an immediate family member. It is our intention to ensure that our team members are provided adequate time to properly take care of their family obligations while maintaining their employment at SB Partners.

Team members are eligible for paid time off for bereavement as follows:

• Five (5) days for the loss of:
  • an employee’s spouse
  • child, step-child, foster-child or grandchild of the employee or the employee’s spouse
  • parent or step-parent of the employee or employee’s spouse
  • brother or sister of the employee
  • grandparent of the employee
• Two (2) days for the loss of:
  • a brother or sister in-law
  • grandparent of the employee’s spouse
  • relative of the employee who is dependent on the employee for care or assistance

Additional unpaid time may be granted at the Firm’s discretion. Requests for additional time off must be made through the Director, HR and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Use of bereavement leave under this policy will count towards the employee’s entitlement to leave under the Employment Standards Act (ESA).

The policy of SB Partners is to ensure that team members are given time away from work to perform their civic duties in the jury duty selection process and acting as a juror or witness to court proceedings, where required.

If you are required to attend jury duty selection, please send the letter to HR and book off time in Collage and iFirm under Jury Duty. If you are called to serve on a jury or as a witness on a regular working day, you will be granted a leave of absence to perform this service. Team members on jury duty will be reimbursed for the difference between the pay they earn for jury duty and their regular salary for the same period of time.

In order to receive this payment, the team member will be required to provide the following:

• A copy of the documentation requesting your presence for jury duty
• Confirmation of attendance
• Record of jury duty payment

Team members are strongly urged to request a postponement of jury duty during the period of January 15^th to April 30^th. Please discuss this with the Director, HR who will provide a letter to assist with the request. SB Partners encourages team members to perform their civic duty when requested to do so however, busy season is a time when all team members are required, and the courts have provided support for these types of requests to perform jury duty later on in that same year.

While on jury duty, team members are expected to stay in contact with their manager, review and answer/forward emails to appropriate team members and assist in any way possible to ensure continuity of client service. This may require working before or after attending court.

You are expected to work your regular working hours when not serving duty.

The firm will continue to pay the employer portion of health insurance premiums for team members on jury duty. Vacation benefits shall continue to accrue and statutory holiday pay, will continue to be paid to any team member serving jury duty.