To attract and hire the best people to build SpacetoCo, we are proud to publish our policy related to leave.
Flexible work environment vs Leave
SpacetoCo offers a flexible, work-from-any-location workplace for all its staff. We understand that family life, personal circumstances and health can mean that the traditional work model isn’t for everyone all of the time. Our flexible work environment has you covered for time in lieu and allows you to work in and around your life. As long as you have your device(s) and good internet, you can contribute from wherever you need to be. Welcome to the future!
‘Leave’ time is different from ‘flexible work’. Leave refers to a day or more off work for rest (annual leave), sick leave, carers leave, compassionate leave, parental leave and long-service leave. Flexible work is more about the adjustable hours and location of your work.
The SpacetoCo approach to leave
To make our approach to leave work best, here’s the deal:
- Always communicate with the team you work most closely with around your leave requirements. If your leave is of a personal nature you can discuss with management only.
- Where possible, leave is to be staggered to ensure the business can run as it needs to. We’re all required to do our bit to ensure leave is spaced apart.
- Your leave is tracked and recorded in Xero by you.
- Mental health days are a thing - take a day if you need to rest, reset and recharge. We’ll all benefit.
5 Weeks (holiday) leave policy
Paid annual leave at SpacetoCo is up to a maximum of FIVE weeks (25 days) per year, pro-rata in relation to a full-time FTE equivalent. Take what you need to be healthy and happy.
As this leave amount is above what workplaces provide, please show respect to the company, your team, yourself and our customers in how you apply it.
- Show respect to the company by ensuring that you are achieving your product and your leave will not impact our ability to reach our goals.
- Show respect to your team by scheduling holiday time when your colleagues aren’t likely to urgently need your support.
- Show respect to yourself by making sure that you take time off to recharge your battery when you need it!
Here’s the lowdown:
- Applies to part time and full time staff
- As per the NES, everyone is entitled to at least 20 business days holiday in a year. This is cumulative and rolls over to the next year. At least 10 days leave per year is encouraged.
- Consider important dates in your SpacetoCo calendar & ensure your urgent responsibilities are covered
- Enter your leave dates into your SpacetoCo calendar, invite info@spacetoco.com & your relevant team members
- Once you have discussed your time off with your team, enter the dates into Xero - that’s it!
Special days leave policy
🎂 If it’s your birthday, take the day off - no questions asked. If your birthday falls on a weekend, the next or prior business day can be taken. This is optional and not counted in your 5 weeks (25 days) leave.
🎅 If you celebrate Christmas, working on Christmas Eve can be a hassle - everyone gets this day off too. Enjoy your Christmas break and use this day to buy last minute gifts and prepare your feast. This is also optional and not counted in your 5 weeks (25 days) leave.
📆 Public holidays are to be taken as per your locality - note that this may not mean a holiday for everyone else in the company
Personal (sick) leave policy
As per the NES, every SpacetoCo employee is entitled to a minimum of 10 days of personal/carer’s leave every 12 months which can all be taken as carer’s leave if required. Paid personal leave accrues at the rate of 1 day per month of service and is cumulative.
Please notify your team leader as soon as possible if you are unable to attend work due to illness or injury.
Carer's leave policy
Carer's leave is available for the care or support of an ill family or household member or if an unexpected emergency affects a family or household member. It is typically part of personal (sick) leave and is dealt with similarly to above.
Employees including casual employees are entitled to take up to two days unpaid carer’s leave for each occasion of family or household member illness or unexpected emergency. As per the NES, an employee cannot take unpaid carer’s leave if they could instead take paid carer’s leave.
Compassionate leave policy
Compassionate leave is paid leave taken by an employee to spend time with a family member/member of the employee’s household, who has a personal illness, or injury, that poses a serious threat to his/her life, or after the death of a family member/member of the employee’s household/close friend.
Each employee of SpacetoCo is entitled to a period of two days paid compassionate leave for each occasion where a close friend or family member has died, or the employee needs to spend time with a seriously ill family member. SpacetoCo extends compassionate leave to staff affected by circumstances surrounding domestic violence and relationship breakdown. Additional leave may be granted at management discretion which might extend to unpaid leave.
Casual employees are entitled to two days of unpaid compassionate leave for each occasion.
Long service leave policy
Australia has long service leave and we apply it to you regardless of your country of location. The long service leave entitlement for full time, part time and casual employees is:
- After 10 years of ‘continuous employment’ with SpacetoCo – 9 weeks of leave on ‘ordinary pay’;
- For every 5 years of ‘continuous employment’ with SpacetoCo after the initial 10 years – 4.5 weeks of leave on ‘ordinary pay’.
When employment ends after at least 7 years of continuous employment, you are entitled to pro rata long service leave. SpacetoCo defines that as calculated on base salary only and is exclusive of earned commissions.
PARENTAL LEAVE (generally following the NES)
Unpaid parental leave
SpacetoCo staff (including a de facto or same-sex partner, or single person) who are expecting a child or adopting a child are eligible for 52 weeks of unpaid parental leave if they are:
- Permanent full-time or part-time with at least 12 months service prior to the expected date of birth or adoption placement
- Casual with 12 months regular and systemic service who have a reasonable expectation of continuing regular and systematic work
After birth or adoption, the parent with responsibility for the care of the child is entitled to unpaid parental leave. Employees who are pregnant may commence leave up to six weeks before the expected date. Should you wish to engage in occasional paid work or training opportunities whilst on parental leave, this may be an option to you pending discussion with your team leader.
SpacetoCo employees may request to extend their leave by a further 12 months (for a total of 24 months maximum), to be submitted in writing at least four weeks before the end of the original 12 months unpaid parental leave.
SpacetoCo will respond in writing within 21 days and may refuse only on reasonable business grounds. The written response will include details if the request is refused.
Parental Leave types:
Available Parental Leave types at SpacetoCo include:
- Parental Leave
- Concurrent Leave
- Special Maternity Leave
Parental Leave
If you are the primary caregiver of your child, you can access up to 52 weeks of Parental Leave. Parental leave is unpaid except in the instances where an employee is eligible for Parental Leave Pay in line with legislation. Parental Leave with Pay is described in full in the following section.
Concurrent Leave
Both employees of an employee couple may take leave at the same time for a maximum period of 8 weeks. This leave must be taken within 12 months of the birth or adoption of a child. The concurrent leave may be taken in separate periods. Each period must be no shorter than 2 weeks unless the employer agrees.
Special Maternity Leave
Unpaid Special Maternity Leave is available to pregnant female employees in the case of pregnancy-related illness or if the pregnancy ends within 28 weeks of the expected date of birth. The duration of this leave should be agreed with the {Business Owners} as soon as is practically possible, and any unpaid Special Maternity leave will reduce the amount of Maternity Leave you are entitled to take by the same amount.
Parental Leave Pay
Available Parental Leave Pay types at SpacetoCo include:
- Primary Caregiver Pay
- Dad and Partner Pay
Please note that SpacetoCo will only make payments in line with the two types of Parental Leave Pay detailed below. Where relevant, Parental Leave Pay will be paid in line with the standard SpacetoCo pay cycles.
Primary Caregiver Pay
In line with legislation, eligible employees who are the primary caregiver may be entitled to 18 weeks of paid leave (from the Federal Government), paid at the minimum wage. Please note that a child’s primary caregiver is the person who is most meeting the child’s physical needs. This will usually be the birth mother of a newborn child or the initial primary caregiver of an adopted child, even if your child is in hospital.
This leave is not in addition to the 52 weeks parental leave mentioned above. Any periods of unpaid and paid Parental leave must not exceed 52 weeks in total.
Employees may take subsequent periods of paid Parental Leave, however, in order to be eligible for this, you must return to work and complete a minimum of 12 months continuous service following your return from any previous paid Parental Leave.
Partner Pay
If your partner is the primary caregiver of your child, you may be entitled to 2 weeks of Government-funded paid Dad and Partner Pay whilst on Concurrent Leave. It is your responsibility to check your entitlement to this payment with the Department of Human Services.
Parental leave for partners
Generally, only the parent with responsibility for the care and welfare of the child is entitled to take unpaid parental leave. However, up to three weeks of unpaid parental leave may be taken at the same time by both members of an employee couple, with the period of concurrent leave starting on the day of the birth (unless the manager agrees to other arrangements).
Applying for leave
A SpacetoCo staff member wishing to take unpaid parental leave must provide written notice at least 10 weeks before starting the leave (or as soon as you are able) including the intended leave start and end dates. This allows SpacetoCo to plan and minimise disruption to the business.
Leave dates or any changes of dates must be confirmed at least four weeks before the leave starts. SpacetoCo will confirm the leave and any affected entitlements such as continuous service in writing.
Adoption
Because SpacetoCo recognises that the timing of placement for an adopted child may be uncertain. Employees should keep their manager informed of any changes to the likely placement date and commencement of leave.
Other Paid leave
Time off for antenatal appointments, adoption interviews, or examinations
SpacetoCo’s flexible work policy covers any of the above.
A SpacetoCo employee may take up to two days of unpaid pre-adoption leave. SpacetoCo employees must provide notice of the leave including the expected leave period as soon as possible (which may be after the leave has started).
If an employee requires more than two days of pre-adoption leave, they should discuss their requirements with their team leader.
Leave for pregnancy-related illness
If an employee is ill during her pregnancy, they may access their ordinary sick leave entitlements, including any accrued sick leave.
If an employee experiences extended illness due to pregnancy, she can access unpaid ‘special maternity leave’ for the period her treating doctor certifies is necessary. Special maternity leave is included in the 52 weeks available unpaid parental leave period.
The employee must make a special maternity leave application as soon as practicable which details the period of leave required. SpacetoCo may ask for a medical certificate to be provided by the employee.
Loss of a child while pregnant
If the pregnancy ends before the due date without a live birth, the employee may take paid sick leave for the period her treating doctor certifies is necessary. If there is no sick leave allowance, unpaid special maternity leave applies.
The employee should advise SpacetoCo management and specify the required leave period. A medical certificate may be requested by SpacetoCo.
SpacetoCo will be sensitive to the personal issues associated with this type of leave.
During parental leave
Even though the employee is on leave, they will continue to be protected against discrimination as an employee.
SpacetoCo respects that some employees do not want any contact while on leave, and others do. The manager should discuss with the employee what sort of communication the employee would like while on leave, and record this agreement.
While an employee is on unpaid parental leave, SpacetoCo will ensure that the employee is considered and kept informed of significant changes that may occur in the business.
Where a decision will have a significant effect on the status, pay, or location of the pre-parental leave position, the SpacetoCo will take all reasonable steps to inform the employee and discuss the effect of the decision. During any restructures, employees on parental leave will be treated no less favourably than other employees and will be kept informed of the process.
If an employee has applied for less than 52 weeks of unpaid parental leave, they can extend the period of leave once to take the total leave up to a maximum of 52 weeks. The employee must give at least four weeks’ notice prior to the end date of the original leave period. A period of unpaid parental leave may be reduced by agreement between SpacetoCo and the employee.
An employee can resign while on parental leave but they must give the required notice of resignation as set out in the employees contract.
Employees should not undertake any activity during leave that is inconsistent with the employment contract, including other employment and they should remain responsible for the care of the child.
The employee’s position may be filled on a temporary basis while they are on leave. SpacetoCo will notify the replacement employee that their employment in this role is temporary and that the pregnant employee has the right to return to the position.
OTHER LEAVE (generally following the NES)
Leave without pay policy
Management has the discretion to approve leave without pay that an employee is not otherwise entitled to.
Jury duty policy
An employee is entitled to paid leave for jury duty in accordance with legislation. An employee on jury service should supply the official request to attend, the details of attendance, and the amount the court has paid them. SpacetoCo will reimburse the employee the difference between this amount and their base salary. If an employee is absent because of jury service of more than 10 days in total, the employer is only required to pay the employee for the first ten days of absence.
Emergency services leave policy
If an employee needs to take a temporary absence from work because of voluntary emergency management activities (E.g, as a volunteer dealing with an emergency or natural disaster as a member of SES, CFA, or Army Reserve) then they should ask management for leave after they become aware of the need to take leave.
SpacetoCo will support such activities wherever possible, as an important community service.
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