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Obvious University
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  • 👋Welcome to Obvious University!
  • Strategy
    • Sprints
      • 1️⃣Map
      • 2️⃣Sketch
      • 3️⃣Decide
      • 4️⃣Prototype
      • 5️⃣Test
    • Benchmarking
    • Research
      • 1️⃣Research guide
      • 2️⃣How to recruit users
      • 3️⃣How to conduct an interview well
      • 4️⃣How to take notes
      • 5️⃣How to prep for remote research
      • 6️⃣How to throw a watch party
      • 7️⃣How to create artefacts
  • Working with Features
    • Building with AI
      • 1️⃣Understand the tech
      • 2️⃣Map your product
      • 3️⃣Build a proof of concept
      • 4️⃣LLM Inputs
      • 5️⃣LLM Responses
    • Building Help and Support
      • 1️⃣How to scope a support experience
      • 2️⃣How to design discovery for support
      • 3️⃣How to design a support centre
      • 4️⃣How to write good support articles
  • Product Design
    • Microcopy
      • 1️⃣How to write well
      • 2️⃣How to write phrases
      • 3️⃣How to write messages
      • 4️⃣How to create a voice
    • Typography
      • 1️⃣How to compose type
      • 2️⃣How to create a type scale
      • 3️⃣How to pick typefaces
      • 4️⃣How to pair typefaces
    • Design System
      • 1️⃣Introduction to design systems
      • 2️⃣How to audit a design system
      • 3️⃣How to run a design system pilot
      • 4️⃣How to set up a design foundation
      • 5️⃣How to build components
      • 6️⃣How to document a design system
      • 7️⃣How to enable adoption and govern a design system
    • Mobile Engineering
      • 1️⃣Trunk based development
      • 2️⃣Agile development terminology
      • 3️⃣Git commit messages
      • 4️⃣Code review and pull requests
      • 5️⃣Readings
  • Delivery
    • Project Management
    • Collaboration
  • Hiring and Growth
    • Growth
      • 1️⃣Design growth framework
      • 2️⃣How to give ongoing feedback
      • 3️⃣How to check-in every quarter
      • 4️⃣How to address underperformance
      • 5️⃣FAQs
    • Hiring and careers
      • 1️⃣The Hiring Process
      • 2️⃣Diverse and Inclusive Hiring
  • PEOPLE EXPERIENCE
    • Benefits and Perks
      • 1️⃣Paid time off
      • 2️⃣Insurance and healthcare
      • 3️⃣Continuing education
      • 4️⃣Speaking at conferences
    • Starting at Obvious
      • 1️⃣Introducing Obvious
      • 2️⃣Set up your workspace
      • 3️⃣Onboarding
      • 4️⃣Finances
      • 5️⃣Code of Conduct
    • Employment policies
      • 1️⃣Equal opportunity employment
      • 2️⃣At-will employment
      • 3️⃣Employee records and privacy
      • 4️⃣Prevention of sexual harassment
      • 5️⃣Drugs and alcohol
      • 6️⃣Fraternisation
      • 7️⃣Non-compete and non-solicitation
      • 8️⃣Non-disclosure
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On this page
  • 👋 Introduction
  • 🏖️ Types of Time Off
  • 1️⃣ Paid Time Off
  • 2️⃣ Parental Leave
  • 3️⃣ Menstrual Leave
  • 4️⃣ Bereavement Leave
  • 5️⃣ Special Occasions
  • 6️⃣ Very Sick Leave
  • 💬 Communicating Your Time Off
  • 1️⃣ Request your time off in Pause
  • 2️⃣ Update your Google Calendar
  • 3️⃣ Plan ahead for meetings
  • 4️⃣ Let your team know in advance
  • ✅ Approving time-off requests as a team lead
  1. PEOPLE EXPERIENCE
  2. Benefits and Perks

Paid time off

PreviousBenefits and PerksNextInsurance and healthcare

Last updated 1 year ago

👋 Introduction

Time away from work can be extremely helpful for maintaining a good work-life balance. Obvious encourages everyone to take time off when needed, and ensure that your colleagues do the same.


🏖️ Types of Time Off

1️⃣ Paid Time Off

You can take up to 21 days of paid leaves — think holidays, feeling under the weather, burnt out, etc. Apart from this, we’re also closed for .

Even if you are not planning to travel, it’s a good idea to take time off to rest and recharge. You could take a day off to do some spring cleaning or take some time for yourself at home.

2️⃣ Parental Leave

When you welcome a new child (birthed or adopted), Obvious encourages all full-time employees to take parental leave. This can be taken all together or spread over the first year of your child’s birth.

  • For new mothers: We offer up to 26 weeks of parental leave

  • For new fathers: We offer up to 8 weeks of parental leave. Fathers can opt to take 12 weeks of paternity leave at 75% of their regular salary.

When taking parental leave, give the rest of the team as much notice as possible. The more that a team can anticipate the absence, the easier it will be to handle.

3️⃣ Menstrual Leave

Obvious offers paid menstrual leave for anyone who needs it, no questions asked. This is additional to the annual leave and therefore doesn’t get deducted from 21 days of annual leave.

4️⃣ Bereavement Leave

Obvious offers bereavement leave to any employee who wishes to take time off due to loss of a loved one.

Paid bereavement leave can be 15 days. However, different people process grief in different ways and employees can discuss how much time they need with their manager.

5️⃣ Special Occasions

For special occasions (think: your wedding, sibling's graduation, best friend's wedding) your manager can grant you an extra 10 days of paid leave. This is considered on a case-by-case basis.

6️⃣ Very Sick Leave

In case you're very sick because of a certain illness and need significant time to recover (think: dengue, chickenpox), the leaves you take will not be counted towards any quota. Talk to your manager so that we can help you in any way possible, and work can be managed accordingly.


💬 Communicating Your Time Off

Communicate broadly when you will be away so other people can manage time efficiently, projects don't slip through the cracks, and so that you don't get bothered while away.

  • Apply for time off for the relevant dates and share the reason for being away (if applicable).

  • Your request for time off will be approved by your respective team lead.

2️⃣ Update your Google Calendar

  • Set up an automated response and include the contact details of a co-worker in case anything urgent or critical comes into your inbox while you’re away.

3️⃣ Plan ahead for meetings

  • If you are the organiser for a meeting: Cancel, move, or find coverage for the meetings.

  • If you are not the organiser for a meeting: Decline any meetings you will not be present for so the organizer can make appropriate arrangements.

4️⃣ Let your team know in advance

Letting your team know when you’ll be taking time off helps plan client work and project timelines better.

  • The rule of thumb is that the more time off you're taking, the more advance notice you should give your team and your Lead. For example:

    • If you're taking a day off, a heads up a day or two in advance is usually sufficient.

    • If you're away for more than three days, let someone know the previous week.

    • If you're going away on an extended vacation, at least a few weeks notice is necessary to ensure that we keep our clients informed and ensure that your time off is factored into their deadlines.


✅ Approving time-off requests as a team lead

If you discover that multiple people in your team want to be off at the same time, see what the priorities are, review the impact to the business, and use your best judgement. Discuss this with your team so you can manage the time off together.


A from whom we have stolen this policy, the rationale and the explanation, wholesale.

1️⃣ Request your time off in

Use Google’s feature and include the dates you plan to be away. This feature will decline any meeting invitations during those dates.

1️⃣
public holidays
hat-tip to Nilenso
Pause
"out of office"