Balance
Time Away
2019 Holidays
The following paid holidays will be observed:
- New Year’s Day
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- President’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Veteran’s Day
- Thanksgiving Day and the Day After
- Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
1 Floating Holiday*
This is an extra paid day off, once a year, to use for a religious holiday, a child’s soccer tournament, a rejuvenation day – or whatever you would like to use it for!
*Must be used within each calendar year, between January 1 and December 31. Unused days will not roll over to the next year. Must be employed on January 1 of each year to receive the benefit for that calendar year.
Time Off
A combination of paid sick, vacation and other time off is available to help you maintain a flexible work-life balance.
Sick time can be used to attend routine doctor appointments or to address personal and family members’ health needs, amongst other potential reasons. Sick leave is available after 2 months of employment:
- 40 hours of sick leave are provided to you on an annual basis
- Unused sick time will not carry over or be paid out upon termination of employment
Vacation time is available for employees after completing 2 months of service and accrues as follows:
| Length of Service | Accrual Rate |
| 0 to three years of employment | 10 days or 80 hours annually |
| Third anniversary to fifth year anniversary | 15 days or 120 hours annually |
| After fifth anniversary | 20 days or 160 hours annually |
Associate Directors and Sr. Managers will accrue fifteen (15) days per year and after three (3) years of service will accrue twenty (20) days per year.
For Directors and above, please refer to Section 7.2 for the Self-Managed Vacation Policy.
Bereavement leave is available to attend the funeral or memorial service of a member of your immediate family. Your will be granted up to three (3) scheduled workdays. Refer to the employee handbook for a definition of immediate family member.
Other time off such as Personal or Hardship Leave for family or medical reasons may be honored based on state and federal law. Refer to the Employee Handbook for further details on these additional benefits.
Vacation Cash Out
8 Hours of Paid Time Off to Volunteer*
Giving back is important to us at Zovio – it is part of who we are and an important part of our culture. You can take time off in 2-hour increments, during your normal work schedule, to volunteer at the charity of your choice with up to 8 hours of paid time off.
*Must be used within each calendar year, between January 1 and December 31. Unused days will not roll over to the next year.
Leave of Absence (LOA)
There are many reasons why you may need to take a Leave of Absence (LOA). Whether it be your own serious health condition, pregnancy, caring for a newborn (baby bonding) or caring for your family member’s serious health condition; most employee’s will need to take at least one leave of absence during their career. Please read section 7 (Time Off) of the Employee Handbook to get a better understanding of the various LOAs that are available. Below is some general information to help you understand the process and familiarize yourself with the resources that are available to you.
Let’s say you need to take some time off for your own serious health condition (i.e. surgery with 8 weeks post-op recovery). If you have worked for the company for at least 1 year and worked 1,250 hours in the last 12 months, you will be eligible for FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act). Under FMLA, you can take up to 12 weeks (480 hours) off work in a rolling 12-month period.
Your Action Items:
We recognize this process can be confusing and have put together a check list of the typical things you’ll need to do from start to finish. Please also read through our Most Frequently Asked Questions below for more information.
- Submit LOA request via HR Ticketing on Insite prior to your first day off (if possible) using estimated dates if necessary.
- Box up and take any personal belongings with you before leaving (n/a for remote employees).
- Have your doctor complete the Medical Certification and submit to HR within 15 days of your leave starting.
- Apply for short-term disability through Cigna.
- If you are enrolled in the Cigna Hospital Indemnity plan ($1,000 payment directly to you, if hospitalized for more than 24 hours), contact Cigna to apply for this benefit.
- Contact HR 5 days before your scheduled return date to confirm your return.
- Have doctor’s office complete the return-to-work form and fax it to us prior to your return.
- If unable to return as expected, will need another medical certification to extend your leave.
- Once your release has been received, watch for our email notifying you that you are “cleared” to return back to work.
- Return to work – meet your manager in the lobby on the first day until your badge is re-activated (n/a for remote employees).
How do I request a leave of absence (LOA)?
If your leave is foreseeable, please submit an LOA Request through the HR Ticketing system on Insite. If you are already on LOA and/or unable to submit an LOA request, please contact Human Resources to start the process:
PHONE: 866.475.0317 x11841
EMAIL: loa@zovio.com
FAX: 888.204.5071
We will need your contact information while out on leave, such as your personal email address and phone number.
What information do you need from my doctor?
Your physician/health care provider will need to complete a medical certificate* to certify your time off. This document is due back to us within 15 days of our request/start of leave. If you are out for more than 7 days, we will also need the Return to Work form complete prior to you return back to work. Please notify Human Resource 2 – 5 days in advance prior to your expected return date to confirm your return date. If you are not able to return as expected, we will need an updated medical certificate completed by your health care provider in order to extend your time off.
HealthCare Provider Certificate – For Your Own Serious Illness/Condition (including Pregnancy)
HealthCare Provider Certificate – To Care for Your Family Member (during their Serious Illness/Condition)
Return to Work Certificate – For Returning when out for your own serious health Condition
*Please note that a medical certificate is not required for leaves taken for non-health reasons such as military or baby bonding.
What compensation is available to me while I am out on leave?
LOAs are generally unpaid. However, you can use your Sick, Vacation, and/or Floating Holiday time to supplement your disability payments during this time. Please note that per company policy, you must use any accrued sick/vacation time for the first week (40 hours) of your Leave of Absence (except for Military). When you request your LOA, you will have the option to request the number of hours (sick and/or vacation) you want to use each pay period while you are out on Leave. Most employees will only use the number of hours needed to supplement their disability payments (i.e. 16 hours per pay period).
Short-Term Disability through Zovio:
Zovio provides all benefits eligible employees with a short-term disability policy that pays up to 60 percent of their pre-disability earnings (up to a weekly max of $1,200). This is a company perk at no cost to you. Visit this link for instructions on how to report a disability claim with Cigna.
What other resources are available to help me?
Whether its caring for a loved one, welcoming a new baby, or coping during your own illness, being on a Leave of Absence can be stressful and we want to help you. Zovio provides all employees (and their household) with a free Employee Assistance Program through Cigna. This program is confidential and provides up to 5 visits per issue, per year. Visit the EAP page to learn more.
If you enrolled in one of our voluntary benefits, such as:
- Hospital Indemnity (Cigna)
- Critical Illness (Cigna)
- Accident (Cigna)
You may have other benefits that you are eligible for depending on your situation.
How do I pay for my benefits while out on LOA?
Effective the first of the month following your leave start date, you will pay your portion of your benefit premiums directly to our vendor-partner, Discovery.
What happens if I am unable to return to work before my FMLA leave ends?
FMLA provides you with job and benefits protection. There are times an employee will qualify for an extended LOA beyond the federal and state requirement. In this case, your leave will transition to a non-FMLA status. Which means that your LOA is no longer job protected and your benefits will terminate. You will have the option to continue your Benefits through COBRA. Our COBRA administrator, Wage Works, will send you a COBRA packet with information on how to continue your benefits. Read our COBRA FAQ for more information.
This also means, there is no guarantee that your job will be available when you return back from leave. If your position is no longer available, we will provide you with a list of all open positions. You may apply for any open position for which you are qualified. Zovio will make a good faith effort to place you in a suitable position. However, we cannot guarantee placement or any particular return date. In the event a suitable position is not available within 30 days of your desired return date, your employment with Zovio will terminate as of the 30th day. You will still be eligible to apply for future open positions with Zovio.
What are the qualified reasons for a leave of absence?
There are various reasons and types of leaves. Zovio follows all Federal and State regulatory laws for the state that you work in. Please read section 7 of the Employee Handbook to learn more. Leave of Absence for hardship/personal reasons are normally difficult to accommodate without seriously affecting the operation of the company. For that reason, most Leaves are not granted except those required by law. However, the company does offer a non-FMLA Medical Leave of up to 4 weeks for those employees who are not eligible for FMLA.
Employee Rights and Responsibilities Notices:
General: FMLA Notice
If you have additional questions or are uncertain if your reason qualifies, please contact the Benefits Department to learn more:
Phone: 866.475.0317 x11841
E-mail: loa@zovio.com
