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Paid Time Off Policy

Flexible time off designed to support work-life balance and prevent burnout while maintaining organizational continuity.

개요​

At Kyndof, we believe that rest and recovery are essential to sustained high performance. Our Paid Time Off (PTO) policy is built on trust and accountability—we don't track vacation days or require exhaustive approvals. Instead, we expect team members to manage their time off responsibly, coordinate with their teams, and ensure their work commitments are covered.

This policy applies to all full-time employees and reflects our commitment to treating people as professionals who can manage their own schedules while meeting organizational needs.

Core Principles​

Our PTO approach is guided by three fundamental beliefs:

Trust Over Tracking: We trust employees to take the time they need without micromanagement. There's no arbitrary cap on vacation days because we recognize that different people need different amounts of rest at different times. Some years you might take two weeks; other years you might need four. What matters is that you're performing well and your team isn't left in the lurch.

Coordination Over Control: Taking time off requires coordination, not permission. Before you schedule PTO, talk with your team. Make sure your responsibilities are covered, handoffs are clear, and no critical deadlines will be missed. This isn't about asking for approval—it's about being a responsible team member.

Recovery Over Presenteeism: We actively discourage the "always-on" mentality. Burnout doesn't serve you or the organization. If you're not taking regular time off, your manager will check in to understand why. Consistently working without breaks is a red flag, not a badge of honor.

How to Request Time Off​

The mechanics are simple but deliberate:

  1. Plan Ahead: For planned vacation (a week or more), give at least two weeks' notice. For shorter breaks (1-3 days), aim for one week's notice. Emergency situations are exceptions—use your judgment.

  2. Coordinate Coverage: Before submitting your request, talk to your team. Who will cover your responsibilities? Are there any critical meetings or deadlines during your absence? Document handoffs and share them with relevant people.

  3. Submit Request: Once coordination is complete, submit your PTO request in the designated system (Notion or HRIS). Include dates, coverage plan, and any handoff notes.

  4. Manager Confirmation: Your manager confirms (not approves) the request. They're checking that coverage is adequate and no critical conflicts exist, not judging whether you "deserve" time off.

  5. Update Calendar: Block your calendar for the entire PTO period. Set an out-of-office auto-responder. Make it clear you're unavailable.

Types of Leave​

We recognize different kinds of absence require different treatment:

Vacation: Any planned time off for rest, travel, or personal projects. No minimum or maximum duration—take what you need and what your team can accommodate.

Sick Leave: When you're ill or need medical appointments, inform your manager as soon as possible but don't feel obligated to provide medical details. If you're sick, rest and recover. Extended illness (more than three consecutive days) may require documentation for insurance or accommodation purposes.

Family Leave: Birth, adoption, or serious family illness qualifies for extended leave beyond normal PTO. We follow regional legal minimums but encourage discussing your specific situation with your manager and People Ops to create a plan that works for you and the organization.

Mental Health Days: Mental health is health. If you need a day to recover from stress or burnout, take it. You don't need to justify it beyond "I need a mental health day."

Public Holidays: We observe major public holidays in regions where we operate. The specific holidays vary by location—check with your manager or People Ops for your regional calendar.

Boundaries and Expectations​

Unlimited PTO only works when everyone understands the boundaries:

Minimum Time Off: We expect everyone to take at least 15 days (3 weeks) of vacation per year, excluding public holidays and sick leave. If you're not hitting this minimum, your manager will check in. Chronic under-use of PTO suggests burnout risk or unrealistic workload.

Maximum Consecutive Time: For operational continuity, we ask that single vacation periods don't exceed four consecutive weeks without discussion with your manager. Longer sabbaticals or parental leave are handled separately.

Blackout Periods: Certain roles may have blackout periods during critical business cycles (e.g., product launches, fiscal year-end). These should be communicated well in advance and are role-specific, not company-wide.

Partial Days: Need to leave early for an appointment or start late? Coordinate with your team and block your calendar. We don't nickel-and-dime hours—if you're generally available and performing well, flexibility goes both ways.

Coverage and Handoffs​

Great PTO coordination means great handoffs:

Document Your Responsibilities: Before leaving, create a brief handoff document listing ongoing projects, upcoming deadlines, and who to contact for what. Share it with your coverage person and manager.

Designate a Backup: Identify who will handle urgent issues in your absence. Make sure they have access to necessary systems and context. Don't leave your team guessing who to ask.

Set Clear Boundaries: If you're truly unavailable (vacation, sick leave), don't check email or Slack. If you're on a working vacation or flexible availability, be explicit about when and how you can be reached.

Avoid Single Points of Failure: If your absence would break critical operations, that's a system design problem, not a PTO problem. Work with your manager to cross-train and distribute knowledge before you leave.

Red Flags and Interventions​

Managers watch for these warning signs:

Under-Use: If someone hasn't taken meaningful PTO in six months, managers intervene. Persistent under-use may trigger a mandatory vacation requirement.

Last-Minute Patterns: Consistently requesting time off with inadequate notice suggests poor planning or workload issues. We'll work with you to address the root cause.

Coverage Failures: If your absences repeatedly create team disruptions, we'll review your handoff process and workload distribution.

Abuse of Flexibility: Unlimited PTO requires mutual trust. If someone is taking extended time off without maintaining performance or coordinating properly, their manager addresses it directly.

International Considerations​

Kyndof operates across multiple jurisdictions with varying labor laws:

Legal Minimums: Where local law mandates minimum vacation days (e.g., EU, Korea), those minimums apply as a floor, not a ceiling. Our unlimited policy sits on top of legal requirements.

Public Holidays: Observed holidays vary by country. Your regional calendar takes precedence. If you're remote in a different country than your team, coordinate which holiday calendar you'll follow.

Parental Leave: Maternity, paternity, and adoption leave follow local legal requirements as a minimum. Kyndof supplements these where our policy exceeds legal minimums. Discuss your specific situation with People Ops.

Statutory Sick Pay: Some regions require tracking sick leave for statutory pay purposes. If applicable, you'll be asked to log sick days in the HRIS, but this doesn't count against your PTO.

Why This Policy Exists​

Traditional vacation policies—accrual systems, use-it-or-lose-it caps, complex approval chains—create perverse incentives. People hoard days, avoid taking time off, and treat vacation as a resource to maximize rather than a tool for wellbeing.

We reject that approach. Unlimited PTO, done right, shifts the conversation from "how many days can I take?" to "what do I need to stay healthy and productive?" It treats employees as adults capable of managing their time and responsibilities.

But unlimited PTO fails when it becomes implicit pressure to never take time off. That's why we set minimum expectations, monitor usage patterns, and actively encourage rest. Managers are accountable for ensuring their teams take adequate time off—not as a perk, but as an operational necessity.

This policy works because it's paired with a culture of trust, clear accountability (RABSIC), and transparent workload management. If those foundations aren't in place, unlimited PTO becomes a race to the bottom. Maintain the foundations, and this policy becomes a competitive advantage for attracting and retaining talent.

관련 문서​