Sick Leave

If you are feeling unwell, we encourage you to rest and recuperate.

It’s helpful to make note of this in Timetastic; it does not require approval. Send a quick Slack message to your manager and anyone you had plans to meet with that day or drop a note in your team’s Slack channel, and update your Slack status to indicate that you’ll be offline.

Extended or Disability Leave

If a teammate needs to take time off of Buffer due to personal circumstances related to health or well-being concerns, or recovery from a medical condition, please take the time you need to physically and mentally recover.

In instances of up to a month (4 weeks) of leave, a teammate’s pay will be fully covered. Beyond that, Buffer will work with you to find a solution for extended time off based on your situation.

For teammates in the US, beyond four weeks, we will look into transitioning you to short-term or long-term disability, whichever is most appropriate for your situation.

• (US teammates) Short-term Disability: Short-term disability kicks in immediately when an employee is injured, but there is typically a waiting period of up to thirty days before it kicks in for illness. STD coverage lasts the entirety of the established short-term policy which is often under 90 days.
• (US teammates) Long-term Disability: Long-term disability typically has a longer waiting period before it begins for both injury and illness. If LTD coverage is paired with STD coverage, the long-term disability will usually kick in when the short-term disability ends. However, for employees who are only participating in LTD coverage, the waiting period can be anywhere from 3-6 months before their coverage kicks in.

We would request any information your doctor or medical provider can provide with any details specific to your situation as it relates to your work and Buffer (estimated length needed off work, accommodations when returning, etc). Any medical paperwork shared with Buffer will be kept confidential among your manager and the People-Ops team, with senior leadership team informed as-needed.

What to do if you need to take Extended or Disability Leave:

• Chat with your manager as soon as you can; as much notice as possible before you leave is ideal.
• Chat with the People-Ops Team; We’ll collaborate with your lead to confirm the time away and check on any final pieces.
• On your time away, disconnect and dive wholly into caring for yourself.
• As you plan your return, connect with your Manager on the best timing and transition.