Total Rewards Work/Life FAQs
Paid Parental Leave Policy
1. What is the new Paid Parental Leave Policy?
The new Rheem Paid Parental Leave Policy provides eligible employees up to twelve (12) weeks of leave to allow for the care of and/or bonding with a child following the birth, qualifying adoption, foster care, or legal guardianship placement of a child on or after January 1, 2021.
2. Can I use a portion of my parental leave and then come back to work on a reduced work schedule?
Paid Parental Leave may not be taken
intermittently (in separate blocks of time) or on a reduced leave schedule (reducing the usual number of hours per workweek or workday), unless allowed by law. Unless otherwise required by law, any unused paid parental leave will be forfeited at the end of the 12-month period.
3. Who is eligible for this policy? And who is not eligible?
This policy is applicable to U.S. based full-time exempt and non-exempt salaried and non-union hourly employees. If you meet all the criteria specified below, you are eligible to receive benefits through this policy:
• You must not be covered under a collective bargaining agreement;
• You must be regularly scheduled to work at least thirty (30) or more hours per week; • You must be a new parent, a new adoptive or
foster parent, same sex spouse of a biological or adoptive parent, or a documented legal guardian of a child eighteen (18) years of age or younger.
Union, temporary, or part-time employees and contingent workers are not eligible for paid parental leave.
4. Do I have to take parental leave within a specific time period?
Parental leave must be completed within 12 months of the date of the child’s birth, adoption, foster care placement, or legal guardianship status of the child.
5. What pay rate is used for Paid Parental Leave?
Paid parental leave is compensated at 100% of your regular rate of compensation at the time of the commencement of leave, minus required federal and state tax deductions and authorized deductions, less any state or local leave and disability pay, paid family leave benefits, or alternative forms of wage replacement you may qualify to receive.
6. What is considered a qualifying adoption?
A qualifying adoption is generally defined as the adoption of a child who is under the age of 18 at the time of the adoption. An employee who adopts a spouse or partner’s existing child(ren) (i.e., not newly born to or recently adopted by that spouse or partner) generally does not qualify for this benefit.
7. What if I have multiple births, adoptions, or foster care placements in the same year?
An employee can only have one (1) instance of parental leave within a rolling 12-month calendar period, measured backward from the date leave begins. In no case will an employee receive more than twelve (12) weeks of paid parental leave in a rolling 12-month period, regardless of whether more than one birth, adoption, foster care, or legal guardianship placement occurs within that 12-month period.
8. My spouse and I both work for Rheem. Can we take parental leave at the same time?
If both spouses work for Rheem and are eligible for leave under this policy, the spouses cannot take leave under this policy at the same time. However, each spouse is eligible for up to (12) workweeks off for parental leave.
9. How much advance notice do I need to give before utilizing this policy?
You are responsible for notifying your immediate supervisor, your site HR contact, and Rheem Benefits at least thirty (30) days before the leave is expected to begin (or as soon as practicable, when at least thirty (30) days is not possible). Notification must include the anticipated length of leave and your intention to return to work after leave ends.
10. How do I request approval to use the Paid Parental Leave benefit?
Notify your site HR contact and Rheem Benefits 30-60 days prior to leave. Once your leave begins, you will need to submit verifying documentation (confirmation of birth, legal guardianship
paperwork, etc.) to Rheem benefits to approve your Paid Parental Leave.
11. How does this policy coordinate with holidays and sick time?
If a Rheem holiday occurs while you are on leave, that holiday (and corresponding pay) are considered part of your twelve (12) weeks of parental leave and will be paid in accordance with this policy. You will not be eligible for any additional holiday pay.
Except in limited circumstances, unused sick time taken pursuant to the sick time policy cannot be used in conjunction with paid parental leave. Eligible employees may, however, use sick time in lieu of parental leave but must forfeit their eligibility for twelve (12) weeks of paid parental leave in a rolling 12-month period.
12. How does this policy coordinate with short-term disability (including state-provided disability)?
An employee who gives birth to a child may be eligible for Short-Term Disability (“STD”) benefits (or state law equivalent). STD will be paid in
accordance with applicable insurance and/or state plans. Rheem may supplement any STD benefits such that the employee receives up to 100% of their base pay. In no event, however, will an employee receive a combined total of more than 100% of their base pay. Once STD benefits are exhausted (after 6 to 8 weeks, depending on the type of birth), the parental leave policy will cover the remainder of leave (6 to 4 weeks) at a 100% of base pay, up to the maximum 12-week period.
13. How does this policy coordinate with family leave?
You may also be eligible to receive job-protected leave under the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) or a state law equivalent. Where applicable and allowed by law, paid parental leave will run concurrent with FMLA leave and any other state mandated leave. If you are not eligible for FMLA, paid parental leave will run concurrent with any medical or personal leave under Rheem’s policies.
14. Will benefit deductions continue to be taken out of my paycheck while I am out on Paid Parental Leave?
Medical premium payments and other benefit plan contributions typically paid by the employee when not on leave will continue to be deducted from the employee’s pay in accordance with normal practice.
15. Where can I find more details about the Paid Parental Leave Policy?
For more information, please refer to the formal policy, which is posted on the Total Rewards microsite at totalrewards.Rheem.com.
Additional questions regarding this policy should be directed to your manager or local Human Resources Representative.
Remote Working Policy
1. What is Remote Work?Remote work is an agreed upon voluntary work arrangement between you and your manager, which offers flexibility in when and where you fulfill the expectations of your role and responsibilities. Eligible employees can request a remote work arrangement from their manager.
If you work remotely, you must make yourself available to Rheem during your scheduled work hours, unless otherwise excused by your manager. Employees working remotely remain subject to all Rheem policies.
2. Am I eligible for the new Remote Working Policy?
The new remote work policy is applicable to all U.S. exempt and salaried non-exempt employees, whose roles can be productively completed remotely without impact to the business and customers. This policy does not apply to hourly employees and is not applicable to employees who are hired to work remote. Remote work arrangements can be requested immediately upon hire.
3. What if I am non-exempt and work overtime?
If you are non-exempt and have a remote work arrangement, you must get advance written approval from your supervisor for hours worked outside of the anticipated times or in excess of those scheduled per day. If an employee works without receiving such advance approval, they will be paid for the time worked, but may also be subject to disciplinary action. Failure to record all hours or fraudulently completing such records may result in discipline up to and including termination.
4. Will all remote work requests be approved?
While all requests will be considered, the nature of your role, team, stakeholder expectations, and project requirements will influence the decision on whether to grant a request. Individual performance and the needs of the business will also be
considered when evaluating a request.
5. What are the requirements needed to work from alternative locations?
In order to ensure a seamless work experience, the employee should have the following
collaboration tools: • Reliable internet access
• Access/availability to a working phone • A stable/productive workspace
• Any software programs requested or required by Rheem, such as e-mail, Microsoft Teams or equivalent, etc. (You should work with the IT Department to make sure you can access these programs from your remote workspace before beginning any remote work arrangement.)
6. Is the Remote Work Arrangement permanent or set for a specific period of time?
Remote work examples can include working remotely intermittently or on an on-going basis. However, Rheem reserves the right to deny or
revoke an employee’s remote work arrangement
based upon business needs or individual performance.
7. Do I need a remote work arrangement if I am only going to be working from a new location for 2 weeks?
If you are working at a remote location temporarily (i.e, answering emails on vacation) then a remote working arrangement is not needed. However, if you continue to work in a location that is different than your regular work location on a intermittent or permanent basis, then you will need to have your request approved by completing a Remote Working Arrangement Request Form.
8. Will Rheem reimburse me for internet, personal cell phone useage for business calls, and office equipment expenses?
Employees bear the cost of providing their own office internet, home office equipment, and personal cell phone usage charges.Rheem will only provide reimbursement for such expenses and any other business-related expenses, where required by law.
9. Do I have to attend all in-person meetings if I work remotely?
From time to time, there may be mandatory in-person meetings or trainings that require your presence in-person. You will be expected to attend any such meetings or trainings in-person, unless otherwise excused by your manager, and any related travel expenses will be at the employee’s expense. If an employee’s assigned work office is different from where the employee has decided to work remotely, then travel and lodging costs will be at the expense of the employee. However, if an employee’s work location is remote, then any associated travel cost to a mandatory in-person meeting or training may be submitted as an expense to the Company. Under certain circumstances where an employee may be remote due to an urgent personal
situation, such as caring for a sick family member, the business may decide to allow such travel expenses to be expensed to the Company, but only with manager over manager prior approval.
10. Am I allowed to work remotely at the location of my choice and will different state taxes apply?
All requests must obtain manager over manager approval and approval by the Human Resources Department. Certain business units may require additional layers of approval before participating in this policy. Employees must make the Human Resources Department and their manager aware if they work in a state different from their work location, to ensure appropriate state taxation and other considerations are applied. Requests for
remote work will only be approved for states in which Rheem conducts business.
11. What happens if my email, internet, or phone aren’t functioning while working from an alternative location?
In the event that email, internet, or phone services are not working, you are required to notify your manager of the problem immediately, and you may be required to work from the office until the problem is resolved. It is the employee’s responsibility to ensure the agreed-upon outputs are delivered within the expected time-frame.
12. Where can I find more details about the Remote Working Policy?
For more information, please refer to the formal policy, which is posted on the Total Rewards microsite at totalrewards.Rheem.com.
Additional questions regarding this policy should be directed to your manager or local Human Resources Representative.
