Unpaid Leave

We already offer a generous amount of paid time off because we trust our team to rest, recharge, and take care of what matters most outside of work. Sometimes, though, life throws curveballs — and that’s where unpaid leave can come in. Here’s how we handle it:

What it’s for.

Unpaid leave is for occasional, exceptional situations like:

• Needing more time off than your paid leave allows, often at short notice

• Personal circumstances that don’t fit within regular leave categories

• Something unexpected - because we get it, life happens

There’s one exception where you can request unpaid leave in advance:

• Sabbaticals — if you’re eligible and planning a longer break, log it in Calamari as Unpaid Leave with “Sabbatical” as the reason.

What it’s not for.

Unpaid leave is not meant to:

• Stretch out a holiday or long weekend just because… vibes

• Act as a kind of unofficial extra annual leave allowance

We want to keep things fair for the whole team and sustainable for the business — so please keep this in mind when making a request. While unpaid leave doesn’t incur a salary cost, it can still have an impact; it might disrupt project timelines, stretch team members, or affect productivity overall.

How it works.

All unpaid leave requests are approved through Calamari. These should be submitted no more than 2 weeks in advance of the time off, unless it's a sabbatical.

You’ll need to include a short note explaining the reason. Requests will be approved (or not) based on whether they fit the guidance above.

Unpaid Leave is the only leave type that requires approval; everything else is automatically approved. We’re only adding this step because there's sometimes confusion about when unpaid leave is the right option. This helps keep things transparent and fair.

Trust and responsibility.

We’re not here to micromanage. This policy is built on mutual trust and good judgement — you know the deal: Maximum freedom, maximum responsibility. If you’re unsure whether something fits, just check in with Catarina. We’ll always aim to be flexible when it makes sense.