to main content

Leaves of Absence

Whether you’re taking a leave to bond with your child, serve in the armed forces, care for a sick family member, or tend to your own health, we have options for you.

Overview

Depending on the reason for your time out of the office, your employment status and the length of time needed, you may be eligible for a leave of absence.

On this page are highlights of the types of leaves of absence that may be available to you as a Fisher Investments employee.

Notification Requirements

You are expected to provide 30 days' advance notice to our external leave administrator or the Benefits Team at x808-5886 or 650-350-5886 when the need for a leave is foreseeable (i.e., anticipated birth of a child, pre-scheduled medical treatment). When unforeseen, you should give as much advance notice as possible. You should not share any private health information with your management.

The administrator will advise you on eligibility requirements, filing instructions, as well as any income replacement options.

If advance notice is not provided when there was sufficient prior knowledge of the need for leave, the firm may deny leave until 30 days has elapsed. Such denial should be made only when operationally necessary.


Resources

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

FMLA is an unpaid leave available under federal law. If you are eligible for FMLA leave, you can be away from work for 12 weeks in a rolling 12-month period. The time away may be 12 consecutive weeks or taken incrementally, if you meet certain requirements. In addition, there are other state-authorized leaves that you may be eligible for. In most cases, FMLA and state-authorized leaves run concurrently.

To be eligible for FMLA, you must live in the U.S., have worked for Fisher Investments at least 1,250 hours and have at least 12 months of tenure, before you request the leave. The leave must also be for the birth or placement of a child, your own serious medical condition, a family member’s medical condition or military family responsibilities.

  • Spouses are each entitled to 12 work weeks of FMLA leave within the designated 12-month period when using leave for the same qualifying reason (i.e., birth of a child, baby bonding, to care for a child with a serious health condition, etc.).

    Each spouse may be entitled to additional FMLA leave when applying for a different qualifying reason (i.e., personal medical health, to care for a parent with a serious health condition, etc.).

    For example, if each spouse took 6 weeks of leave to bond with a newborn child, each could later use an additional 6 weeks due to his or her own serious health condition or to care for a parent with a serious health condition.

Common Leave Types

Below is an overview of the common leave types available. Contact the external leave administrator or the Benefits Team for time off and filing requirements.

  • For pregnancy and childbirth, eligible employees may take time off both before and after the birth in accordance with state law and federal law for pregnancy disability leave. The average duration of the disability post-birth is between 6 and 8 weeks, barring any complications. Time off under state law usually runs concurrently with any FMLA leave entitlement.

    After the pregnancy disability leave ends or after the placement of a child, you may be eligible for up to 12 weeks of time off, commonly referred to as the bonding period. A bonding leave is available for male and female employees, and may be used as soon as the child is born or placed. The leave entitlement expires one year after the child’s birth or placement.

    Contact the Benefits Team for time off and filing requirements.

    Limitations: A leave taken for baby bonding may require a two-week minimum when taken incrementally. The leave to care for a newborn or newly placed child must conclude within 12 months after the birth or placement of the child.

  • When a serious health condition prevents you from doing your job, you may be eligible for time off in either full or partial increments to deal with the recovery of the condition. Please see the Employee Guide to FMLA, the Employee Manual on FIIRE or your physician for the definition of “serious health condition” and then contact the Benefits Team for time off eligibility and filing requirements.

  • When your spouse, parent or child has a serious health condition, you may be eligible for time off in either full or partial increments to act as the primary caregiver. Please see the Employee Guide to FMLA, the Employee Manual on FIIRE or your family member’s physician for the definition of “serious health condition” and then contact the Benefits Team for time off eligibility and filing requirements.

  • If you are called to provide service in the U.S. Armed Forces, you should notify your manager and provide the Benefits Team with a copy of the orders promptly after receiving them.

    Additionally, you may need time off related to family members in the Armed Forces. Some examples may be caring for an injured family member in the Armed Forces, arranging for alternate child care, getting legal help or attending military events.

    Contact the Benefits Team for time off eligibility and filing requirements.

    Thank you for your service!

  • Fisher Investments may offer leaves for other situations, such as: crime victim assistance, jury duty, school visits, worker’s compensation and personal (non-family and non-medical) needs. Contact the Benefits Team for time off eligibility and filing requirements.

Pay During Your Leave of Absence

You may be able to replace your income while you are on a leave through one of the following programs or benefits.


Paid Time Off (PTO) is required while on a medical leave for the first week of your leave of absence, up to 5 business days. PTO is not required beyond the first 5 days of your leave of absence, and in some situations where a state paid leave program comes in to play, PTO might be required for less time.

PTO is not required for any leave of absence tied to a pregnancy related reason, to care for a family member, or baby bonding leave. For a personal leave all accrued PTO is required to be utilized.

Return from Leave

Our external leave administrator will generally check-in with you prior to the expected return date. If plans change and you are unable to return to work as scheduled, you should contact the Benefits Team and our external leave administrator as soon as possible to discuss further options.

If the leave was related to your health or a disability, a clearance note is required prior to your return.