Elfsquad - Terms of Employment

Employment contract

At Elfsquad, every new team member starts with a temporary contract. When this period comes to an end, we'll take a moment to review and reassess our collaboration. If we decide to continue, you'll either be offered another temporary contract (typically 8-12 months) or, if things are a great fit, an indefinite contract. The specifics of your employment, including general terms and individual details like salary, will be laid out in your contract.

If you wish to leave the organisation, you must notify your manager in writing and adhere to a one-month notice period, which starts on the first day of the month following the cancellation date.

Naturally, you are required to return any company resources that have been provided to you.

Working hours

At Elfsquad a standard workweek is 40-hours with a work shift of 8 hours per day. If you want to work less, then you should discuss this with your manager. At Elfsquad we work with flexible working hours. This flexibility in working hours ranges from 06:30 till 18:30. Within this time frame you are expected to fulfill your 8 hour shift.

Your break is within your own time and is at least one hour per day. We think it is important for the team feeling to have lunch together at noon. We do this from 12:00 to 12:30. Nonetheless, we think it’s also important that you can focus on your work, therefore you can spread the other half hour of free time over the rest of the day, according to your own needs.

Overtime

Overtime is sometimes necessary and if you can write those hours, it’s time for time. The first half hour is not considered as overtime. Compensation for hours that fall within the day window, but are more than 8.5 hours, is 100%. Outside of the day window and on Saturdays it is 125% and on Sundays and public holidays it is 150%.

For instance:
You start at 8:30 and with the break you would go home at 17:30. You still have to finish something and it will be 6:00 PM. Then you don’t count this as overtime. If you work until 18:30 then you are entitled to count this as half an hour overtime.

Travel time

Traveling for a business meeting, for example with a customer, is working time, if you first went to the office. If you drive directly from your home to a customer, the first hour there and the last hour back is your own time (commuting). If the one-way journey takes longer than an hour, then this is considered working time. However, This rule does not apply if you drive to a hotel the day before the appointment. That’s your own time. For the journey back, the last hour is your own time and the rest is working time. Travel time compensation is 100% time for time and no overtime surcharges apply.

For instance:
You have to be at a client by 9am and it’s a 3 hour drive. From 6 to 7 a.m. is your own time (home-work) and from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. is considered working time. If you leave the customer at the end of the day and drive home and again it is a 3 hour drive, then 2 hours of this is, is working time and 1 hour private time (commuting). If the number of hours worked exceeds 8.5, it is overtime and this is 100% time for time.

Sickness & Absence Policy

Reporting Sickness/ Absence: At Elfsquad, we understand that health is a priority. If you are unable to work due to illness, inform your manager as promptly as possible. Your manager will report your absence to the Occupational Health and Safety Service (Arbodienst). Once you recover, you are expected to inform about your return to work to your manager, who will then notify the Occupational Health Service.

Long-Term Illness: In the case of long-term illness (longer than 7 days), Absence Team (Verzuimteam), an independent third party, will be involved. The company doctor's role is to monitor your health status and provide management with updates and recommendations on workplace adjustments or treatments necessary to facilitate your recovery and return to work.

Compensation: During the first two months of your sickness absence, you will receive 100% of your regular salary. From the third month onwards, the compensation will be adjusted to 70% of your salary, in accordance with Dutch employment law.

Return to Work: After any period of sickness absence, a return-to-work conversation will be conducted with your manager to discuss your recovery and any necessary support or adjustments. This may include phased returns, altered hours, or specific workplace modifications to accommodate your health needs.

Confidentiality: Your health information is confidential and will be handled with utmost respect for your privacy, in compliance with relevant laws.

Holiday

At Elfsquad you get 24 vacation days with full-time employment. 20 statutory and 4 non-statutory. Holidays are accrued proportionally to the contract. You plan your vacation and days off in consultation with your manager.

Holiday days not taken will lapse in accordance with the statutory regulations:

Statutory holidays expire six months after the year in which they were accrued
Non-statutory benefits expire after 5 years after the year in which they were accrued.

View the template to track vacation days here.

We ensure that the days are debited in the correct order, so that you first use your statutory and then your non-statutory ones.

Public holidays
The Elfsquad office is closed during the following holidays:

Easter Monday
Kingsday
First day of Pentecost & second day of Pentecost
Ascension Day
Christmas Day & Boxing Day
New Years Day

When special leave
Sometimes you are entitled to special leave in the event of family circumstances or for a special event, for example. In the circumstance that such an event occurs, please consult this with your supervisor. Below you will find a list of what you are entitled to in the following cases:

A wedding of yourself or of your parent, brother, sister or child = 1 day
Funeral partner = 1 week + 1 day of the funeral itself
Funeral of a relative = 1 day
Short-term care leave = in consultation
Long-term care leave = in consultation

For maternity leave, parental leave, etc., we follow the legal provisions of the Work and Care Act. You can find these here.

Pension plan

Elfsquad provides a retirement plan that allows you the flexibility to choose whether to participate and, if so, how much you wish to contribute. Elfsquad covers all administration costs involved.

Ancillary activities

If you work for Elfsquad, we would like your undivided attention. It is therefore prohibited without Elfsquad’s prior written permission to perform duties for third parties and/or to conduct business directly or indirectly for one’s own account during the term of the employment contract against payment or not directly/indirectly (see also your contract).

Social Media

Elfsquad likes to be in the spotlight. And we appreciate your help with that. Just pay attention to your language. Also, if you no longer feel comfortable with us, let your manager know personally and do not express it via social media channels. This can have serious consequences for our organization, therefore such actions will have legitimate consequences.

Salary

Salaries are paid monthly on the 25th of each month and include 8% holiday pay.

When you join Elfsquad, we establish your salary terms. After your initial employment contract, we will reassess your salary. You will then take part in regular evaluation rounds and set individual agreements regarding your salary progression.

Bonus

Elfsquad has a generous bonus scheme for everyone, because those who work hard should be rewarded! The goals to be achieved are set in January each year.

The bonus is an annual performance based payment. The scheme is AxBxCx 10% gross annual salary.
1. A= % achieved growth, measured in ARR, and customer satisfaction, measured in grade
2. B= % achieved team goals
3. C= % achieved individual goals

Weighting:

50% business target
15% team target
35% individual target

The scheme only applies to employees who are qualified to participate.
The gross bonus is a percentage of the gross annual salary. The same salary is used as the basis on which the holiday allowance will be calculated, meaning the holiday allowance does not impact the bonus. The percentage depends on the result stated under 1.
With regard to the company objective, the bonus percentage is determined according to the following table:

Growth according to 1A In % of the growth in ARR	Bonus Percentage
< 30 %	0 %
30-60 %	50 %
61-100 %	100 %
> 100 %	150 %

Customer Satisfaction 1A In grade from 1-10	Bonus Percentage
< 6	0 %
6-8	50 %
> 8	100 %

The individual and team objectives are determined in consultation with the team leader.
The maximum bonus that a participant can receive per year is € 15,000.
The payment takes place annually with the first remuneration after approval of the financial statement at the shareholder meeting.
The special rate, payroll tax and social security contributions apply to the bonus. The bonus is not pensionable.
A participant does not receive a bonus for the year in which he/she joined or left into employment. Upon termination of employment, there is no right to any bonus that has not yet been paid out for the previous year. The management may decide to deviate from this rule.
If the participant is on long-term sick leave, the management will make a decision about the award and amount of the bonus.
A different bonus scheme applies to Sales.
The management reserves the right to unilaterally change this bonus scheme.

Example bonus calculation:

2800> 33.600 per year (excluding vacation allowance)

100% Company target = 50%

90% Team target = 13,5%

100% Individual target = 35%

= bonus 98,5% > € 3309,60

Travel

Commuting
Elfsquad provides an allowance of 0.23 cents per km for distance ranging from 10 km to a maximum of 100 km one way. The kilometers must declared and will be reimbursed monthly. Travel expenses older than 2 months are not eligible for compensation. On the 20th of the month, all submitted data will be processed and included in that month's salary.

Check out the template to track your mileage here.

Business trips
If you have to travel for Elfsquad, such as visiting a customer, you should use a company car whenever possible. If a company car is not available, you can use your own vehicle and will be reimbursed 0.23 cents per kilometer. Parking costs will be reimbursed, but traffic fines are your responsibility.

If you are traveling for Elfsquad for an entire day and cannot return home before 19:00, you may have a meal at Elfsquad's expense. If you need to stay overnight for a business visit, you can book a mid-range hotel. Expenses will be reimbursed as soon as possible after submitting the claim.

Lease car
You qualify for an Elfsquad car if you drive at least 10,000 km for business purposes (excluding commuting home-work-home). Your personal contribution is €200 per month, and you are allowed to drive up to 10,000 km privately. Any additional kilometers will be at your own expense. You are required to maintain accurate kilometer records.

Workplace

Telephone
Everyone who needs to be personally reachable for business purposes for Elfsquad will receive a company mobile phone with their own business number. You must return this to your manager when you leave employment.

Laptop
The functions for which it is necessary to have a laptop will be borrowed from Elfsquad. At the end of employment, it must be returned to your manager.

Training

Continuous development is important to us at Elfsquad, that’s why you receive a € 1000,- personal development budget every calendar year that you can spend on yourself to learn new skills and hone existing ones.

If you want to follow a course that helps you to do your work at Elfsquad even better or helps you improve your abilities that simultaneously contribute to your own development as well as Elfsquad’s, then go see your manager and discuss your idea right away. 9 times out of 10 you will receive permission to use your budget and to develop further. The following rules apply:

If your intended education costs more than your personal budget, your idea will be discussed in the leadership team (LT).
The full training costs will be reimbursed (books, tuition fees, exam fees, etc.), but a refund scheme does apply if you leave Elfsquad within 3 years after completing your training. And if you stop early, without a valid reason, you will have to pay the full amount back.
The same rule applies to travel costs to a training institute as to commuting.
There is no daily allowance
The time for the physical lessons (online or at a location) is working time (100%), possibly homework time or self-study time not. No overtime allowance can be claimed if the study is followed in the evenings or weekends.

Repayment arrangement:
If an Elfsquad employee decides to leave the organization within 3 years after completing the study paid by Elfsquad, a repayment arrangement applies. Are you leaving:

if your study has not yet been completed, you must repay 100% of the tuition fee
within one year after completing the study, you must repay 75% of the tuition fee
within 2 years after completing the study, you must repay 50% of the tuition fee
within 3 years after completing the study, you must repay 25% of the tuition fee

Staff pot

Conviviality is also important at Elfsquad. For that reason, € 5 per month is deducted from every employee’s salary, which goes directly to the staff pot. This staff pot is used to stock up the beverage fridge.

Appendices

In this appendix you will find important documents that apply to your work at Elfsquad:

Why Elfsquad?

Solutions

How Nice That You're Working with Us!

Employment Contract

Working Hours

Sickness & Absence Policy

Holiday

Pension Plan

Ancillary Activities