Effective April 1, 2022

CC Employee Handbook
Welcome to Creative Commons! We are pleased you have joined the CC team. This handbook
will familiarize you with our policies and procedures. It also summarizes our employee benefits.
Please read it immediately, as compliance with its policies is a condition of your employment.
The policies stated in this handbook may be subject to change from time to time at the sole
discretion of CC. You will receive updated information concerning changes in policy, and yourcontinued employment constitutes acceptance of such changes. If you have any questions,contact your manager or hr@creativecommons.org.

Work Schedules
Team Communication
CC Equipment
Business Expenses
Paid Time Off
Leaves of Absence
Confidentiality
Conflicts of Interest
Harassment Prevention Policy
Whistleblower Policy
Blogs & Social Media
Performance Review Policy

Effective April 1, 2022

Work Schedules
As a distributed organization with a global reach, we all need to be considerate of time zones
and varied work schedules. We also need to be comfortable with a large amount ofasynchronous work.
However, as a small collaborative team, we also need and want some time to work together,side by virtual side. We also need and want some predictability about when we can reach eachother or plan work sessions.
To hit this balance, we ask that all employees work with their managers to set a consistent
standing work schedule. When establishing your schedule, consider the following:● Your schedule must be limited to Monday through Friday; we want our entire
team to reserve weekends for non-CC time.
● For full-time staff, the working hours should be spread fairly consistently over thecourse of the week.
● The period of each workday with the most overlapping work time for the team is:○ 17:30 to 22:30 Mumbai (UTC+5:30)○ 15:00 to 20:00 PM Nairobi (UTC+3)○ 12:00 to 17:00 UTC+0○ 09:00 to 14:00 Rio de Janeiro (UTC-3)○ 05:00 to 10:00 Los Angeles (UTC-7)

📆 Once you set your standing schedule with your manager, please mark your working hours inyour calendar to let your colleagues know.

All-Staff Meetings: Regardless of what personal work schedule you set, you are
expected to be available for 2-3 all-staff meetings each week so we can connect as an entire
team. As much as possible, those meetings will be scheduled sometime between 15:00-19:00
UTC.
Flexibility: Our consistent work schedules are intended to make it easier to work
together as a team, but they are not intended to be rigid. If you need to be away from your desk
during your regular working hours for an appointment or otherwise, you can shift your hours thatday. Please use your judgment; if you need to be away from your desk for a significant period oftime during your regular working hours, we encourage you to use your paid time off.
Overtime & Recording Time: Due to their employment status, certain employees may
be required to keep track of their time and adhere to particular work schedules. Your manager

Effective April 1, 2022
and the HR department will let you know if this applies to you, and will work with you to set up aroutine and system that works for you.

Team Communication
Even more than in a physical office, remote work environments require deliberate andconsistent communication to make sure we all have the same understanding of tasks and goals,
and to ensure we get to know one another and stay connected.
To that end, we have the following day-to-day communication practices that we ask everyone
to follow:●

Slack: We use Slack as our digital office space. There are several staff Slack channels
for various purposes, but the #general channel in our internal CC Slack is our primary
digital space for all-staff communication.
○ If you are so inclined, greet your coworkers in the #general channel on theinternal CC Slack workspace when you start your day. Please keep that channel
open during your working hours.
○ When you need to step away from your workspace or need uninterrupted time tofocus, just update your Slack status (or your calendar if you need to close Slack)so your coworkers know you are unavailable.

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Google Calendars: We use shared calendars to make it easier to schedule meetingsand coordinate as a team.
○ Please make your Google Calendar visible to everyone on staff, and mark yourregular working hours on your calendar.

●

Work calls & meetings: To help us stay connected as humans, we use videoconferencing as much as possible for our work calls and meetings.
○ Because it can help us get to know each other, consider turning on your video forwork calls and meetings. (There are also times where each one of us chooses toface mute. Just use your discretion.)○ Consider not muting your audio as a default, depending on the size and format of
the call. (We have found that staying off mute helps make discussion flow morenaturally and better simulates in-person meetings, but use your best judgment
depending on the circumstances.)○ Make sure you have adequate internet bandwidth and low background noise to
make those calls as hassle-free as possible. (If this is a regular challenge for you,please talk to your manager about obtaining better equipment.)Effective April 1, 2022

CC Equipment
CC will purchase equipment for you to do your work. CC equipment may include a laptop,
peripherals, software, etc. CC equipment is property of Creative Commons and you should use
and maintain it with reasonable care. When possible, please save the box your CC equipment
was delivered in. Equipment boxes often have information essential to troubleshooting andspecifically constructed to protect their contents in case it needs to be shipped.
While incidental personal use is permitted, it should never result in any added expense forCreative Commons, and it should never impede your job productivity or that of other employees.
Staff members are eligible to get a new computer under certain conditions:● your warranty is about to expire● your computer is not reliable● an upgrade will significantly improve how you to do your work
● other circumstances as approved by your manager
If you wish to request new hardware, please email your manager with the Core Systems
Manager copied.
Please remember, employees should not have an expectation of privacy with regard to any
information, data, or documents created or stored on CC equipment. While rarely enforced, CC
does have the right to inspect and/or reclaim any CC equipment (including software services
like email) at any time without employee notice.
If any CC equipment is lost or damaged, please notify your manager immediately.
When your employment with CC ends, you have the option of buying the equipment, please
consult the wiki for information on this. Otherwise, you must return all CC equipment in good
repair. CC reserves the right to take any lawful action to recover or protect our property.

Business Expenses
In order to ensure employees can do their work effectively, CC will pay for certain costs
associated with working remotely, travel, and other specified business expenses. You should
submit your reimbursements (with receipts) on a monthly basis using the Expensify system.
Unless otherwise specified in this policy, you must get approval from your manager before
incurring an expense on behalf of Creative Commons.
Internet & Mobile Phone: CC will reimburse costs of your internet service, up to a
maximum of the equivalent of USD $50 per month. CC will reimburse costs of your mobile
phone, up to a maximum of the equivalent of USD $50 per month.

Effective April 1, 2022

Home office expenses: CC will pay for necessary office equipment, including a laptop,
keyboard, and external monitor. However, please work with Operations to arrange for thepurchase of these items so we can ensure consistency across staff.
Travel: CC will pay all reasonable costs for pre-approved business travel, includingtransportation and meals (excluding alcohol). CC will pay for meals over the course of yourtravel. Public transportation is preferred. Taxis should be kept to a minimum; please travel ingroups when possible. Airfare should be booked in economy class on the most affordable
nonstop (where feasible) flight. If you drive your personal vehicle, CC reimburses mileageaccording to the US Federal government rate.
Other: Meals with a defined business purpose will be reimbursed.
In all cases, please keep in mind that CC is a nonprofit, so we ask that employees be frugal
when incurring expenses.

Paid Time Off
As part of our effort to support employee wellbeing, Creative Commons (CC) provides a
generous amount of paid time off (PTO) to all regular full-time and regular part-time employees.
We believe that time away from work is important, and we strongly encourage you to regularly
use your vacation time throughout your employment at CC.
Many countries have laws governing paid time off requirements, so employees outside of the
U.S. and Canada have different PTO schedules written into their employment agreements. In
spite of these variations based on differing employment laws and customs, we do our best to
make the PTO offerings as fair and consistent as possible across staff. You can see more
information about how PTO is handled for different jurisdictions on the internal wiki.
●

Holidays:○ Creative Commons treats all normal work days from Christmas Day through New
Year’s Eve as paid holidays. We also have Wellbeing Days on the last Friday of
every month, which are treated as paid holidays for all employees.
○ Other observed holidays vary for employees depending on where they live.
○ The holiday schedule may vary slightly from one year to the next. CC will update
the holiday schedule on the internal wiki before the start of each calendar year.
○ Regular full-time and regular part-time employees are eligible for paid holidays
immediately upon hire. Regular part-time employees are eligible for holiday pay
in proportion to the number of hours they normally are scheduled to work.
○ Holidays are not an accrued benefit and are not payable upon termination.

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Vacation:Effective April 1, 2022
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Full-time employees earn 1.5 days of paid vacation for each full month of
employment (which equates to 18 days or 144 hours annually). After thecompletion of an employee's fourth year of employment, the rate will increase to
2 days of paid vacation for each full month of employment (which equates to 24
days or 192 hours annually).
Regular full-time and regular part-time employees are eligible to earn vacation
beginning in the employee's first full month of employment. Part-time employees
will earn vacation on a prorated basis based on the number of hours worked.
Reasonable efforts should be made to schedule vacations at a time and for aduration mutually acceptable by you and your manager.
Your vacation accrual may not exceed 28.5 days or 228 hours. Once thismaximum cap is reached, all further accruals will cease until you have usedenough vacation time to bring the accrual below the cap.
Upon termination from CC, employees will be paid for all accrued, unused
vacation time.

Sick Time: CC provides paid time off for illness or injury (including illness or injury of
spouse, domestic partner, children, or parents) beginning in the first full month of
employment.
○ Full-time employees will accrue sick time at a rate of 1 day per month (which
equates to 12 days per year). Part-time employees will accrue sick time on aprorated basis based on the number of hours worked.
○ Unused sick time may be carried forward each year to a maximum accrual of 12
working days (which equates to 96 hours).
○ Please alert your manager right away if you need to take a sick day. CC reserves
the right to request a doctor’s note to support the employee’s absence from work
for an illness.
○ We strongly encourage employees to completely step away from work while sick,in order to take time to rest and recover. If you are sick for more than fiveconsecutive days, HR will be in touch to see if there is any way we can help you.
○ Upon termination from CC, employees will not be paid for any accrued, unusedsick time.

Leaves of Absence
CC grants leaves of absence in accordance with the requirements of applicable laws, whichvary depending on the jurisdiction where the employee lives. In addition to what is legallyrequired, CC grants employees certain additional leave benefits as specified below.
Employees continue to receive existing health and other benefits during all approved leaves ofabsence up to 3 months (except when a longer period is mandated by law). This includes
dependent benefit coverage as long as the employee continues to pay her/his portion of thepremium for such coverage.

Effective April 1, 2022

*Family Leave
In conjunction with any paid family leave provided by the employee’s jurisdiction ofresidence, CC offers Family Leave for the following reasons:● to bond with the employee’s new child; or● to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, parent, or partner.
Creative Commons will supplement the paid family leave benefits provided by theemployee’s local government so that an employee on approved Family Leave should receive
100% of their regular salary in accordance with the following:● Employees who have served between 3 and 12 consecutive months of
employment may be granted a paid leave of absence for up to 4 consecutive
weeks.
● Employees who have served at least 12 consecutive months of employment may
be granted a paid leave of absence for up to 6 consecutive weeks.
Employees must give written notice of their intent to take Family Leave and theiranticipated date of return as soon as reasonably practicable. Employees must send this request
to their manager and copy hr@creativecommons.org. In the case of child bonding, Family
Leave must begin within three months of the birth of a child and/or placement of a child for
adoption or foster care. During Family Leave, employees do not accrue vacation or sick timeand are not entitled to receive holiday pay. Family Leave is not an accrued benefit and is not
subject to payment upon termination. As Family Leave at CC is not legally required, CC does
not guarantee a right to leave, job protection, or return to work upon completing leave.
*Bereavement Leave
Bereavement Leave is a paid leave of absence in the event of a death in the immediatefamily. Bereavement Leave may be approved for up to 5 days.
*Jury Duty and Witness Appearance
Civic duty is important, and you will be granted leave if you are called as a juror or
witness in a legal proceeding. Inform your manager as soon as possible upon learning that you
have been called for jury duty or to appear as a witness, and keep your manager informed as tothe likely duration of your service.
You may take whatever time is required to complete your service without jeopardizing
your position at CC. You will be paid for work time missed for up to 3 days; after that, the leave
will be unpaid unless otherwise required by applicable law. During any portions of the day thatcourt attendance is not required, you are expected to meet your regular job responsibilities.

Effective April 1, 2022

Confidentiality
Creative Commons is committed to being a transparent organization. Nonetheless, CC does
deal with certain categories of information that are confidential. If you have access toconfidential CC information, for example information about donors to CC or private personnel
information, it is vital that you not disclose it to anyone outside CC either during or after youremployment. Upon termination, you must promptly return any such information to CC and must
not keep copies, whether in document or electronic form, and must delete CC confidential
information from your personal electronic devices.

Conflicts of Interest
CC employees must take care to avoid conduct that would compromise public confidence in CC
and its mission. You should seek to avoid situations where your personal activities andrelationships conflict, or appear to conflict, with the interests of CC. You must disclose to yourmanager any interest that you have that may, or may appear to, conflict with the interests of CC.
For example:
Financial interests in other companies: If you have a material financial interestin a transaction between CC and a third party, you must disclose that interest, and thattransaction must be approved by the Board of Directors.
Outside employment: You may not engage in consulting or other outside work if
doing so would negatively affect your performance at CC or make it difficult for you to do yourwork at CC objectively and effectively.
Each year, CC requires all employees to disclose outside financial interests. The list ofcompanies and organizations is maintained on CC’s internal wiki, and CC must get pre-approvalby the Board of Directors before engaging in transactions with any of those entities.

Harassment Prevention Policy
CC is committed to providing a work environment free from harassment or discrimination, which
includes, but is not limited to, sexual harassment or harassment on the basis of race, religious
creed, color, national origin or ancestry, gender identity, physical or mental disability, marital
status, family status, age, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
Within your first 3 months as an employee of Creative Commons, you will be required tosuccessfully complete a training course about how to prevent harassment and discrimination.
You will be required to renew the training annually. CC will set this up for you.
If you believe you have been subject to any form of harassment or discrimination, you shouldreport it immediately to the General Counsel or hr@creativecommons.org.

Effective April 1, 2022

Whistleblower Policy
Creative Commons expects employees to observe high ethical standards in carrying out their
responsibilities and to comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
Open Door Policy
If any employee has complaints, concerns, or questions as to the ethics or legality of a particularaction taken by a director, officer, employee, or volunteer, they are encouraged to raise theircomplaints, concerns or questions with their manager or any director or officer, including theCEO, General Counsel, Secretary, Board Chair, Vice Chair, or any other director on the Board of
Directors.
In the event a director, officer, employee, or volunteer believes that there may have been a legaltransgression and that it is not reasonable to raise the issue with an officer, director, or
employee, such person should contact an outside attorney or authority.
Requirement of Investigation
Within a reasonable time of receiving a complaint, concern or question regarding compliancewith a law, regulation or ethics requirement, the CEO, General Counsel, Secretary, and/or any
other director or officer must report the matter to the Governance & Nominations Committee of
the Board of Directors, which will open an investigation into the matter and pursue it toresolution. Should the Governance & Nominations Committee find that a law, regulation or
ethics requirement has been violated, appropriate action should be taken.
Confidentiality
To the degree possible, the names of the individuals reporting under this Whistleblower Policy
shall be kept confidential.
Protection from Retaliatory Action
Neither the organization nor its managers may take any negative employment or otherretaliatory action against any director, officer, employee, or volunteer who in good faith reports aviolation of a law or regulatory requirement. An employee who retaliates against someone who
has reported a violation in good faith is subject to discipline including, but not limited to,termination of employment.

Blogs & Social MediaCreative Commons supports the appropriate use of social media, both personally and, on behalfof the company. If you engage in social media, you are expected to protect CC's brand andadhere to the principles of being responsible, and respectful. You must protect against any
unauthorized disclosure of confidential information belonging to CC, our community, or any thirdEffective April 1, 2022
parties with whom we do business. All social media and social networking accounts created by
CC employees that leverage CC brands or trademarks, or that are created using a CC businessemail address, are considered the property of CC. You must be authorized by CC before you
create or manage these CC-owned properties.

Performance Review PolicyYour performance, professional development, and growth is important. CC runs an annual
performance review process which includes both peer and manager reviews. CC is always
improving how we give feedback to one another and is committed to your professional growth.
All employees also have the option and/or right to inspect their own personnel files uponadvance request.