Time Away From Work

Taking time away from work is important for your well-being – and to Northrop Grumman. The company offers Paid Time Off (PTO), flexible work schedules, and numerous paid holidays throughout the year. There are also several reasons you may need to take a leave of absence from your work at Northrop Grumman.

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Time Away from Work

Paid Time Off (PTO) is an accrued, vested benefit based on your years of service that offers compensation for time taken off from work. PTO can be taken for vacation, sick days or for other personal reasons such as waiting for a repair technician at home, attending a child’s school activities or participating in community events.

Paid Time Off eligibility is subject to applicable collective bargaining agreement(s), if any to all union employees.

Other forms of time off include:

  • Spending time with your family and friends during Holidays.
  • Fulfilling your civic duty through voting, jury duty, or military leave.
  • Spending time with loved ones after a death in the family using bereavement. Northrop Grumman will make a donation in memory of lost loved ones.
  • Adjusting to life at home with a newborn utilizing maternity leave and parental leave.
  • Gaining additional time off with alternate work arrangements through Flexible Work Schedules (i.e. 9/80 work schedules). Review the Workplace Accommodations site for additional resources.
  • Giving back to the local community through volunteerism is a great way to meet and network with other employees, team build, develop leadership skills and learn about commitments the company has made to strengthen our communities.
Childbirth Leave (Paid Parental Leave)

Our paid parental leave policy offers employees four weeks (up to 160 hours) of paid time off within the first 12 months following the birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption.

Find out more by reading the Paid Parental Leave policy and overview article.

*Pro-rated for part-time employees. If you are covered by a Collective Bargaining agreement, review your CBA for information about eligibility.

Whether this is your first time welcoming a child to the family or you have done this multiple times before, it’s always a good idea to be prepared. We’ve created tools that aim to provide a guide to going on leave. Please log in to view the toolkit and checklist.

Adding a Dependent

If you have a newly eligible dependent, you can make certain changes to your benefits, including adding your new child and other eligible dependents to your coverage. You have 31 days from the birth, adoption, or placement for adoption of your child to make certain benefit changes. These changes are effective from:

  • The date the child is born.
  • When legal adoption is final or the date the child is placed for legal adoption.

Please note: If you do not add your new dependent within 31 days, you will not be able to make changes until the next annual enrollment, unless you experience another life event which would permit you to make a change midyear. Review the benefits listed below to see the changes you can make. Once your dependent is added, you will receive information from Northrop Grumman asking you to verify your newly added dependent. Please ensure you respond timely so there is no lapse in coverage.

Please go to NetBenefits when you’re ready to enroll your dependent.

Additional Resorces for new parent here.

Medical and Dental

Benefit

Changes Allowed

Medical and

Dental Plans
  • Add your new dependent child to your coverage.
  • Add spouse and dependents, including new child, to your medical coverage.
  • Start coverage for yourself.
  • Drop coverage for yourself or any eligible children if you or they become covered under your spouse's plan. Note: this may result in loss of coverage for birth. Check with the carriers before making a change.
  • Change options. Note: this may result in loss of coverage for birth. Check with the carriers before making a change.

 

Flexible Spending Accounts

Benefit

Changes Allowed

Health Care Flexible Spending Account
  • Start or increase contributions.

Dependent Day Care Flexible Spending Account
  • Start or increase contributions.
  • Stop or decrease contributions if there is a decrease in the cost of day care (e.g., one parent is now staying at home).

Note: Certain restrictions apply to availability of funds

Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, and Disability Insurance

You can change your optional life insurance and disability at any time, but any new coverage may require evidence of health.  You may want to review your beneficiaries anytime your personal situation may change.

Northrop Grumman complies with company policy, specific plan and contract provisions, and directives, as well as federal and state laws regarding military leaves.

For more information about how your benefits are affected if you go on a military leave, contact the Northrop Grumman Benefits Center.

If you are on an approved, continuous Family Medical Leave of Absence (FMLA), your benefits are affected. In most cases, your benefits coverage continues until the end of the month plus four months provided you continue to make any required contributions.

Review the benefits listed below to find out what happens to your benefits as a result of this life event.

Health Care

Benefit

What Happens to Your Benefits

Medical, Dental and Vision Plans
  • Continue existing coverage to the end of the month plus four additional months from the day the leave begins, provided you continue to make the required contributions


Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

Benefit

What Happens to Your Benefits

Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
  • If you are receiving a paycheck from the company during your leave, your contributions continue on a before-tax basis.
  • If you are on an unpaid leave, your contributions stop. If you wish to continue your FSA, you can continue with after-tax contributions through COBRA for the remainder of the benefit plan year. You can be reimbursed for expenses incurred only during the time you made contributions.

Dependent Day Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
  • If you are receiving a paycheck from the company during your leave, your before-tax contributions continue to the end of the month plus four additional months from the day your leave begins.
  • If you are on an unpaid leave, your before-tax contributions stop. You may submit claims for expenses incurred during the balance of the benefit plan year.

 

Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, and Disability Insurance

Benefit

What Happens to Your Benefits

Basic Life
Basic AD&D
Basic Long-Term Disability
  • Coverage continues to the end of the month plus four additional months from the day the leave begins

Employee Optional Life (after-tax benefit)
Spouse Optional Life (after-tax benefit)
Child(ren) Optional Life (after-tax benefit)
Optional AD&D
Optional Long-Term Disability (after-tax benefit)
  • Coverage continues to the end of the month plus four additional months from the day the leave begins, provided you continue to make the required contributions

If you are on an approved personal leave of absence, your benefits are affected. In most cases, your benefits coverage continues until the end of the month plus one month provided you continue to make any required contributions.

Review the benefits listed below to find out what happens to your benefits as a result of this life event.

Health Care

Benefit

What Happens to Your Benefits

Medical, Dental and Vision Plans
  • Continue existing coverage to the end of the month plus one additional month from the day the leave begins, provided you continue to make the required contributions

 

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

Benefit

What Happens to Your Benefits

Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
  • If you are receiving a paycheck from the company during your leave, your contributions continue on a before-tax basis to the end of the month plus one month from the day your leave begins.
  • If you are on an unpaid leave, your contributions stop. If you wish to continue your FSA, you can choose to continue with after-tax contributions through COBRA for the remainder of the benefit plan year.
  • You can be reimbursed for expenses incurred for only that period during which you made contributions.

Dependent Day Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
  • If you are receiving a paycheck from the company during your leave, your contributions continue on a before-tax basis to the end of the month plus one month from the day your leave begins.
  • If you are on an unpaid leave, your contributions stop.
  • You can be reimbursed for eligible expenses incurred during the benefit plan year.

 

Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, and Disability Insurance

Benefit

What Happens to Your Benefits

Basic Life
Basic AD&D
Basic Long-Term Disability
  • Coverage continues to the end of the month plus one month from the day the leave begins

Employee Optional Life (after-tax benefit)
Spouse Optional Life (after-tax benefit)
Child(ren) Optional Life (after-tax benefit)
Optional AD&D
  • Coverage continues to the end of the month plus one month from the day the leave begins, provided you continue to make the required contributions

If you take a medical leave of absence for your own illness, including a work-related injury under Workers' Compensation, your benefits may continue for a maximum of twelve months from your last day of work. If you are receiving a paycheck from Northrop Grumman, your regular contributions continue. When you go on unpaid leave, you will be required to make monthly contributions.

Review the benefits listed below to find out what happens to your benefits as a result of this life event.

Health Care

Benefit

What Happens to Your Benefits

Medical, Dental and Vision Plans
  • Coverage continues for the duration of your approved leave, up for a maximum period of 12 months while you are on leave as long as you make the required contributions.
  • If your leave continues beyond 12 months, you may continue coverage through COBRA.

 

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

Benefit

What Happens to Your Benefits

Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
  • If you are receiving a paycheck from the company during your leave, your before-tax contributions continue.
  • If you are on an unpaid leave, your contributions stop. Once you no longer receive a paycheck if you want to continue your FSA, you can choose to continue with after-tax contributions through COBRA for the balance of the benefit plan year or longer if legally required.
  • You can be reimbursed for eligible expenses incurred only during the time you made contributions.

Dependent Day Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
  • If you are receiving a paycheck from the company during your leave, your before-tax contributions continue.
  • If you are on an unpaid leave, your contributions stop.
  • You may submit claims for eligible expenses incurred during the benefit plan year.

 

Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, and Disability Insurance

Benefit

What Happens to Your Benefits

Basic Life
Basic AD&D
Basic Long-Term Disability
  • Coverage continues for a maximum of 12 months while you are on leave.
  • At the end of 12 months if you have not returned to work, you may convert coverage to an individual policy.

Employee Optional Life
Spouse Optional Life
Child(ren) Optional Life
Optional AD&D
  • Coverage continues for a maximum of 12 months while you are on leave as long as you make the required contributions.
  • At the end of 12 months if you have not returned to work, you may convert or port coverage to an individual policy.

Optional Long-Term Disability
  • Coverage continues up to 12 months. You must continue to make your contributions until you are approved for LTD benefits.

Business Travel Accident Insurance
  • Coverage stops on the date your leave begins.

Prior to your return to work, you must enter your return to work date in the Aflac portal to restore badge and timekeeping access.  For directions, please review the Return to Work Guide or call Aflac at 800-244-8017.

After returning from an approved leave of absence, you have the opportunity to resume participation in benefits that paused while you were on leave. You do not need to make any changes if your benefits were unaffected during your leave of absence.