Everyone wants to take a vacation from work at some point. Back in school, we were raised to believe that spring/summer/winter were the seasons where we could just kick back and enjoy ourselves back home from the pressures of education (sorry, autumn). Yet, the moment we step into a life of employment, it’s a non-stop grind to earn our keep 5-7 days a week with hours dependent on where you work and what your job is. Fortunately for us employees, there’s always the option of paid leave. Unlike schoolchildren, we get to decide when we want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the workplace, and hey, we even get paid for it.
But what happens when, you can take as many days off as you want? Yes, you read that right. Unlimited Paid Time Off is, in fact, a thing; it may not be a common occurrence as of yet, but it is slowly becoming more widespread. But isn’t that counterproductive And why are employers willing enough to leave their employees’ leaves up to a whim? Let’s break it down further.
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PTO (Paid Time Off)
To understand the unlimited scope, we first need to understand the limited scope. Paid time off, as its name suggests, is a period of time during which employees can take a leave from work while still maintaining their pay. Meaning they do not have to worry about employers cutting salaries or missing out on their bonuses. It may sound simple, but there are conditions.
PTO is limited in the amount of time; you can take off and can come in various categories of leave. For example, there is usually a line between sick leave and vacation leave. As an employee, you wouldn’t want to lose your vacation days simply because you got sick that one time, no? Alongside this, assuming you’re on probation, you may not have time off at all until you become a full-fledged employee at your workplace.
PTO is also calculated according to annual days of leave. Employees are granted a certain amount of days per year that they’re allowed to take off. In some cases, if an employee doesn’t take a vacation for an entire year, they may be allowed to take that time off later as a rollover form of leave. This is important in the distinction between PTO and Unlimited PTO. Other employers may offer accrued PTO, which is days you can take off per hour worked before your monthly pay, which can be added to your set days of leave. This may all sound very daunting, so let’s just hope your boss keeps it simple.
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Unlimited PTO distinguishes itself from normal PTO in the obvious fact that it’s unlimited. Now, as Cranes Law says, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. UPTO is something that depends on the employer and the conditions they have established for you, the employee, on what time you can reasonably take off. Most employers prefer that if UPTO is being used, it should not be abused. Employees are expected to take their leaves in a timely fashion while maintaining a certain level of productivity.
Of course, this, in turn, raises several questions, the most important of which being: How much time off is too much time off?
How Much, Is Too Much?
In all honesty, the answer to this question lies solely within your place of work. PTO that is limited is designed in such a way that employees are 100% working at the office, and being productive. It’s a system designed completely around the employee’s concession to have a job that funds their day-to-day expenses. Of course, not all jobs are perfect in that regard, but the best ones give you just enough time off such that you don’t feel like you’re burning out due to overwork. It’s very important to get that balance down.
However, UPTO is a different story. PTO has the benefit of rollover and accrual of days off, so if you feel you’ve worked enough, you can take a break knowing that you’ve earned it. In the case of UPTO, there’s a delicate balance that an employee themselves has to strike before they start raising red flags. If you take too much time off while eschewing productivity, your boss is very likely to rescind payment and, in the worst case, straight-up fire you. So what do you do? The solution is simple: you plan ahead.
By planning ahead, you can make sure that everybody who needs to be informed of your impending vacation is informed. This allows for workers in your department who aren’t taking a vacation at the same time to pick up a marginal share of your responsibilities and keep the company running smoothly. Also, make sure that you understand company policy; you don’t want management to think you’re abusing your paid leaves for free money now, do you? Also keep in mind UPTO is a privilege, not an inherent right, so when it comes to requesting your time off, try not to phrase it as an order.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? You get to relax, get paid, and just live your life. But what if you’re not getting the time off that you deserve? What if you’re getting milked dry by your company with little to no leave?
Unpaid Days vs. No Days
Sometimes, work just doesn’t let up. Whether it’s because your boss has refused to let you go or because you’re a workaholic and just want to keep at the daily grind at your office. Everybody has it differently. Of course, in certain scenarios, an employee may be allowed leave, but they for sure aren’t getting paid for it. This results in their pay being cut for the day or days they missed.
This form of leave can be a massive hurdle for many employees, especially when they’ve exhausted their sick days and suddenly face a very unfortunate medical condition. Whilst the author of this article can’t claim to be the leading expert on leaves and their health benefits, what we can say is that anything less than 2 weeks off is not enough for anyone.
Breaks from work are a healthy part of our lives and prevent us from crumpling to burnout. If it weren’t for leaves, most employees would probably choose to quit their jobs in order to take “breaks” from work.
Clocking Out
Ultimately, PTO is a necessary quality of life for employees. It’s something that also shouldn’t be taken for granted, especially when it’s unlimited. At the same time, however, employers should always offer their employees some form of insurance so that they don’t feel slighted and burned out by their work.
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FAQs
- What are the best days to plan my PTO?
The best days are those where you feel like you need a break. The next best option is planning your leave close to a public holiday of sorts; that way you can squeeze in an extra day for yourself. My personal recommendation would be to take leave on a Wednesday; the day in between is a sweet spot between work and the weekend.
- Does paternity/maternity leave count as PTO? Will it eat into my regular PTO?
Paternity leave is a very specific benefit offered by an employer on the off chance that you have a child whilst working. It’s a common scenario, of course, but very few people manage to have children every year, and it’s highly uncommon for it to count as PTO. Instead, paternity leave is its own form of leave whose offering depends on the employer.
- I’m all out of leave days, and suddenly an emergency has come up. What do I do?
If an emergency has turned up and you’re out of leaves, then the best course of action is to talk to your management about it. If they’re fair and understanding, then they’ll willingly grant you the time needed. If not, then you should be prepared to take unpaid leave if allowed.
