Unlimited paid time off sounds amazing to employees. They can take all the time they want! Go to the beach! Spent a week with their grandma! And no worries, they can still take the time they need to follow their favorite band around the world.
In reality, it doesn’t work that way.
Employees don’t get more time off (and may actually get fewer days away from work)
The Wall Street Journal says people with unlimited PTO take an average of 16 days of vacation per year, compared to 14 for people with limits on their PTO. That’s backed by previous studies, which have shown that people with unlimited PTO take fewer days off than their limited counterparts.
Either way, it’s not a huge amount of extra time. Americans famously have fewer days available than their European counterparts — the European Union has a minimum requirement of four weeks off — and every year, Americans leave one-third of their available time on the table. Getting “unlimited” time doesn’t change the culture of work.
to keep reading, click here: I’ve Been an HR Professional for 25 Years, and I Absolutely Hate Unlimited PTO
I have it and use it very carefully. I’m aligning it to what I had earned prior to the policy and am treating it as “use it or lose it.” It’s challenging, but I do enjoy it.