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Chief
My experience is that unlimited PTO is just another way agencies try to take money out of your pocket. PTO is part of your comp. If they fire you or you quit, they don’t need to pay you anything extra because you never had quantifiable guaranteed PTO to begin with. I try to avoid agencies that run this scam.
20 days a year is generous.
I love unlimited pto, I take about 6 weeks off per year, but I’ve been fortunate to be on teams where it’s encouraged to use it! I’d just put in writing before accepting the position, something like: “I’ve never had unlimited PTO before and it makes me a little nervous, so I’d like to gauge my future boss’s expectations here. I’m coming from X number of days pto so I plan on using at least that many. Please confirm that is an acceptable amount given the team’s culture and norms.”
Used to work at Digitas a few years back before the shift to unlimited. Even then people were highly encouraged to use their days, and never once was I made to feel guilty about taking every last one.
I don't think this is a sincere response. Everyone I've talked to feels guilty about unlimited PTO and everyone I know never takes full advantage of it
Some agencies allow you to take it freely.
I used it and ABUSED it when I had it and I loved every second of it. One time my boss pulled me aside and let me know that I had taken 37 days in 2019 and patted me on the back. Those were the good old days.
Same, I took like two months in a year.
I was confronted at an agency for taking too much PTO on an unlimited PTO policy even though all days were approved my managers and there was never an issue with coverage. When I asked what the issue was, management just said it’s more days than we think you should be taking 🤪. As others said above here it’s all about them not paying you for vacation days. Agencies want to have their cake and eat it too.
His much time did you take overall - and how much at once ? I want to know what people think is too much
In my experience it means “don’t worry about grabbing an extra day here or there” and it would be very frowned upon to go on a 2 week+ vacation
Pro
An important rule of unlimited pto is - don’t totally screw over your team. A lot of people do 1 two week long trip per year, but anything longer than that consecutively would be really hard on your backfill, so that’s frowned upon except for extreme circumstances (ie - wedding/honeymoon)
I don’t believe in unlimited PTO policies because there’s almost always an unspoken limit. Plus I got screwed over at my last agency when I got laid off and was not paid unused days but would have been paid otherwise. Maybe ask for the written policy to see if it’s specific enough for you
There is no payout. And there is a limit. That’s why they do it.
Unlimited PTO isn’t a benefit, it’s a way for the company to not have to pay out vacation days when people leave. Unless you’re a person who actually takes 4+ weeks of PTO a year.
I'm a person who takes 4+ weeks and would be fully utilizing it
I work at Digitas NY (publicis) and we have unlimited PTO. when I say it’s unlimited i’m not kidding. I have a strategist whose taken off 2 weeks at a time twice this year. same with my creatives. it’s almost unbelievable
i’m surprised, it seems like nobody knows about this benefit!
I like it. I balk at companies that expect people to use pto for sick days and such. Even if it means not getting more paid out if I leave, I prefer the feeling of more freedom and never feel guilty for taking my days.
SAME. My agency now requires you to use your 15 PTO days for being sick too and it is crazy to me.
Yes, but it’s possible to take long vacations as long as those are approved way ahead of time. But don’t be an ass and take every single Friday of the year off or 2 weeks off work ~one day~ then another 2 weeks. Our agency laid out general rules. But that’s ridiculous they said you took too many if there was coverage and you work didn’t slip.
Chief
Not really but in this instance, there appears to be.
My agency has it and I made a point of asking HR when I started what they recommend employees take off. She said an average of 23 days. I intend to take off at least 23 days this year and cite her saying that if I get any flack at all. I don’t get paid enough to not take advantage of this perk.
I've never felt guilt and I always use it. It's mine and I won't feel bad taking it even if it's just to sit at home. They are banking on your guilt. It's a job. You work for them and in turn they pay you in cash, benefits and PTO. If you don't feel bad about using the other two don't feel bad about the 3rd.
We have unlimited PTO and we definitely all use it. Of course there is the human guilt of knowing you have colleagues covering for you while you’re out — but when you cover for them too it helps.
Agree with social strategist that it would prob be frowned upon to take more than 2 weeks at a time more than once or twice a year.
Hold yourself accountable to actually use it. And it doesn’t have to go with a trip. I have a week of PTO coming up and I have no plans. Just been pushing hard the past few months and want a break.
Unlimited PTO is all about the company, not the employee. Companies know you will never take the vacation time you think you might- and when you are terminated, they don’t owe you for unpaid vacation. CFO’s love it because it costs far less. For a junior employee, it is attractive because you go from 2 weeks vacation to unlimited which is probably better, but for anyone with significant vacation accrual, I would hesitate
I’ve worked at an agency with unlimited PTO, and my managers laid out PTO expectations right away by role. Something like, 17 days for mid and junior roles, and more for those above. Do y’all think it’s a fair practice for an agency with unlimited PTO?
Unless those days are a suggested minimum to take on their “unlimited PTO” plan then hell no it’s not fair practice
We moved to unlimited PTO last year and agree that it is a BS policy that only benefits the company.. I was earning 5 weeks a year before that so at a minimum I want to take 5 weeks. Not easy in production but I do encourage my team to take at least 3 weeks of PTO and as long as there is coverage they can take as much as they want. Happy to report they are taking the well deserved PTO! Most already have 8-10 days this year and it’s only July.. Good on them!
What’s the consensus on the general maximum limit for mid-level roles? I have a few vacations coming up and already feel bad about it…
Pro
Unlimited PTO was listed in your job description as a BENEFIT. Don’t feel bad about using it! Just set up a solid coverage doc, save all your working files to the server, and your golden!
I work at an agency with unlimited PTO and now feel pretty strongly against it. People at this agency take off less time than at any other agency I’ve worked at. I am guilted for any time off I attempt to take and PTO is often denied. However, some of my friends in Creative have no problems at all taking time off so it may just depend on the team. Either way, I miss accruing my PTO so that no one can really tell you much about taking off the time you’ve earned.
I have unlimited PTO at a smaller agency where everyone uses it liberally. Some people more than others, but there’s never been an issue if you get your work done. I brought it up with a former employee and a mid-level manager I interviewed with to get a more reliable answer, what they shared was true. Highly recommend since it’ll be variable place to place.
I loved having unlimited/flexible PTO... mostly because I didn't feel like I needed to "hoard" vacation days in case I needed to take time off and then take them all before they expired. Before pandemic I used about 30 per year, during pandemic I went to more like 20. I only heard of one person abusing it across my company during my time there, but the manager didn't do anything to reign it in. Being able to use it freely really depends on the manager and team you're working with.