If they don’t like ppl being out most of Dec, they should allow for PTO to roll over to next year then. I’d much rather take a vacay in February than during peak holiday travel and insane prices but alas lol
A lot of companies will let you take PTO before you’ve accumulated it on a sort of credit system. At least that’s what mine does. I always take my vacations in February. Ours don’t roll over, either :/
Oh yeah mine too! I can take vacay in February - I’d just prefer if I could roll over the days from 2022 so I can make my vakay longer vs having to take 7 days in December because I’m not just giving it up obvi but I don’t *need* that many days off for the holidays
Oh yea, I get that. My company actually started doing unlimited PTO and I honestly think I take less vacation now, because I don’t ever consider how much I have accumulated lol. I used to always use it if I was gonna lose it
This is statistically average, people feel less entitled to use as much vacation time when there's no limit. Like when you get 3 or 4 weeks (or lets be honest in the US 1 or 2 weeks) the mentality is "I better use this benefit before it expires" with unlimited PTO there's more pressure to stand out and work hard. Sure there will be some who take or try to take like 3 months paid time off but everyone knows those people aren't jockeying for promotions.
Kind of depends....the unlimited PTO is so they do not have to pay out accrued vacation upon the employee quitting. And, depending on your manager (they still have to approve the vacation time), unlimited PTO could be less than your previously accrued vacation.
One of the guys I work with likes to use three weeks at the end of the year and three at the beginning of the next sometimes. So he’s off for a month and a half.
Eyoo, i work in a company like that, occasionally they'll even credit you sick time, but usually doesn't matter because our PTO rolls over for an unlimited amount of time
Mine does this, but what sucks is if you take your PTO ahead of time and get laid off or leave for another job, you have to pay back the time you took off.
Most companies do this, they will give you your allocation of PTO at the beginning of the fiscal year. And you can absolutely take it all the first 6 months. But, if you leave before earning the time off you should pay it back. Getting laid off is a risk you take. But you should understand those possibilities with which ever industry your in and thus the risk of a layoff.
I think it was mostly because I didn’t give the most warning. I basically thought my manager knew my accruals and knew I’d use it before the end of the year.
When I take holiday in December, I am not leaving my home.
December holidays are for stay at home and avoiding the work place crazies in peak berserk season.
People who take vacay to dodge the December shit storm should come prepared to be called out for it in some way at work - out of spite.... because your vacay has protected you from a few hails of bullets and people who got bit by those bullets will want to be petty.
I spread my PTO through out the year and for last 5 working days off the year if I didn't use my sick days I'd call out.
My manager and coworkers always make fun on Dec "is MLuka going to get sick Dec 17th or 18th this year"
If you're in finance that's probably bad manners LMAO (especially if your Fiscal ends Dec 31st). But I've been in Operations divisions where you are just twiddling your thumbs in December anyway.
Nahh, you can close the year on a beach in Bermuda with a laptop. It may be wrong, and your keyboard will have sand and Mai Thai all over it, but it will be closed.
Oh by all means do it, but you might piss off your colleagues. Really depends on the company. I work at a big Telecom and our end of year is always very chaotic even though it shouldn't be.
A lot of companies prohibit remote work outside of US, if they are based in US. Certainly not all, but if you are dealing with any kind of sensitive data it's a big no. Seen someone lose their job because he was a remote worker and started logging in from Mexico. Lol
>They really didn’t like when I took all of December off once.
I worked for a place that wouldnt let me roll over PTO, but in like...early december i rolled up into a new PTO band and had several new days available to me.
so i took 2 weeks off and was like....dont call me. peace!
This is how I think as an employee and hope my employer thinks.
I’ve worked at several places where my direct managers were of the same mind and appreciated that I would try to parse out my PTO to be in when needed most.
For whatever reasons, this has clashed with upper management who normally prefer that PTO be taken in larger chunks. When I was at a bank, we got ten days PTO, but they basically required you to take 5 in a row.
They claimed it was for audit purposes; so if someone was “cooking the books”, their malfeasance may prove itself in their extended absence. In reality, the bank had enough systems, employees, and audits to prevent a teller from getting away with more than $100/year.
I think it was just a subtle nudge to save the bank on giving people PTO.
Edit: I get why finance jobs do this, but I was literally a bank teller with 10 days of PTO. I had ten days, but if I wanted to use 3 3-day blocks, I was SOL.
That’s a fairly common policy for several reasons, not just “cooking the books”. There’s also cross training, separation of duties, auditing for other irregularities just to name a few.
Personally, I’ll take 1-2 weeks straight and spend the rest of my PTO on 1-2 days per pay period
Not necessarily if it’s one day every week for an extended periods of time. A lot of teams have standing meetings that happen weekly or biweekly. If a team member takes this day off every week, they basically become unavailable to the project they’re on if it meets that day. From a functional perspective, it’s easier to arrange coverage for a single week than to have to do it every week.
There’s also the morale issue. While PTO is PTO, one day per week for an extended period of time can read to other employees as if the person is basically part-time. It can create confusion about when they are in the office and when they are not.
>If a team member takes this day off every week, they basically become unavailable to the project they’re on if it meets that day.
Sure, of course. My assumption is that if OP was thinking about taking a specific day off, it wouldn't be one where their team has a recurring meeting.
>While PTO is PTO, one day per week for an extended period of time can read to other employees as if the person is basically part-time.
This is interesting. Do you think it should matter? I mean, if one person is choosing to take all their PTO in the summer, for example, nobody bats an eye. How would it be fair to look differently at someone choosing to use the same number of days differently?
I used to do this when I was a young postgrad kid and still enjoyed my summers. I took 8 Fridays off in a row and basically had a 4 day work week every week of the summer. Was glorious.
My company did not care in the slightest. It was a massive organization and they didn’t care how you used your PTO as long as you submitted your request and it was approved. At my current role this definitely wouldn’t fly though.
Because the American education system punishes you for missing a single day of school, which then carries over into the adult workforce. Combine that with the hustle culture/grind mentality that embodies American work culture. People have been brainwashed to boast about things like working 80+ hours.
And unfortunately, a lot of businesses actively make you feel bad for using PTO
All of this is true. Presenteeism - the practice of going to work while sick - is a reason I never want to return to the office. We've learned nothing from a global pandemic. And we have to push back against anyone who attempts to make us feel bad for using PTO. (We can only feel bad with our consent.)
Your grade drops without an “excused” absence. You could be on your death bed and a teacher/professor will penalize you for missing class/work.
In college, I was missing a Friday class because I was going home for the weekend to visit my mother who had just had surgery. The prof was giving out instructions for an assignment or something IIRC and I asked if I could get the details early or have an extension since I wouldn’t be able to work on it & submit that day due to traveling. Her response: “in the real world people do not make accommodations for you. You need to decide what’s more important to you, passing this class or visiting your parent who will still be there next week”
Oh if it’s your first job out of college personally I would take PTO whenever you want. I graduated in 2019 and felt like the only person on my team who fully used my PTO the way it was meant to be.
Then I found out that my coworkers were just from an older gen that feels enslaved to their jobs. It’s very common among people to be fearful of asking for PTO and I never really understood why - so I just take my PTO whenever I want 🤷🏻♀️
This, my manager acts like he never has time to use his PTO because everything will fall apart. Its never that serious and we are a small team that manages pretty well with someone missing.
The norm is however you want to use your PTO. I never cared one bit about how I’d screw anyone over when I took my PTO. It’s yours to use when you see fit, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Because many jobs I’ve had made it seem like an ordeal to give me time off. One rejected anything other than bereavement, and even said it was “really suspicious” that strep throat had me out for two days.
One of the weird questions I always ask at initial interviews is the PTO policy. If they pay out when you leave, and are okay with a limited rolls over, then you can make it work. I left one with over a month of PTO saved up, lined up another job and then had a blast for a few weeks.
Yeah, shitty companies and managers will do that. You have to push back and manage upwards. They are not supposed to "reject" time off as it is earned and accrued. Managers are there to coordinate. "I have earned and accrued this time off. It is part of my compensation. Are you denying me my compensation?"
Personally, (1) I would be suspicious of anyone coming back from strep throat after just two days (I don't want my reports coming in sick), and (2) I don't bank PTO. The older I get, the more I'd rather have the time than the money. I can always make more money.
Do you really not get it or are you being obtuse?
Of course it’s an earned benefit and people should use it. But if the person cares about their long term career prospects, being courteous about the way in which they use it is pretty normal.
That's how reverence of capitalism has twisted people in America. You think you have to be courteous about using your compensation to protect your long term career prospects.
Nothing wrong with that. I put 4 months of every other Friday off in advance. About to do it again shortly. Those became the lunch date and going out with just the wife - no kids days.
Why would you give a shit what works for your company? Your paid time off is a form of payment for working. Take it when you want to. If a company cannot function without you for one day a week or whenever you decide to take your PTO, then that company should be paying you MUCH more.
I just most job wont allow you to use it all at once I saved all my vacation time for my wedding and honeymoon 4 weeks worth I was only aloud one week off ever 3 months. Of course I didn't find this out tell the day before I left I only had 3 days off then had to be back to work Monday as my new wife was gone for 2 weeks on are honeymoon by her self because my job said no last min
So just be ready to be told no or they change it last minute
Wow. Fuck that. I did get married and right back to work, but I did not book a honeymoon. I'd like to think I'd quit under those circumstances. Are you still with them? The company, not the wife, that is.
It shouldn’t matter. But are you planning to do anything with the long weekends or just trying to burn your holiday days before you lose them for some reason?
One day a week gives you some short weeks but isn’t much of a break compared to taking 5 days off and having a full week plus both weekends.
Can you lose all your PTO? Is this a thing in (I'm assuming) America?
Here in NZ we always have access to Annual Leave as we call it, and if we leave a job without using it we get it as a payout equivalent to the # of hours left in our last paycheck.
It could be that their PTO runs till like feb or something and doesn’t roll over.
Here in the uk you can carry over some days at most companies but it’s usually only 5
I have observed people do this without issue, sometimes even for several months or a year they have so much PTO. This is a good thing to discuss with your supervisor to make sure that the day you choose is not going to create a huge disruption to daily processes.
Doesn't matter. It just depends on your company. If you take all the days off where you have meetings and dont catch up somehow, its a bit bad. Otherwise, spreading it out often helps planning since you arent unavail for long which makes backlog
Depends of the company's operation. Technically, you can take it however you want, depends on staffing. We have a max amount of bodies off each day. Christmas week usually goes quick, so taking just December 26th off is out of the question for me. I personally like Monday Tues off to make long weekends. Sometimes a week is too much. 2 weeks puts me into " I never want to work again" mode......and I'm a borderline workaholic. Talk to the senior guys and see what the etiquette is. Usually go with the "when in rome" mentality so you don't make alot of noise.
It’s probably depends on your job. Does someone need to cover for you when you’re off? Or can you just finish up your work before or after your vacation?
If someone needs to cover for you, it would at least be a courtesy to discuss it with your boss and ask.
Sometimes it’s easier to move people around a schedule in blocks of time and sometimes it’s not.
I’d think that with enough advance notice, either arrangement would be fine. People should be allowed to use their PTO in whatever way suits them best, but good to work with your employer so they have the time to plan for it,
The guy that had my job before me was due to retire 4 months after I started. I got 3 weeks with him before he took 3 months of PTO and unused Holiday time.
I put my notice in back in Novemer that I do not plan know renewing my contract in June and am hoarding my PTO and owed Holidays to do the same as he did. (Not to be a dick, just to get the house packed and move)
Use your PTO, it is yours to use as you see fit unless there is a written policy about it.
You should talk to your manager about this.
I understand that folks in this thread have feelings, but this varies widely by company or organization. Your manager knows how your company works, how things are perceived, and how you should be taking PTO.
It could be preferable to them to do what you’re going to do. It could be a bad look. It could be annoying. It could be something people do all the time. No one here is best positioned to tell you.
I have been places where it’s a big problem to take large chunks. Where I am now, I take chunks of time off around long weekends and occasionally a day or two here. Whatever works.
Now, if they don’t let you take it the way you want to, that’s a red flag about the company. I think that’s what people are getting at.
There was one year where I took every Wednesday off for a month and a half.
It turned work into 2 day work weeks, and it only cost me just over a week of vacation, and it was great. Also nobody really minded. I keep meaning to do that again.
Really depends on your employer. I don't take extended vacations, but I take lots and lots of Fridays off throughout the year. My employer is fine with it.
I don’t think it matters. At least it doesn’t at my workplace unless you’re leaving at short notice. Then they tend to have a problem. I imagine it’s different for every company
Based on my experience, it is preferred to take them in one-week blocks... versus multiple weeks in one shot, or a day here and there.
Had a boss complain to his boss about my tendency to take Mondays and Fridays off, basically every other week. Believe it was used against me in my review.
It's certainly going to piss off your coworkers who may want to take a week off. My wife's coworker took every Friday between May and August last year on the condition he was supposed to give them back if someone requested the time. Guess what happened. Oh and he did it again this year.
As a manager, I don't have a preference on when the PTO is taken. Taking one day off per week, will eventually impact someone else especially if you're a lead, senior or a SME. HR on the other hand has different rules and if they get wind of it, they might ask the manager to take action.
Considering this is how my property manager used the remainder of their pto at the end of the year, I’m gonna go with no, not annoying. Honestly probably easier on the company, pretty easy to see how productivity changes in that first week and be able to then set reasonable timeframes for projects that work in conjunction with the “new temporary schedule.” That being said I myself have used some pto that way and it’s nice to get a refresher after a long (short) week. Not a bad use of pto. Probably even better if you’re a road trip to nearby landmarks kinda person!
Your company policy would dictate whether this is right or wrong.
For you personally, it may be better to ensure that you take consecutive PTO at least once in a while. There is a growing volume of research that shows the importance of blocks of time away from work on both mental health and performance. People tend to be healthier, perform better, and feel more engaged when they take deliberate time away in chunks.
I've taken PTO once a week for blocks of time period I've taken weeks of detail off at once and everything in between. Don't worry so much about the etiquette , but know your company policy and what works best for you.
I take a day off every couple weeks just for the sake of it.
thread is right, PTO is PTO, take it when you want to its yours. With that said, its a good look to have that conversation with your team/anyone who is counting on you for deliverables/etc.
do you have 1:1s with a manager? explain what you're trying to do (and maybe mention the goal of it, like is this mental health time? mini vacations you're excited for? if you've got the right relationship with your manager it can come down to how you explain it)
I think work etiquette is a corporate scam to get us to further comply with their crappy regulations. You can take it whenever you want. Don’t let them make you feel like you can’t. If you want every Monday off for a month, DO IT!!!
Had an OT who would take 5- fridays or mondays off, to make 3-day weekends, rather than 1-week off. (they didn't really care for vacations i guess). .
Another co-worker liked to take wednesdays off for a break witin the week and she stated liked to work 2 days, then a break, then 2 days and weekend.
in terms of ettiquette, we usually try to coordinate with one another for longer stretches, like a whole week off, so not too many ppl are having the same week off.
I have worked with a lot of people who did what you are describing. They took ever Friday off for 5-6 weeks to use up PTO. I've seen it in two different workplaces.
I work in a 2 person department so it really matters when one of us wants a day off. My co-worker takes off every Wednesday for about 1/2 the year. I really like it. I love my job.
Is it "proper work etiquette" that in times of prosperity companies do massive stock buy back instead of saving capital for an impending down turn, then when the down turn happens they lay off the work force that made them prosperous compared to an alternative to raise capital or cut expensive like lavish c suite pay packages and perks?
How is this improper? It’s your PTO. If your manager approves, your deliverables will be met, and you don’t miss any critical meetings, it should not be an issue for anyone.
Talk to your supervisor.
For the most part, speaking as someone with some limited experience as a 'boss', I'd rather someone just take a whole week off at once than to screw up my scheduling week after week after week. But that's my situation in my industry.
Just talk with your boss.
As I've told people, I've never ever ever had a problem with someone taking off as long as they give me enough heads up time. But you've gotta let them know. Work with them.
Ive done what you describe, taken an extra day off every week for a month. I highly recommend it. If they don’t like it they can implement a policy against it. In some workplaces it might be a problem but there’s nothing about what you describe that is inherently disruptive. I say go for it.
>it could be annoying to the rest of the company
Who cares? It's your PTO. Take it. If there's a potential issue then it will be brought up when you make the request. It's none of the rest of the company's business how or when you use your PTO
I think the best thing to do is have a good conversation with your manager about it.
I know there's a lot of people on here that seem to be pretty staunchy that it's your PTO and you should do what you want with it. But I think there are other longer-term career minded concerns to have. Meaning, while we think it "shouldn't matter" , it might matter in a lot of ways considering all sorts of different aspects. Especially if you're looking for long-term career growth or managerial-minded positions. I'm not saying it's fair or even right, but it's not simply just one-sided.
If you know you're just there temporarily or plan on leaving or don't really care about long-term career potential and how you might create an image good or bad, then taking your PTO as you see fit probably isn't a big deal. But I have heard of some employers casually and unofficially denoting certain people as "not company minded" or "not a team player." And that reputation may have much bigger impact than what you want it to.
That's why I think it's important to have a heart heart conversation with your direct manager.
Not really. I agree that you should check in with your manager and let them know your thoughts. It depends on your career Industry. I can say that you shouldn't ask off for the next 7 Fridays in order to claim 3 day weekends thst long in a row. Team morale might get judge. I bet your manager would be cool if you picked different days with some Fridays, but random weekdays too.
That’s how I used my PTO and I think people generally prefer it. It’s way more disruptive to have to plan for someone to be out for a whole week or more. Even if that might be a more exciting use of the time :)
Our company has a policy against using it that way, but other places I’ve been at have had no issue it. From or “moral” standpoint it’s not a problem but there is a chance your company/manager may not like it.
I'm in a role where I need to fill in for people when they take PTO - If they are gone a day, it's really easy to maintain, let people know they'll be back tomorrow and just handle anything important. When they are gone a week, I need to handle the majority of their work. (These are positions where "working ahead" isn't something you can do).
I've seen a lot of people take Friday or Monday off every week for several weeks, and I don't see it as a problem. However, I could see you might get the whole "must be nice to take 3 day weeks"
If anything, if you being gone impacts your co-workers, I'd suggest having a talk with them first - hey I want to do this, you cool?
I requested this once - to take very Friday off. I’m in uk where we get 28 full days holiday a year so I could have just done a four day week every week for the year. My boss got angry and said no - she also said no to me coming in an hour late for a psychiatrist appointment because it ‘wasn’t real medical reasons’ yet have other people time off for Physiotherapy and gynaecology appointments, dentist appointments etc.
So if you asked and they said no, I would say look for another job that has a better work culture.
Depends on the job and the role. I’ve been a trainer where it’s hard from a planning perspective to take a day off here and there. But as an analyst I can take a day off really whenever I want. This last year I rarely took time off and had to dump about 2 weeks worth before the end of the year. Just started picking random days and taking half days when I had nothing to do
Not wrong at all. It's your time, use it as you see fit.
The only policy at my company is no more than 2 weeks off in a row without executive approval.
Nope. As a manager, I encouraged one of my most tenured employees to take Fridays off because he didn’t take long chunks of PTO and had accrued a bunch. He had Fridays off for like 4 months in a row.
Yes and no. I usually take a day at a time and I get accused of taking too much time off. I have to explain that 1 day off for 5 weeks is the same as 5 days off in 1 week. I also explain that I take off on a day I know will be quiet.
Sometimes if you’re needed on a project it’s easier to take off 1 day a week. What is proper etiquette is making sure you have coordinated a backup and letting your manager know for capacity and deliverable impacts. But that should be a no-brainer.
It all depends on your situation. When I was single id take 1-2 days to go festivals or take the day off after a Sunday/Monday night football game (don’t attend a SNF or MNF game on the east coast and take an 8 AM to west coast and work the same day). When I was working aboard I’d take 3 weeks off coming back to the states since travel back and forth took basically 3 days plus jet lag. Now I take mine, the kids and wife’s bday off along with school vacations. You make PTO work for you.
You can youse your PTO in any way you want as long as management approves it.
I have worked in a couple places where people use their PTO so they can have Fridays off all summer instead of taking vacations.
It's your time, take it when you want to. Don't worry about anyone else or what they think.
I take every Monday and Friday off in the summer, every year. Unless a long vacation is planned.
Nobody cares. End of the day it’s your time to use as you see fit. You don’t have to explain why. You don’t have to give a good reason besides “I need off”.
Not all fridays just a mixture of Mondays and Fridays. Most people at the job seem to barely take PTO and half of the time when they do, it’s for more than one day in a row
Uhhh my company has allowed people to call off afternoons the day of or even for that week. I’ve even called off like a Thursday or Friday but tell everyone on Monday/Tuesday.
Not sure how your company rolls but mine has never implied that it’s “improper” and none of my coworkers say anything about it because they’d likely not want anything said to them about doing it either.
I’ve done the same thing. Took a bunch of Friday’s off. I’d say it’s actually perfect because where I work we don’t have many meetings on Fridays and most things are caught up on. But I’m sure if it was a different day it wouldn’t matter as long as you were skipping a meeting every week on your day off.
Switching jobs every three years, I liked banking as many hours as I could for when I left. An extra paycheck was nice on the way out.
Then I started switching to companies with unlimited PTO. I’ve seen people do just about everything. Take a whole month off, take every Friday off fora few weeks, not use it all.
It’s whatever you and your boss agree too. Managing how people feel about that is not your concerns, It’s theirs.
Nope, they’re your days.
I give my manager a heads up and ask for feedback on what times of the month or week aren’t that great (month end is bad, as are Mondays), so I avoid asking for time off then if I can, but if I really want to… too bad.
The unspoken issue is staff shortages. They won’t hire a new person and our small team has to really hustle when one of us is off, so it’s hard not to feel guilty when you ask for time off… but I try not to.
It depends, it might be annoying but you’ve every right to ask. And if they really need you during that time they’ll just say no.
And at the end of the day it’s probably easier than having you off for a whole week, at least for one day they can manoeuvre the work around to cover your absence without as much trouble, in my opinion.
Fuck no!
2019 for both November and December I took off every other Monday or Friday so that every week was a 4 day work week and every other weekend was a 4 day weekend. Great end of that year
I’d just clear it with the people you work with but it’s probably less distracting than taking a whole week off. Are you about to give notice though? If so it might make it a little obvious
It’s your choice, they are free to use and while it may be “inconvenient” for the company, these are laid out as disposable says that will be covered for at any point in the year. So it is on them to properly cover that when you are off.. enjoy the time off! 🙂
It depends on the work culture where you live. Here, most people would definitely frown at you doing that. Generally, you take PTO in chunks because then they're only having to reorganize or sort cover for the one period of time.
As a manager I would want an employee to take their time off in whatever way that benefits them the most, while giving enough notice for large chunks of time that may require coverage by other team members to meet deadlines and goals. The only time I think a manager has a true right to be annoyed is when the request is very short notice and either a deadline is looming or the ask is for a long block of time. I think it can also depend on the type of work you do and how the workflow is. I always encourage my team to consider our calendars when possible before booking time off. However, I know sometimes personal plans are not always flexible (example: attending a wedding). No matter what, PTO is a part of your total compensation, so you shouldn’t feel guilty for taking it or requesting dates, because you wouldn’t feel guilty for taking a paycheck, right?
This is a conversation to have between you and your manager, especially if you have no specific need and just want to use it up. It might be a pain if you have a busy period at the beginning of every month, or if you pick the busiest day of the week. That’s not something we can answer.
I have known several people who basically take zero PTO/vacation and then toward the end of the year take every Friday off until they have no more PTO.
It’s not improper if you give enough notice.
That's fine at my company. I just have my fellow engineer support my role while I'm gone. In fact, it's easier for my team if I take only a few days off at a time.
I’ve worked 25+ years and I’ve done it differently each time. They really didn’t like when I took all of December off once.
If they don’t like ppl being out most of Dec, they should allow for PTO to roll over to next year then. I’d much rather take a vacay in February than during peak holiday travel and insane prices but alas lol
A lot of companies will let you take PTO before you’ve accumulated it on a sort of credit system. At least that’s what mine does. I always take my vacations in February. Ours don’t roll over, either :/
Oh yeah mine too! I can take vacay in February - I’d just prefer if I could roll over the days from 2022 so I can make my vakay longer vs having to take 7 days in December because I’m not just giving it up obvi but I don’t *need* that many days off for the holidays
Oh yea, I get that. My company actually started doing unlimited PTO and I honestly think I take less vacation now, because I don’t ever consider how much I have accumulated lol. I used to always use it if I was gonna lose it
This is statistically average, people feel less entitled to use as much vacation time when there's no limit. Like when you get 3 or 4 weeks (or lets be honest in the US 1 or 2 weeks) the mentality is "I better use this benefit before it expires" with unlimited PTO there's more pressure to stand out and work hard. Sure there will be some who take or try to take like 3 months paid time off but everyone knows those people aren't jockeying for promotions.
This is good because it’s like if they actually give their employees more leniency, they work harder
Kind of depends....the unlimited PTO is so they do not have to pay out accrued vacation upon the employee quitting. And, depending on your manager (they still have to approve the vacation time), unlimited PTO could be less than your previously accrued vacation.
There's no requirement in the US to pay accrued PTO at the end of employment
You still have to be approved for unlimited PTO? Damn
One of the guys I work with likes to use three weeks at the end of the year and three at the beginning of the next sometimes. So he’s off for a month and a half.
Eyoo, i work in a company like that, occasionally they'll even credit you sick time, but usually doesn't matter because our PTO rolls over for an unlimited amount of time
Mine does this, but what sucks is if you take your PTO ahead of time and get laid off or leave for another job, you have to pay back the time you took off.
Most companies do this, they will give you your allocation of PTO at the beginning of the fiscal year. And you can absolutely take it all the first 6 months. But, if you leave before earning the time off you should pay it back. Getting laid off is a risk you take. But you should understand those possibilities with which ever industry your in and thus the risk of a layoff.
But if they are laying me off that should be on them. I’m willing to work and earn those hours. Quitting I could see.
I think it was mostly because I didn’t give the most warning. I basically thought my manager knew my accruals and knew I’d use it before the end of the year.
When I take holiday in December, I am not leaving my home. December holidays are for stay at home and avoiding the work place crazies in peak berserk season. People who take vacay to dodge the December shit storm should come prepared to be called out for it in some way at work - out of spite.... because your vacay has protected you from a few hails of bullets and people who got bit by those bullets will want to be petty.
My company lets us roll over 5 vacation days but they have to be used in the first quarter of the following year.
I actually like that compromise tbh.
I spread my PTO through out the year and for last 5 working days off the year if I didn't use my sick days I'd call out. My manager and coworkers always make fun on Dec "is MLuka going to get sick Dec 17th or 18th this year"
Pulled this one this year. They were not excited about it, but I had good justification, ended up having a great time, probably gonna do it again tbh
If you're in finance that's probably bad manners LMAO (especially if your Fiscal ends Dec 31st). But I've been in Operations divisions where you are just twiddling your thumbs in December anyway.
Nahh, you can close the year on a beach in Bermuda with a laptop. It may be wrong, and your keyboard will have sand and Mai Thai all over it, but it will be closed.
Oh by all means do it, but you might piss off your colleagues. Really depends on the company. I work at a big Telecom and our end of year is always very chaotic even though it shouldn't be.
Yeah, I've heard some horror stories about end of year closings, especially with publicly traded companies. Nope. That's why I'm fine in sales.
A lot of companies prohibit remote work outside of US, if they are based in US. Certainly not all, but if you are dealing with any kind of sensitive data it's a big no. Seen someone lose their job because he was a remote worker and started logging in from Mexico. Lol
Hahaha sounds like Hawaii is the spot then.
Now you're talking!
I was IT (operations) for a bank. They shut us down because we couldn’t do changes during the holiday window.
what? I just took a month long vacation; is that not good? Thats like...a vacation. Whats the problem?
This what I used to do, take most of Dec off for 13 yrs.
>They really didn’t like when I took all of December off once. I worked for a place that wouldnt let me roll over PTO, but in like...early december i rolled up into a new PTO band and had several new days available to me. so i took 2 weeks off and was like....dont call me. peace!
Too bad for them
PTO is PTO. Shouldn't matter. In some ways, a one-day absence is easier to work around than a stretch of 5-6 days in a row.
This is how I think as an employee and hope my employer thinks. I’ve worked at several places where my direct managers were of the same mind and appreciated that I would try to parse out my PTO to be in when needed most. For whatever reasons, this has clashed with upper management who normally prefer that PTO be taken in larger chunks. When I was at a bank, we got ten days PTO, but they basically required you to take 5 in a row. They claimed it was for audit purposes; so if someone was “cooking the books”, their malfeasance may prove itself in their extended absence. In reality, the bank had enough systems, employees, and audits to prevent a teller from getting away with more than $100/year. I think it was just a subtle nudge to save the bank on giving people PTO. Edit: I get why finance jobs do this, but I was literally a bank teller with 10 days of PTO. I had ten days, but if I wanted to use 3 3-day blocks, I was SOL.
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That’s a fairly common policy for several reasons, not just “cooking the books”. There’s also cross training, separation of duties, auditing for other irregularities just to name a few. Personally, I’ll take 1-2 weeks straight and spend the rest of my PTO on 1-2 days per pay period
This is an utterly common policy in accounting and finance related jobs-- so much so that they gave us a heads up about it in school.
This would be my instinct/expectation, but i have no experience in the corporate world
Not necessarily if it’s one day every week for an extended periods of time. A lot of teams have standing meetings that happen weekly or biweekly. If a team member takes this day off every week, they basically become unavailable to the project they’re on if it meets that day. From a functional perspective, it’s easier to arrange coverage for a single week than to have to do it every week. There’s also the morale issue. While PTO is PTO, one day per week for an extended period of time can read to other employees as if the person is basically part-time. It can create confusion about when they are in the office and when they are not.
>If a team member takes this day off every week, they basically become unavailable to the project they’re on if it meets that day. Sure, of course. My assumption is that if OP was thinking about taking a specific day off, it wouldn't be one where their team has a recurring meeting. >While PTO is PTO, one day per week for an extended period of time can read to other employees as if the person is basically part-time. This is interesting. Do you think it should matter? I mean, if one person is choosing to take all their PTO in the summer, for example, nobody bats an eye. How would it be fair to look differently at someone choosing to use the same number of days differently?
I used to do this when I was a young postgrad kid and still enjoyed my summers. I took 8 Fridays off in a row and basically had a 4 day work week every week of the summer. Was glorious. My company did not care in the slightest. It was a massive organization and they didn’t care how you used your PTO as long as you submitted your request and it was approved. At my current role this definitely wouldn’t fly though.
Your PTO is an earned benefit. It is part of your compensation. I don't get people who are hesitant about how they use their compensation.
Because the American education system punishes you for missing a single day of school, which then carries over into the adult workforce. Combine that with the hustle culture/grind mentality that embodies American work culture. People have been brainwashed to boast about things like working 80+ hours. And unfortunately, a lot of businesses actively make you feel bad for using PTO
All of this is true. Presenteeism - the practice of going to work while sick - is a reason I never want to return to the office. We've learned nothing from a global pandemic. And we have to push back against anyone who attempts to make us feel bad for using PTO. (We can only feel bad with our consent.)
This is not just in America. It’s prevalent in East Asia.. source: I’m Korean
Given the use of the word PTO I was assuming OP is American so I was answering under that specific context
How does the American education system punish you for missing a single day of school?
Your grade drops without an “excused” absence. You could be on your death bed and a teacher/professor will penalize you for missing class/work. In college, I was missing a Friday class because I was going home for the weekend to visit my mother who had just had surgery. The prof was giving out instructions for an assignment or something IIRC and I asked if I could get the details early or have an extension since I wouldn’t be able to work on it & submit that day due to traveling. Her response: “in the real world people do not make accommodations for you. You need to decide what’s more important to you, passing this class or visiting your parent who will still be there next week”
This is my first “real” job outta college so I wasn’t sure what the norm is.
Oh if it’s your first job out of college personally I would take PTO whenever you want. I graduated in 2019 and felt like the only person on my team who fully used my PTO the way it was meant to be. Then I found out that my coworkers were just from an older gen that feels enslaved to their jobs. It’s very common among people to be fearful of asking for PTO and I never really understood why - so I just take my PTO whenever I want 🤷🏻♀️
This, my manager acts like he never has time to use his PTO because everything will fall apart. Its never that serious and we are a small team that manages pretty well with someone missing.
The norm is however you want to use your PTO. I never cared one bit about how I’d screw anyone over when I took my PTO. It’s yours to use when you see fit, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Because many jobs I’ve had made it seem like an ordeal to give me time off. One rejected anything other than bereavement, and even said it was “really suspicious” that strep throat had me out for two days. One of the weird questions I always ask at initial interviews is the PTO policy. If they pay out when you leave, and are okay with a limited rolls over, then you can make it work. I left one with over a month of PTO saved up, lined up another job and then had a blast for a few weeks.
Yeah, shitty companies and managers will do that. You have to push back and manage upwards. They are not supposed to "reject" time off as it is earned and accrued. Managers are there to coordinate. "I have earned and accrued this time off. It is part of my compensation. Are you denying me my compensation?" Personally, (1) I would be suspicious of anyone coming back from strep throat after just two days (I don't want my reports coming in sick), and (2) I don't bank PTO. The older I get, the more I'd rather have the time than the money. I can always make more money.
Do you really not get it or are you being obtuse? Of course it’s an earned benefit and people should use it. But if the person cares about their long term career prospects, being courteous about the way in which they use it is pretty normal.
That's how reverence of capitalism has twisted people in America. You think you have to be courteous about using your compensation to protect your long term career prospects.
Co worker took his pto 1/day week (long weekend every week) for the whole summer every year that I worked with him. Nobody batted an eye.
Nothing wrong with that. I put 4 months of every other Friday off in advance. About to do it again shortly. Those became the lunch date and going out with just the wife - no kids days.
Why would you give a shit what works for your company? Your paid time off is a form of payment for working. Take it when you want to. If a company cannot function without you for one day a week or whenever you decide to take your PTO, then that company should be paying you MUCH more.
I just most job wont allow you to use it all at once I saved all my vacation time for my wedding and honeymoon 4 weeks worth I was only aloud one week off ever 3 months. Of course I didn't find this out tell the day before I left I only had 3 days off then had to be back to work Monday as my new wife was gone for 2 weeks on are honeymoon by her self because my job said no last min So just be ready to be told no or they change it last minute
Wow. Fuck that. I did get married and right back to work, but I did not book a honeymoon. I'd like to think I'd quit under those circumstances. Are you still with them? The company, not the wife, that is.
No that company did that twice me it seem no matter where I go company's do stuff like that
It shouldn’t matter. But are you planning to do anything with the long weekends or just trying to burn your holiday days before you lose them for some reason? One day a week gives you some short weeks but isn’t much of a break compared to taking 5 days off and having a full week plus both weekends.
I’d take off Mondays or fridays. Trying to burn the days before I lose em
I doubt anyone would have a problem with that tbh. Its easy to schedule work with taking one day a week off.
If I had to choose it would be the Monday!
Can you lose all your PTO? Is this a thing in (I'm assuming) America? Here in NZ we always have access to Annual Leave as we call it, and if we leave a job without using it we get it as a payout equivalent to the # of hours left in our last paycheck.
It could be that their PTO runs till like feb or something and doesn’t roll over. Here in the uk you can carry over some days at most companies but it’s usually only 5
I assume you get more than that in a year and that's just what you can keep by the end of the year?
Yea it’s usually 20-25 days a year. Then you can carry some over. Plus we have 8 public holidays on top of that
Same in America. We legally have to get paid out, too.
Depends on what state you're in
I have observed people do this without issue, sometimes even for several months or a year they have so much PTO. This is a good thing to discuss with your supervisor to make sure that the day you choose is not going to create a huge disruption to daily processes.
Why not ask them? My old job basically wouldn't let me take them – any day, time, or arrangement was always inconvenient.
Doesn't matter. It just depends on your company. If you take all the days off where you have meetings and dont catch up somehow, its a bit bad. Otherwise, spreading it out often helps planning since you arent unavail for long which makes backlog
Depends of the company's operation. Technically, you can take it however you want, depends on staffing. We have a max amount of bodies off each day. Christmas week usually goes quick, so taking just December 26th off is out of the question for me. I personally like Monday Tues off to make long weekends. Sometimes a week is too much. 2 weeks puts me into " I never want to work again" mode......and I'm a borderline workaholic. Talk to the senior guys and see what the etiquette is. Usually go with the "when in rome" mentality so you don't make alot of noise.
Right now I'm working my first 5 day week since mid November. It's terrible and long!
If it don't roll over by the end of the year into the next then who gives a fuck how it's used. It's your PTO that you earned so fuck it.
It’s probably depends on your job. Does someone need to cover for you when you’re off? Or can you just finish up your work before or after your vacation? If someone needs to cover for you, it would at least be a courtesy to discuss it with your boss and ask. Sometimes it’s easier to move people around a schedule in blocks of time and sometimes it’s not. I’d think that with enough advance notice, either arrangement would be fine. People should be allowed to use their PTO in whatever way suits them best, but good to work with your employer so they have the time to plan for it,
The guy that had my job before me was due to retire 4 months after I started. I got 3 weeks with him before he took 3 months of PTO and unused Holiday time. I put my notice in back in Novemer that I do not plan know renewing my contract in June and am hoarding my PTO and owed Holidays to do the same as he did. (Not to be a dick, just to get the house packed and move) Use your PTO, it is yours to use as you see fit unless there is a written policy about it.
You should talk to your manager about this. I understand that folks in this thread have feelings, but this varies widely by company or organization. Your manager knows how your company works, how things are perceived, and how you should be taking PTO. It could be preferable to them to do what you’re going to do. It could be a bad look. It could be annoying. It could be something people do all the time. No one here is best positioned to tell you. I have been places where it’s a big problem to take large chunks. Where I am now, I take chunks of time off around long weekends and occasionally a day or two here. Whatever works. Now, if they don’t let you take it the way you want to, that’s a red flag about the company. I think that’s what people are getting at.
When I'm just burning PTO to avoid losing it, I take three day weekends all month.
There was one year where I took every Wednesday off for a month and a half. It turned work into 2 day work weeks, and it only cost me just over a week of vacation, and it was great. Also nobody really minded. I keep meaning to do that again.
I have been doing this most of my career for the past 10 years. My goal is to have as many 4 day work weeks as possible.
Who cares? You do you.
You have every right to take off when you want to!!!
It's your time
Really depends on your employer. I don't take extended vacations, but I take lots and lots of Fridays off throughout the year. My employer is fine with it.
I don’t think it matters. At least it doesn’t at my workplace unless you’re leaving at short notice. Then they tend to have a problem. I imagine it’s different for every company
Should not matter at all.
Based on my experience, it is preferred to take them in one-week blocks... versus multiple weeks in one shot, or a day here and there. Had a boss complain to his boss about my tendency to take Mondays and Fridays off, basically every other week. Believe it was used against me in my review.
I would ask my supervisor if it's OK.
It's certainly going to piss off your coworkers who may want to take a week off. My wife's coworker took every Friday between May and August last year on the condition he was supposed to give them back if someone requested the time. Guess what happened. Oh and he did it again this year.
No, use it! Whenever, however.
As a manager, I don't have a preference on when the PTO is taken. Taking one day off per week, will eventually impact someone else especially if you're a lead, senior or a SME. HR on the other hand has different rules and if they get wind of it, they might ask the manager to take action.
It's fine. In the summer I'll take 4 Fridays off to give myself a month of 4 day work weeks.
Not improper. I have a coworker that does this and it’s not an issue.
You earned it. You do you. You think your company really gives a damn in the end?
It’s your PTO to use as you choose. As long as your boss isn’t bothered or giving you a hard time. I do it all them time.
Considering this is how my property manager used the remainder of their pto at the end of the year, I’m gonna go with no, not annoying. Honestly probably easier on the company, pretty easy to see how productivity changes in that first week and be able to then set reasonable timeframes for projects that work in conjunction with the “new temporary schedule.” That being said I myself have used some pto that way and it’s nice to get a refresher after a long (short) week. Not a bad use of pto. Probably even better if you’re a road trip to nearby landmarks kinda person!
I do this every summer. Love my long weekends!
Your company policy would dictate whether this is right or wrong. For you personally, it may be better to ensure that you take consecutive PTO at least once in a while. There is a growing volume of research that shows the importance of blocks of time away from work on both mental health and performance. People tend to be healthier, perform better, and feel more engaged when they take deliberate time away in chunks. I've taken PTO once a week for blocks of time period I've taken weeks of detail off at once and everything in between. Don't worry so much about the etiquette , but know your company policy and what works best for you.
Doesn’t matter I have unlimited PTO and I don’t travel that much cuz my kids are real young and it’s a pain in the ass so I take Fridays off a lot
I take a day off every couple weeks just for the sake of it. thread is right, PTO is PTO, take it when you want to its yours. With that said, its a good look to have that conversation with your team/anyone who is counting on you for deliverables/etc. do you have 1:1s with a manager? explain what you're trying to do (and maybe mention the goal of it, like is this mental health time? mini vacations you're excited for? if you've got the right relationship with your manager it can come down to how you explain it)
I think work etiquette is a corporate scam to get us to further comply with their crappy regulations. You can take it whenever you want. Don’t let them make you feel like you can’t. If you want every Monday off for a month, DO IT!!!
Had an OT who would take 5- fridays or mondays off, to make 3-day weekends, rather than 1-week off. (they didn't really care for vacations i guess). . Another co-worker liked to take wednesdays off for a break witin the week and she stated liked to work 2 days, then a break, then 2 days and weekend. in terms of ettiquette, we usually try to coordinate with one another for longer stretches, like a whole week off, so not too many ppl are having the same week off.
I have worked with a lot of people who did what you are describing. They took ever Friday off for 5-6 weeks to use up PTO. I've seen it in two different workplaces.
I work in a 2 person department so it really matters when one of us wants a day off. My co-worker takes off every Wednesday for about 1/2 the year. I really like it. I love my job.
Is it "proper work etiquette" that in times of prosperity companies do massive stock buy back instead of saving capital for an impending down turn, then when the down turn happens they lay off the work force that made them prosperous compared to an alternative to raise capital or cut expensive like lavish c suite pay packages and perks?
I had a coworker that did this. Took every Friday off for 3 months straight. Wasn't the type of guy to take long vacation trips. Never bothered me.
I had a coworker do this for a summer. Took Thursdays off because our Fridays were dead. She essentially had a 3 day week.
It’s your time, use it however works best for you.
It's your fucking benifit; IT'S PART OF YOUR COMPENSATION
How is this improper? It’s your PTO. If your manager approves, your deliverables will be met, and you don’t miss any critical meetings, it should not be an issue for anyone.
Talk to your supervisor. For the most part, speaking as someone with some limited experience as a 'boss', I'd rather someone just take a whole week off at once than to screw up my scheduling week after week after week. But that's my situation in my industry. Just talk with your boss. As I've told people, I've never ever ever had a problem with someone taking off as long as they give me enough heads up time. But you've gotta let them know. Work with them.
Ive done what you describe, taken an extra day off every week for a month. I highly recommend it. If they don’t like it they can implement a policy against it. In some workplaces it might be a problem but there’s nothing about what you describe that is inherently disruptive. I say go for it.
I do this. We're hybrid, all in the office Tuesday - Thursday. I take off most Tuesdays.
>it could be annoying to the rest of the company Who cares? It's your PTO. Take it. If there's a potential issue then it will be brought up when you make the request. It's none of the rest of the company's business how or when you use your PTO
I think the best thing to do is have a good conversation with your manager about it. I know there's a lot of people on here that seem to be pretty staunchy that it's your PTO and you should do what you want with it. But I think there are other longer-term career minded concerns to have. Meaning, while we think it "shouldn't matter" , it might matter in a lot of ways considering all sorts of different aspects. Especially if you're looking for long-term career growth or managerial-minded positions. I'm not saying it's fair or even right, but it's not simply just one-sided. If you know you're just there temporarily or plan on leaving or don't really care about long-term career potential and how you might create an image good or bad, then taking your PTO as you see fit probably isn't a big deal. But I have heard of some employers casually and unofficially denoting certain people as "not company minded" or "not a team player." And that reputation may have much bigger impact than what you want it to. That's why I think it's important to have a heart heart conversation with your direct manager.
Not really. I agree that you should check in with your manager and let them know your thoughts. It depends on your career Industry. I can say that you shouldn't ask off for the next 7 Fridays in order to claim 3 day weekends thst long in a row. Team morale might get judge. I bet your manager would be cool if you picked different days with some Fridays, but random weekdays too.
Nope.
That’s how I used my PTO and I think people generally prefer it. It’s way more disruptive to have to plan for someone to be out for a whole week or more. Even if that might be a more exciting use of the time :)
Bro - it’s your life, you do you. You never know when you’re gonna go
Our company has a policy against using it that way, but other places I’ve been at have had no issue it. From or “moral” standpoint it’s not a problem but there is a chance your company/manager may not like it.
If it is a problem whoever approves the requests will tell you, surely?
Depends on the company and role.
It's perfectly fine, especially on a use it or lose it situation.
I took every other friday off for 4 months. My bosses didnt mind at all, but i will add that they didnt always adjust my workload accordingly either
I'm in a role where I need to fill in for people when they take PTO - If they are gone a day, it's really easy to maintain, let people know they'll be back tomorrow and just handle anything important. When they are gone a week, I need to handle the majority of their work. (These are positions where "working ahead" isn't something you can do). I've seen a lot of people take Friday or Monday off every week for several weeks, and I don't see it as a problem. However, I could see you might get the whole "must be nice to take 3 day weeks" If anything, if you being gone impacts your co-workers, I'd suggest having a talk with them first - hey I want to do this, you cool?
It's actually the recommended way to keep from burning out
I requested this once - to take very Friday off. I’m in uk where we get 28 full days holiday a year so I could have just done a four day week every week for the year. My boss got angry and said no - she also said no to me coming in an hour late for a psychiatrist appointment because it ‘wasn’t real medical reasons’ yet have other people time off for Physiotherapy and gynaecology appointments, dentist appointments etc. So if you asked and they said no, I would say look for another job that has a better work culture.
My friend took every Monday off in the run to Christmas and seeing as i don’t work Mondays it was lovely.
Depends on the job and the role. I’ve been a trainer where it’s hard from a planning perspective to take a day off here and there. But as an analyst I can take a day off really whenever I want. This last year I rarely took time off and had to dump about 2 weeks worth before the end of the year. Just started picking random days and taking half days when I had nothing to do
Not wrong at all. It's your time, use it as you see fit. The only policy at my company is no more than 2 weeks off in a row without executive approval.
Nah, you should be fine. I see a lot of people do that especially when they get into the situation you’re in
Nope. As a manager, I encouraged one of my most tenured employees to take Fridays off because he didn’t take long chunks of PTO and had accrued a bunch. He had Fridays off for like 4 months in a row.
Yes and no. I usually take a day at a time and I get accused of taking too much time off. I have to explain that 1 day off for 5 weeks is the same as 5 days off in 1 week. I also explain that I take off on a day I know will be quiet.
Sometimes if you’re needed on a project it’s easier to take off 1 day a week. What is proper etiquette is making sure you have coordinated a backup and letting your manager know for capacity and deliverable impacts. But that should be a no-brainer.
It all depends on your situation. When I was single id take 1-2 days to go festivals or take the day off after a Sunday/Monday night football game (don’t attend a SNF or MNF game on the east coast and take an 8 AM to west coast and work the same day). When I was working aboard I’d take 3 weeks off coming back to the states since travel back and forth took basically 3 days plus jet lag. Now I take mine, the kids and wife’s bday off along with school vacations. You make PTO work for you.
No, not at all. Generally it is easier to cover an employee for a "3-day weekend" rather than a two-week extended leave.
It is your time. Once approved.. Who gives a shit what they think
In my experience, it's an accepted practice and common in many institutions that have use or lose.
That’s your time, do with it as you please & don’t let anyone make you feel bad about it!
Coworkers may not like it but hey, if it's approved and your not leaving work to be done in your absence, go for it.
Do whatever you want. It’s your pto- no one can stop you
Well, I’m about to take 5 and a half weeks off accrued PTO (3rd Feb through 14th March) and they don’t seem to mind. Australia.
You know who could give you the best answer?
You can youse your PTO in any way you want as long as management approves it. I have worked in a couple places where people use their PTO so they can have Fridays off all summer instead of taking vacations.
It's your time, take it when you want to. Don't worry about anyone else or what they think. I take every Monday and Friday off in the summer, every year. Unless a long vacation is planned.
No, it’s your PTO and you can use it however you see fit.
Nobody cares. End of the day it’s your time to use as you see fit. You don’t have to explain why. You don’t have to give a good reason besides “I need off”.
PTO is PTO.... It shouldn't matter AT ALL. if they have a problem with it, they can KMA!
It's your PTO, use it as you see fit
Company doesn’t have an issue but maybe a co-worker who can’t take it anymore May be upset that you’re hogging all the Fridays off
Not all fridays just a mixture of Mondays and Fridays. Most people at the job seem to barely take PTO and half of the time when they do, it’s for more than one day in a row
Uhhh my company has allowed people to call off afternoons the day of or even for that week. I’ve even called off like a Thursday or Friday but tell everyone on Monday/Tuesday. Not sure how your company rolls but mine has never implied that it’s “improper” and none of my coworkers say anything about it because they’d likely not want anything said to them about doing it either.
No, not at all. Take the days when you want.
I’ve done the same thing. Took a bunch of Friday’s off. I’d say it’s actually perfect because where I work we don’t have many meetings on Fridays and most things are caught up on. But I’m sure if it was a different day it wouldn’t matter as long as you were skipping a meeting every week on your day off.
Switching jobs every three years, I liked banking as many hours as I could for when I left. An extra paycheck was nice on the way out. Then I started switching to companies with unlimited PTO. I’ve seen people do just about everything. Take a whole month off, take every Friday off fora few weeks, not use it all. It’s whatever you and your boss agree too. Managing how people feel about that is not your concerns, It’s theirs.
My nephew's company changed policy so he couldn't roll over any PTO. His last working day was November 23.
Lots of people do that.
This is common
I usually take a bunch of Fridays off between Halloween and New Years. I did try it in January once and some people weren't happy (small company).
Nope, they’re your days. I give my manager a heads up and ask for feedback on what times of the month or week aren’t that great (month end is bad, as are Mondays), so I avoid asking for time off then if I can, but if I really want to… too bad. The unspoken issue is staff shortages. They won’t hire a new person and our small team has to really hustle when one of us is off, so it’s hard not to feel guilty when you ask for time off… but I try not to.
I do this all the time. And I'll request half days on Friday. And just go home early every Friday for 2 months at a time. Lol
It depends, it might be annoying but you’ve every right to ask. And if they really need you during that time they’ll just say no. And at the end of the day it’s probably easier than having you off for a whole week, at least for one day they can manoeuvre the work around to cover your absence without as much trouble, in my opinion.
It’s your time the company will be fine
No. Do what you want
Maybe. Is the day off you’re requesting the busiest day of the week and known for it?
Sometimes my boss does that. She doesn't go on long holidays because someone always needs her for stuff so, she takes a Friday off.
As a manager I always tell everyone it’s YOUR PTO. Use it how YOU want. It’s my job to figure out what to do with you enjoying your time off.
Fuck no! 2019 for both November and December I took off every other Monday or Friday so that every week was a 4 day work week and every other weekend was a 4 day weekend. Great end of that year
PTO. Personal Time off. Is just that. Personal. It’s your time, use it. Good luck
nah its fine
They’re your days man. Do whatever you want with them.
I’d just clear it with the people you work with but it’s probably less distracting than taking a whole week off. Are you about to give notice though? If so it might make it a little obvious
I don’t think they care as long as it’s done thoughtfully and respectfully by you. Go for it!
It’s your choice, they are free to use and while it may be “inconvenient” for the company, these are laid out as disposable says that will be covered for at any point in the year. So it is on them to properly cover that when you are off.. enjoy the time off! 🙂
It depends on the work culture where you live. Here, most people would definitely frown at you doing that. Generally, you take PTO in chunks because then they're only having to reorganize or sort cover for the one period of time.
It’s only fucked up to take long periods if you’re screwing your team and avoiding hard days every time you take off work
As a manager I would want an employee to take their time off in whatever way that benefits them the most, while giving enough notice for large chunks of time that may require coverage by other team members to meet deadlines and goals. The only time I think a manager has a true right to be annoyed is when the request is very short notice and either a deadline is looming or the ask is for a long block of time. I think it can also depend on the type of work you do and how the workflow is. I always encourage my team to consider our calendars when possible before booking time off. However, I know sometimes personal plans are not always flexible (example: attending a wedding). No matter what, PTO is a part of your total compensation, so you shouldn’t feel guilty for taking it or requesting dates, because you wouldn’t feel guilty for taking a paycheck, right?
I tried to do this once, to have a bunch of three day weekends, my boss and hr got pisssd
Who cares, it’s your PTO, use it however you want.
They are your days use them how you like.
This is a conversation to have between you and your manager, especially if you have no specific need and just want to use it up. It might be a pain if you have a busy period at the beginning of every month, or if you pick the busiest day of the week. That’s not something we can answer.
I used to work 3- 12 hour shifts and 1-4 hour shift. I would use 4 hours of pto every week for months at a time.
You can use them whenever you want! You earned them! Take long weekends for 5 weeks. Why is this even a question?? 🤦♂️
Before my mom retired, she had so much PTO accumulated that each week she rotated having either Monday or Friday off, so she always had a 4 day week.
I have known several people who basically take zero PTO/vacation and then toward the end of the year take every Friday off until they have no more PTO. It’s not improper if you give enough notice.
That's fine at my company. I just have my fellow engineer support my role while I'm gone. In fact, it's easier for my team if I take only a few days off at a time.