On paper, it seems admirable. But practically, it doesnāt hold much water.
An unlimited vacation policy is more of a virtue signal for employees than a literal interpretation. Itās often used to make a strong statement about an organisationās forward-thinking nature and culture of freedom and responsibility. It promises to put work done over hours worked and seeks to āsaveā employees from being tracked.
Most importantly, it attempts to signal trust in employees, saying ālook, we believe in you to take time off when you need itā. The unspoken end of that sentence, though, is āwithout overstepping, and when youāve finished workā.
And thatās where the problem lies.
The issues with the unlimited PTO promise
From experience, hereās what weāve seen:
There are no guiding parameters
You see, unlimited leave assumes that working individuals are capable of taking time off within reason. But the juryās still out (on purpose, it would seem) on the definition of āwithin reasonā. Are two weeks good enough? Are three months too long? If I take half a year off, am I crossing an unspoken line?
Unlimited vacation time is fighting the wrong problem
The problem in our āalways onā culture isnāt overuse of vacation time, but underuse. The ambiguity breeds anxiety and guilt ā the anxiety over how many vacation days is acceptable, the guilt ensuing over ātaking advantageā of a generous offer. And so, we find it difficult to switch off and chill out during a vacation or defer them until completely burnt out.
Unlimited vacation time increases animosity in teams
Apart from uncertainty, youāll also find a sense of injustice over how many days others are taking. Some take on more work to make up for vacation days; others shift the pressure onto unsuspecting colleagues during emergencies. Unlimited vacation time can spark a crab-bucket effect, where team members coerce each other to work nearly all the time without a breather. That never bodes well for any organisation.
Ironically, then, the idea of unlimited vacation days adds to the very culture itās trying to fight. And vacation carte blanche undermines a basic human instinct: the need for a clear set of boundaries.
So whatās better than unlimited PTO?
In short, clear policies and mandatory vacation time. Hold up: thatās not a license to enforce a strict and inflexible policy, though. Hereās what we mean by it:
Set expectations and boundaries
Both of these get a bad rap for being āinflexibleā and āuncoolā. But theyāre better than the alternative: a team of nervous employees feeling confused about how much vacation time is too much, or guilty about how much they truly need.
Specify minimum or maximum vacation days
Plenty of firms have backpedalled after their first taste of unlimited vacation policies, choosing instead to outline a generous number of vacation days.
This isnāt anything like monitoring team membersā every movement, which is a tad too Orwellian. Laying out a minimum number of vacation days is more guiding and encouraging. And if thereās ever a need for more time, you can cross that bridge when you get there!
Unlimited vacation time isnāt an admirable job perkā¦
But hereās what is: having empathetic boundaries, knowing whatās acceptable, and keeping each other in the loop.
So donāt let the lofty promise of endless summers fool you. The mental sunburn isnāt worth it.