Nearly a quarter of American workers didn’t take any of their vacation days this year. That’s according to a report published in October from FlexJobs based on a survey of over 3,000 U.S. workers. Despite workers being more burnt out and disengaged than ever, many refuse to take time off.
Could unlimited PTO be to blame?
It’s been well-documented that unlimited PTO may not be the generous gift workers are led to believe. A recent skit from TikToker and comedian Jacob Capozzi assumes the role of “the guy who invented unlimited PTO” to highlight some of the reasons why.
Capozzi poses as an executive who wants to incorporate “something more interesting to get people to want to work here.” One coworker suggests “more competitive pay.” Another chimes in, “what if instead of limiting their time off, we removed the limits entirely?” Cue foreboding music.
During the past decade, unlimited PTO has emerged as a popular benefit in which companies allow workers to take time off at their discretion (pending manager approval). Sounds great, right? Wrong.
“If I gave you my debit card and told you you could spend up to $20, I’d bet my life savings you’d spend $19.50 without hesitation,” Capozzi explains. “But if I were to tell you in that same scenario you had no limit. How much would you spend?” The answer is probably less.
“If we give them 25 days a year, they’ll take 25 because it’s theirs. But if we give them infinity, they’ll hesitate,” the executive in the skit explains. “They’ll work harder. Burn out faster. And best of all, we don’t have to pay them out for unused vacation days.”
