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I work in a specialized area of HR. Wish I didn’t, but I do. So I don’t know every little thing there is to know. I do absolutely nothing with time off because it’s not part of what I do. And while my company is large overall, it’s not very sophisticated, so this kind of information is hard to come by. And, FYI, I actually have a Masters Degree in HR, but even then, it’s impossible to know every little detail.
We do build in time off assumptions into project plans. And this individual has three days left for the YEAR, until January. Given all the time taken off in a matter of less than five months, do you honestly think three days is going to be enough for the rest of the YEAR?! I don’t.
I agree. There are certainly days that might be unexpected. But when it’s every day off that’s spur of the moment, that’s absolutely an issue.
I don’t feel as though reasons are necessary when taking time off. But what happens when the PTO goes negative? How many “unpaid” days could then be alllowed? Is it essentially limitless unless the company chooses to terminate because of absenteeism? I mean, if this person ends up taking unpaid day after unpaid day, let’s say 20 days unpaid on top of the 20 PTO, what’s really stopping anyone else from requesting “extra” time off? I just feel there has to be a breaking point at some point. Otherwise, it becomes an issue of special treatment/favoritism, which is quite unfair to everyone else out there who is following the rules.
You keep making excuses for how little you know yet you persist in your worries about something only her management needs to be concerned with. If she is affecting YOUR work directly because of days off then make people aware of that. But until that happens, stop "borrowing trouble". She hasn't gone into negative PTO yet - but you seem to be waiting with bated breath so you can gleefully go off on her. Calm down and butt out.
I disagree there is no right or wrong way to take PTO.
There should be flexibility for unexpected reasons resulting from things like illness and catastrophes but most PTO should be scheduled. Random and frequent unscheduled absences is disruptive to both work flow and office environment.
But I did mean that it should be scheduled. That's what I meant when I said that it should be approved. I always scheduled mine. I never used it spur of the moment. I planned ahead in January and submitted my requests then for the whole year. Usually I would take all my PTO in the summer. Since I submitted the requests so early it was usually approved.
we get 5 weeks vacation a year. we had this one guy that took every monday off, with five weeks that 25 weeks he could do that. on about the ninth week in a row, he was fired, for not coming in on monday. the reason, if we dont need you for all those mondays, we really dont need you
This really depends on company policy. As long as this employee is following policy, I see no issues. It may be unwise to burn all of your PTO early in your fiscal year, but unless company policy prohibits it, why get involved?
If this employee does burn through all PTO and wants/needs more time off, there are several options, depending on specific circumstances, company policy, employment contracts and state and federal law. Simplified:
If employee wants more vacation time, company can grant time off w/o pay, or deny. If employee takes time off without permission, they can be fired for cause.
If they need time off for medical reasons, they can take FMLA, workers comp, short or long term disability, if they qualify and if available. There are legal regulations governing eligibility, duration and compensation.
Overall I don’t see a problem unless the employee violates policy or law. I am on track to take 7 weeks of vacation between Jan 1 and the end of July, and it isn’t a problem. I have the time available, I am balancing my workload, I am getting permission. Why should anybody take issue with that?
we get 5 weeks vacation a year. we had this one guy that took every monday off, with five weeks that 25 weeks he could do that. on about the ninth week in a row, he was fired, for not coming in on monday. the reason, if we dont need you for all those mondays, we really dont need you
It's their PTO, they are allowed to use it. As long as the they are following company policy there is nothing wrong with what they are doing. I use most of mine in the summer because I don't want to get stuck using it all in Oct-Dec.
You're concerned about them going in the red and it hasn't even happened yet. The company will deal with it as they see fit, should that actually happen.
But I did mean that it should be scheduled. That's what I meant when I said that it should be approved. I always scheduled mine. I never used it spur of the moment. I planned ahead in January and submitted my requests then for the whole year. Usually I would take all my PTO in the summer. Since I submitted the requests so early it was usually approved.
Not judging you! I was referring to the OP's co-worker which reads like she is taking many unscheduled days.
The title of the thread is misleading. There is no overuse of PTO until the employee goes negative. Should it put up a red flag...meh... maybe a yellow flag. I know every company is different, but at all places I've worked, it is common courtesy to give a reasonable amount of notice for any time off. Of course, sometimes this isn't possible (you just got sick, emergencies, family death, etc). If the company expects a little notice when using PTO and the employee never gives notice, I'd suspect the possibility that they are job shopping. Interviews are commonly done during business hours, so there is no way to avoid taking time off for it.
Another possibility is that the employee simply dreads his job and this will all come to a head when PTO runs out.
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