PTO at Work

[Fryowa]

What do you guys get where you're at and what field/line of work are you in? It's always been interesting to me how many different ways companies handle time off. when I was a powerlineman we didn't get any PTO whatsoever, they basically built it into our wage and we could take off whenever it worked. Some people I've talked to have been at their jobs for 20+ years and still only get a couple weeks vacation and have to speak for it months in advance.

I'm in finance for a medium sized OEM manufacturer and where I'm at we get:

28 days PTO - start at 2 weeks and max out at 15 years...
Employee's birthday (you get to choose any day during the month of your birthday).

New Year's
Memorial Day
4th July
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Friday after Thanksgiving (I get paid to watch the Hawks beat nebraska)
Christmas

 

[okeefe4prez]

We get 0 or unlimited depending on how you look at it. My wife worked at a bank and they had 20 days and required every employee to take 10 consecutive business days once per year.

 

[Fryowa]

We get 0 or unlimited depending on how you look at it. My wife worked at a bank and they had 20 days and required every employee to take 10 consecutive business days once per year.

Question...

Since paras do all the shit work you've long since forgotten how to draft and file, do you pay the living shit out of good ones when they happen to come around, or are they usually looking to be upwardly mobile or even attorneys themselves eventually? I would think good ones would be like Pennyworth is to Batman. You just don't let 'em fucking go at all costs.

I ask because I know a couple of ladies locally who work for (albeit small) rural-ish firms, and they've been doing it for a loooong time and have nice stuff.

 

[Fryowa]

We get 0 or unlimited depending on how you look at it. My wife worked at a bank and they had 20 days and required every employee to take 10 consecutive business days once per year.

Out of 230 ish working days, how many do you spend actually in the office (normally, before the 'rona scared everyone into Zoom)?

 

[HawkGold]

I got laid off from my bank but had something lined up and now work from home on contract, so didn't skip a beat. They pay a good billable hour wage, so I'm good and take time off freely. Making about 30 percent more on half the time and much less headache. Could end at any time. Getting ready for a biking trip out west depending on the air quality. When I was at the U, I got 26 days plus state holidays. I couldn't use them all. At the bank, they were stingy and required 5 days off in a row, but they called incessantly when on pto. At the U - I got to travel internationally quite a bit while on pay. I'm also doing some other gigs, including privately managing farms, farm real estate, and WW2 history writing. Busy as crap. This place is a good distraction.

The banking industry will look very different in 5 years. I never intend to go bank. A decent U job I might. I have it good at the moment.

 

[guffus]

30 PTO
4 floating holidays
5 sick days

NYD
MLK
Memorial
July 4th
Labor
Thanksgiving
Black Friday
Christmas eve
Christmas day

When I started, we did not get MLK day or Christmas eve or the 4 floating holidays. But we did get Lincoln's Birthday, presidents day, Good Friday, Columbus day, election day, and Veterans day instead.

 

[Fryowa]

30 PTO
4 floating holidays
5 sick days

NYD
MLK
Memorial
July 4th
Labor
Thanksgiving
Black Friday
Christmas eve
Christmas day

When I started, we did not get MLK day or Christmas eve or the 4 floating holidays. But we did get Lincoln's Birthday, presidents day, Good Friday, Columbus day, election day, and Veterans day instead.

Damn. That's pretty solid.

 

[okeefe4prez]

Out of 230 ish working days, how many do you spend actually in the office (normally, before the 'rona scared everyone into Zoom)?

I was at the office 222-ish days last year. 5 days out for a cruise and 3 days out for Germ Quarantine which coincided with Christmas. 215-220 is my average. But plenty of half day Fridays in there. I'm not big on travel and without a trip to Japan last year bumped me up. I cannot work at home unless it is after 9 PM and my boy is in bed.

 

[okeefe4prez]

I got laid off from my bank but had something lined up and now work from home on contract, so didn't skip a beat. They pay a good billable hour wage, so I'm good and take time off freely. Making about 30 percent more on half the time and much less headache. Could end at any time. Getting ready for a biking trip out west depending on the air quality. When I was at the U, I got 26 days plus state holidays. I couldn't use them all. At the bank, they were stingy and required 5 days off in a row, but they called incessantly when on pto. At the U - I got to travel internationally quite a bit while on pay. I'm also doing some other gigs, including privately managing farms, farm real estate, and WW2 history writing. Busy as crap. This place is a good distraction.

The banking industry will look very different in 5 years. I never intend to go bank. A decent U job I might. I have it good at the moment.

5 days in a row off for a bank is low, most big banks require 10 for fraud detection. Banking is effed. It will all be computers soon. I got a glimpse of the future when I made a deposit at Fidelity a few months ago. There is a gal on a screen and they had a big box to deposit forms. Branch banking will soon be a call center model with two giant call center type operations that staff every branch. It was eerie.

What WWII history are you writing?

 

[Chickenlounge]

I think I have 28 days & 9 holidays. Honestly I stopped counting after a while, as I can't remember the last time I was actually able to use all of my PTO.

In 2022 my company is switching to "unlimited" which is stupid, since studies show people actually take LESS PTO on those plans, since nobody wants to be seen as the person abusing the program.

 

[okeefe4prez]

In 2022 my company is switching to "unlimited" which is stupid, since studies show people actually take LESS PTO on those plans, since nobody wants to be seen as the person abusing the program.

There are two reasons to do "unlimited." First is because people will take less, but it also takes some pressure off if you have a family member slowly dying of cancer or something. Second, and more importantly, it takes a liability accrual for PTO off your balance sheet. In some states, you have to pay out accrued PTO upon a separation of employment or consummation of an M&A transaction. The numbers can get huge, particularly if you allow rollover.

 

[Fryowa]

I think I have 28 days & 9 holidays. Honestly I stopped counting after a while, as I can't remember the last time I was actually able to use all of my PTO.

In 2022 my company is switching to "unlimited" which is stupid, since studies show people actually take LESS PTO on those plans, since nobody wants to be seen as the person abusing the program.

We have to either use ours or lose it, and I'm the type of person who can't forfeit it. I feel like that's part of my compensation and I can't leave it on the table. If my employer says you get 28 days plus holidays, I'm taking 28 days plus holidays.

But I understand what you mean, I don't travel much and I have a really hard time using all of mine. I end up taking random days here and there to try and use it up. When I was umpiring I'd use PTO for that and take a bunch of day games, but I don't do that anymore.

My company used to let you buy out up to 2 weeks which was awesome for me because I still had about 3 weeks plus holidays, and I got an extra paycheck in there.

 

[Fryowa]

In 2022 my company is switching to "unlimited" which is stupid, since studies show people actually take LESS PTO on those plans, since nobody wants to be seen as the person abusing the program.

What do you do for hourly employees under the unlimited framework? Or is it only salaried workers who get that? I could see some problems with that method for non-exempt employees.

 

[HawkGold]

5 days in a row off for a bank is low, most big banks require 10 for fraud detection. Banking is effed. It will all be computers soon. I got a glimpse of the future when I made a deposit at Fidelity a few months ago. There is a gal on a screen and they had a big box to deposit forms. Branch banking will soon be a call center model with two giant call center type operations that staff every branch. It was eerie.

What WWII history are you writing?

A glider unit in Europe Unbelievable what the glider guys accomplished. I've had a book published (real publisher) and now families ask me to write their fathers/grandfathers stories as I have so many records. What's funny is I got kudos from a nationally known NCAA BB coach whose relative was in the book on a national publication. Also got to meet Jerry Parr because of the book. Was in his house. Told me that Reagan did not walk into the hospital. Also showed me his napkin with Reagan's blood on it.

 

[MattinColumbus]

I get 35 PTO days, which includes sick days/vacation. In addition, I get:

MLK Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas
New Years
One floater, which we lose when Ind. Day, Christmas or New Years is on a Tuesday or Thursday

i think it maxes at 15 years from 2 weeks to start. I’ve been at my company 26 years.

 

[HawkeyeDug]

I work in healthcare so it's pretty shitty. 20 days PTO. Have to let them know like two months in advance. Have to use PTO for holidays, assuming you even get it off. Can't have more than one person per department off at a time. The day after that one person at a time memo went out three supervisors all sent out emails that they were going to be off the next week with the whole letting us know the Friday afternoon prior.

 

[99topdawg]

As a teacher, I get 2 days per year. Never use them. Too much work to get ready for a sub. I get 10 sick days as well. Can't remember the last time I used a personal day or a sick day because I was sick (had a seizure 3 years ago and bit my tongue so bad I couldn't talk). Also, I can't just punch out a couple of hours early for something. It's so foreign to me I can't wrap my head around the fact that most people can actually do that.

People always rag on me because I get my summers off. I did get 50 days off this summer, which is nice. If you add up hours on the job (not talking about off hours work), though, it's not that much different. Considering the fact that I only get 22 minutes for lunch instead of 60 like some, makes up about 14 days. I also don't get to punch out early, so my days are truly 8 hour days.

Certainly not saying my job is tougher than anyone else's and I never have nor will I. I signed up for this a long time ago and haven't thought it was too tough or unfair to quit. I do a lot of teaching stuff and take classes and mandatory training during the summer (not to mention that I coach baseball throughout the summer, which I love). Just saying that, when people say we don't work a full year because we "get our summers off", it's not exactly true.

 

[Fryowa]

I work in healthcare so it's pretty shitty. 20 days PTO. Have to let them know like two months in advance. Have to use PTO for holidays, assuming you even get it off. Can't have more than one person per department off at a time. The day after that one person at a time memo went out three supervisors all sent out emails that they were going to be off the next week with the whole letting us know the Friday afternoon prior.

And they wonder why they can’t get people to work in health care. That frickin sucks.

 

[Fryowa]

As a teacher, I get 2 days per year. Never use them. Too much work to get ready for a sub.

Yeah the summers off thing never appealed to me (not that I’d ever be good at teaching anyway).

I like taking Fridays and Mondays off too much when I feel like it. And the older I get the less I like heat so I’d rather use my vacation in the spring and fall which is the worst possible time of you’re a teacher.

You guys have my respect. Forced to spend your entire work day with shitty teenagers who don’t want to be there.

 

[spliff45]

I work with employer retirement plans mainly 401(k). We typically get Federal holidays off to include Good Friday and Christmas Eve. MLK is supposed to be a holiday but that’s in the middle of our busiest time of year due to compliance testing. So MLK gets treated as 8 hours of PTO. Our PTO accrues roughly 6.5 hours every 2 weeks. We have to take one week off during the year and can only carry over 168 hours or 21 days.