Having paid time off (PTO) is important for your mental wellbeing, productivity, and work-life balance. Taking time off can give you a much needed break, help you recharge, and ultimately increase your overall  productivity. So, it’s frustrating when your time off isn’t encouraged by your employer.

Through our text line, we’ve seen a variety of challenges with PTO. Every day, we hear from people with bosses who won’t approve their time off, make them feel guilty about taking time off, or hold the power of managing their time off over their head. 

Whatever the cause of the frustration surrounding your PTO request is, know that there are steps you can take. 

First, it’s important to know exactly what PTO is and how it works. 

What is PTO and how does it work?

PTO stands for paid time off – it’s part of the standard benefits package for a job that may include vacations, illnesses, paid holidays, and personal days but is different from personal, medical, or family leave that is granted to individuals based on a specific need. 

At some companies, people get more PTO as they gain time on the job or attain a higher position. In some cases, companies provide unlimited PTO. Some companies don’t provide PTO at all.

Whatever the PTO process is at a company, time off is extremely important to both employees and the organization. 

Why is PTO important? 

PTO days are important for employees because they reduce stress, increase productivity, maintain a work-life balance, and they show that employers value their employees. PTO can also protect the privacy of employees. They don’t have to reveal personal reasons for needing to be away from work.

Sometimes, employers aren’t encouraging when it comes to PTO requests. 

Real conversations about PTO on our text line

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for there to be issues with PTO in the workplace. We see this every day through our text line. There are common ways that employers abuse the power of administering PTO. Here are some examples:

Your employer makes you feel guilty

In these cases, sometimes an employer can add to your workload while you’re away. This is usually a tactic to make an employee feel guilty for missing work and avoid taking time off again. This can even happen if an employee has unlimited PTO.

As an Empower Work user shared: 

“I'm…worried because I've been feeling so burnt out and my work has ‘unlimited PTO’ but it's a total scam…we're supposed to be able to rest whenever, but if I even take one day off the work piles up so much that it ruins the entire next week…so no one in our company even takes more than … 10 days a year.”

Your employer holds your PTO over your head

Sometimes, a manager will hold the power of managing PTO over your head. Through our text line, we’ve heard from people with managers that approve PTO requests and then rescind the approval, push employees to their breaking point in order to forfeit time off, or treat their employees poorly when they ask for time off. 

As Empower Work users have shared: 

“They do this all the time. They push and push until the good employees break and just walk out....of course that's good for them because there is a rule that if you walk out you forfeit ALL the vacation time you've saved up.”

“[My managers] approved my PTO of two days to visit family in Philadelphia. After I bought the air tickets. [My manager] called and asked me to stay working. I explained to her that we bought the air tickets and our family is expecting us and that I will work from home to accommodate the team.”

Your employer’s PTO process is unclear 

PTO is different at every organization. Time off can be accrued, unlimited, or set at the beginning of a year. Whatever the process of PTO is, your employer should be clear about it. However, this is not always the case. Through our text line, we’ve seen people whose employers’ PTO process isn’t entirely clear. 

As Empower Work users have shared: 

“​​Accrual of PTO is dependent upon how many hours you work but with salaried employees they don't actually track our hours so how is that fair?”

​​”When I have to take a few hours off, he [my boss] wants me to log in as PTO and come into the office earlier.”

What to do if your boss doesn’t encourage PTO

Whether your boss is making you feel guilty about your time off, holding your PTO hours over your head, or your employer’s PTO process is unclear, there are steps you can take to help the situation. 

So, what can you do if your boss doesn’t encourage PTO?

Know your rights

First, learn what your employer can and cannot legally do in terms of your PTO. Do some research on your organization’s policies to be as clear as possible when asking for time off. Find out how your PTO works at your organization and how it differs from vacation time and sick hours. If the PTO policies aren’t very clear, don’t be afraid to ask. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking to your employer about this, you can always ask HR or a trusted employee. 

Set Boundaries

When your employer isn’t being respectful of your time off, set boundaries in a professional manner. Everyone needs time in their day, week, and year that’s off-limits for work, and your employer needs to be aware of that time. If your boss doesn’t respect your time off, it’s good to handle the situation immediately. Whether you’re planning ahead for your time off or if you’re already enjoying your time off when your boss disrupts your PTO, it can be helpful to write out an email articulating your boundaries.

Take care of yourself

Remember, everyone needs time off every once in a while. Even if your employer is trying to make you feel guilty for taking time for yourself, try to remember that it’s completely normal to manage your work-life balance. Working for an employer who doesn’t respect your time away from work can be exhausting and cause burn out. So, it’s important for you to take care of yourself. Whatever taking care of yourself looks like to you – doing some self-care practices, exercising in your free time, meditating, reading, pursuing new activities – take time for yourself away from work.

Reach out

If there’s a situation revolving around PTO that’s uncomfortable or has gotten out of hand, find a support system. 

• Going to human resources is a common step people take when dealing with a PTO issue. Taking the issue to human resources could help clarify why the issue happened in the first place, depending on the context of the situation.

• If you don’t feel comfortable going to human resources or if you’ve gone to human resources and feel like the issue is unresolved, it could also help to talk to a trusted coworker. It’s possible that other coworkers feel the same way, and talking to them could help you feel more supported. 

• Our trained peer counselors are also always here to chat. If your employer isn’t encouraging PTO and you want to talk about it, text 510-674-1414 for free, confidential support from a peer counselor. 

*Note: Empower Work provides non-legal support for workplace challenges. This information, while authoritative, is not legal advice or guaranteed for legality. Employment laws and regulations vary by state. We recommend consulting with state resources for specific interpretation and decisions. If you believe you were discriminated against in violation of the law, we recommend you seek legal advice.