From what I understood from my American colleagues, unlimited PTO is mainly a way for companies to stop employees from accumulating it and getting it paid out. So now not only can you not really take more vacations than before, but you also miss out on getting them paid out instead.
Unlimited PTO is only good if you’ve proved yourself indispensable to the company, and can leverage that. Of course if you’re indispensable then it’s hard to take a lot of vacation!
It’s not an echo chamber. In a lot of Europe holiday time is protected by law. This is not the case in the US. Just because a few people like you get paid time off beyond what the law dictates doesn’t suddenly make everything even. You got yours, which is great, but what about the millions of others who don’t?
One of my current projects, the PM for the US company went off for maternity leave, and I was surprised she was back like a few weeks later. It’s basically a year standard here, and 18 months isn’t completely unusual depending on employer benefits for top-up on your salary.
There’s definitely some startups and tech jobs in the US that operate on a more relaxed basis, but most startups in general fail and only exist because of the low interest rates VC firms can fund them with. A lot of the large tech companies are happy to outsource where it’s possible from a business perspective, to companies in places that allow for cheaper and more exploitable labor. Countless encounters with that in my career, this past week a Tableau support ticket that was first assessed by a woman working from home late at night in Bangalore with her kids crying in the background, and they didn’t even give her a proper headset. Whenever you get a support tech from a US tech company in another country ask about their work.
We did a year of unlimited time off. I took 2x1-week and 1x2 week and a few days here and there.
At the end of the year they announced no time off except Christmas and Thanksgiving days during Nov thru Jan and you can’t take more than a week off at the time.
They couple this with a company wide raise but if they don’t change the policy after the moratorium ends in January I think I’d rather earn less and have more time off.
I’m an American with unlimited time off. Took 3 weeks to travel after 4 months at the company. Not every company operating here is a POS.
Is your company the exception or the rule?
Not OP, but probably yes. Unlimited PTO is not uncommon in tech.
Of course if you try to do some shenanigans like taking two months off they will simply fire you.
From what I understood from my American colleagues, unlimited PTO is mainly a way for companies to stop employees from accumulating it and getting it paid out. So now not only can you not really take more vacations than before, but you also miss out on getting them paid out instead.
Yep, that’s pretty much it.
Unlimited PTO is only good if you’ve proved yourself indispensable to the company, and can leverage that. Of course if you’re indispensable then it’s hard to take a lot of vacation!
I was talking about the rest of the population. Not just the tech sector.
I replied to the wrong comment, sorry, I was replying to the person asked if the 3 weeks were paid.
Doesn’t matter when generalizing. Many high tech/start ups operate in this manner.
Of course it matters.
Echo chambers dont like the truth. They like their meme.
It’s not an echo chamber. In a lot of Europe holiday time is protected by law. This is not the case in the US. Just because a few people like you get paid time off beyond what the law dictates doesn’t suddenly make everything even. You got yours, which is great, but what about the millions of others who don’t?
One of my current projects, the PM for the US company went off for maternity leave, and I was surprised she was back like a few weeks later. It’s basically a year standard here, and 18 months isn’t completely unusual depending on employer benefits for top-up on your salary.
There’s tons of great companies to work for here. I’m a fiber tech for one of the top 3 cable companies in the States…
I have over 2 months of time off between vacation, personal, and sick time.
I take my work truck home, and the company covers all repairs and gas.
I’m provided a business cell phone.
I also have free home internet, TV, and phone.
…I have a ton more benefits, but these are the ones I like the most.
I’m happy you got yours
With that business cell, I’m assuming you are answering calls on your time off.
There’s definitely some startups and tech jobs in the US that operate on a more relaxed basis, but most startups in general fail and only exist because of the low interest rates VC firms can fund them with. A lot of the large tech companies are happy to outsource where it’s possible from a business perspective, to companies in places that allow for cheaper and more exploitable labor. Countless encounters with that in my career, this past week a Tableau support ticket that was first assessed by a woman working from home late at night in Bangalore with her kids crying in the background, and they didn’t even give her a proper headset. Whenever you get a support tech from a US tech company in another country ask about their work.
not as many as Walmarts that don’t
We did a year of unlimited time off. I took 2x1-week and 1x2 week and a few days here and there.
At the end of the year they announced no time off except Christmas and Thanksgiving days during Nov thru Jan and you can’t take more than a week off at the time.
They couple this with a company wide raise but if they don’t change the policy after the moratorium ends in January I think I’d rather earn less and have more time off.
Yes, but were you paid during those three weeks?
Paid?
Point of Sale?