Have you considered offering unlimited PTO? Our partners at Terkel asked HR/recruiting professionals and business leaders their insights on offering unlimited PTO and the benefit it brings to remote, hybrid and in-person workplaces.
What is one reason why unlimited PTO is a good idea for a remote, hybrid, or in-person workplace?
To help you understand the value of unlimited PTO, we asked business professionals and leaders this question for their insights. From accounting for impromptu life events to building trust, there are several reasons why unlimited PTO is good for remote, hybrid and in-person workplaces.
Here are nine reasons why unlimited PTO is a good idea in hybrid workplaces:
- Account for Impromptu Life Events
- Amplify Long-Term Results
- Create Opportunities for Innovation
- Attract High-Quality Talent
- Reduce Stress and Increase Creativity
- Improve Employee Retention
- Increase Productivity
- Eliminate the Cost to Manage PTO
- Build Trust
Account for Impromptu Life Events
One Monday afternoon my then girlfriend called me and told me she won a radio contest. The prize? A round-trip flight from Phoenix to London to sit front row at a Rhianna concert promoting her new album release. The catch? The flight left on Friday, and would cause me to miss work. As a newer employee, I wouldn’t have had the PTO to capitalize on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Fortunately, my company offered unlimited PTO and I was able to take the trip (and then, a few years later, marry my then girlfriend). The moral of the story? Unlimited PTO accounts for impromptu life events that are especially important with the uncertainties of operating in a remote or hybrid workplace. – Brett Familoe, Markitors
Amplify Long-Term Results
With increased diversity of work arrangements, only the end results of work allow apple to apple comparison of the long-term output. With strong mutual trust and responsibility, the PTO can assure a more flexible work relationship where both parties respect each other’s needs. In this arrangement, the employer can allow for time off beyond standard allowance while the employee may periodically dedicate more time and effort to achieve the work. It can be an outstanding arrangement when paired with an adequate and sensible approach by both parties. – Michael Sena, SENACEA
Create Opportunities for Innovation
When your company provides unlimited PTO for remote or hybrid employees, you are providing more opportunities for creativity. When people are able to relax and rest with vacations, they are more prone to creativity. When they return to work, they can implement refreshed ideas into their work. Plus, they feel more valued when their employers take their well-being seriously with unlimited PTO. – Olivia Young, Conscious Items
Attract High-Quality Talent
When it comes to recruitment, competition is at an all-time high and most organizations have reworked their employee benefits in the wake of the pandemic to attract great talent. While some companies offer better health benefits, others offer more flexibility and so on. To get a competitive edge over others, it makes sense that some companies would turn to offering unlimited PTO since it would entice candidates to choose their organization over others. – Riley Beam, Douglas R. Beam, P.A.
Reduce Stress and Increase Creativity
Engagement is a direct result of a compensatory and incentivizing benefits package. We find that offering unlimited PTO brings in quality effort from employees when they are no longer obligated to work when and if it conflicts with personal issues that should in fact take precedence. If an employee has an unlimited amount of time off, they will no longer feel pressured to build their life around work, but rather, their work around their life. Adding a hybrid work model to the equation affords our employees more convenience and the ability to be flexible with their daily routine. Lastly, when employees take time off and are also encouraged to do so, they are more present at work and perform at a greater capacity, engaging more with team members and adding creativity instead of a “burnt-out” mindset. – Nick Shackelford, Structured Agency
Improve Employee Retention
Unlimited PTO is a great idea for your remote, hybrid, and in-person employees. It’s a benefit that is not only enticing but valuable to employee retention. When you offer employees the chance to take their PTO when they need to and for the length of time they need. This benefit gives employees the chance to rejuvenate themselves and come back to work more focused. – Justin Chan, June Shine
Increase Productivity
Today it’s common knowledge that the more well-rested employees are, the more productive and efficient they become. Unlimited PTO could significantly contribute to productivity at the workplace. When people are free to decide when and how they want to rest and recharge their energy, and they don’t feel judged for taking their time to rejuvenate, they will be less prone to burnout, fatigue, disillusionment, and stress. Of course, it will also positively impact the employer’s spending – it is much cheaper to allow unlimited PTO than to cover extended sick leaves due to mental health. – Ewelina Melon, Tidio
Eliminate the Cost to Manage PTO
When a company adopts an unlimited PTO policy, it means they can eliminate the costs of managing paid time off. Some organizations are paying team members in HR and finance to manage time off across the employee base. That time and financial investment almost immediately disappears, creating bandwidth for other more impactful efforts. – Logan Mallory, Motivosity
Build Trust
One reason unlimited PTO is a good idea for businesses is that it builds trust between your employees and the employer. This trust can go a long way and when you give employees the option to take off whenever they want, it builds trust and respect throughout the company. Building the trust and respect of your employees gives you the ability to have more effective communication between them. This helps build a culture where everyone is encouraging each other to do better and nobody feels over pressured to perform. This makes it to where each employee can do their best work and be the most productive they can be each day. – John Wu,
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