I'll be starting at a company soon that has an unlimited PTO policy. For context, this is a large (15k+ employee) enterprise software company that is known for having a good work-life balance.
I have seen this policy maligned often on HN ("unlimited PTO == no PTO", etc.), but from my personal observations at my internship at the company, people were able to take significant advantage of it. One of my teammates was encouraged by our manager to take a two-week vacation after we finished a release cycle that he'd put a lot of extra effort into.
For devs who work with (and like) unlimited PTO: what are the advantages? How have you utilized it, or how do you regret not using it sooner?
For managers with employees in this system: When (if ever) have you felt like you were being taken advantage of? Do you like or dislike the system, both for yourself and for your team(s)?
I'd like to make fairly frequent use of PTO, as I believe strongly in having a life outside of work and in mental recuperation, but I also really don't want to seem like a slacker. Any thoughts would be appreciated. (Aside from "go work somewhere with 4 weeks vacation" -- I'm quite excited about this job!)
I have seen this policy maligned often on HN ("unlimited PTO == no PTO", etc.), but from my personal observations at my internship at the company, people were able to take significant advantage of it. One of my teammates was encouraged by our manager to take a two-week vacation after we finished a release cycle that he'd put a lot of extra effort into.
For devs who work with (and like) unlimited PTO: what are the advantages? How have you utilized it, or how do you regret not using it sooner?
For managers with employees in this system: When (if ever) have you felt like you were being taken advantage of? Do you like or dislike the system, both for yourself and for your team(s)?
I'd like to make fairly frequent use of PTO, as I believe strongly in having a life outside of work and in mental recuperation, but I also really don't want to seem like a slacker. Any thoughts would be appreciated. (Aside from "go work somewhere with 4 weeks vacation" -- I'm quite excited about this job!)