There’s no denying that the way businesses operate, especially regarding their employees, has changed dramatically in the past few decades. Employers are always looking for ways to modernize how they manage employees, and this includes with regard to leave management and time off. One trend that some companies have introduced is unlimited time off.

More workplaces are providing employees with these unlimited vacation policies, but what’s the reality? How do they work out, not just in theory, but also practice? How do you even begin to account for this kind of system in your employee vacation tracker or do you not track it at all?

In this series of articles, we’re covering the basics of unlimited vacation time, the pros and the cons, an overview of businesses that have this kind of policy in place, and what to keep in mind if it’s something you think would be beneficial within your organization.

What Is Unlimited Vacation Time?

The concept of unlimited vacation time is that employees can make their own schedule in many ways, as long as they’re getting their work done.

General vacation time isn’t something mandated by law, but it’s something that most employers offer. However, most employees receive only about 13 days of vacation time and eight holidays a year. This is in stark contrast to other countries. In Europe, workers get 20 vacation days, and 12 paid holidays a year.

The following are some of the specific things that have to be considered before an unlimited vacation policy can be implemented:

• There has to be a way to ensure employees don’t abuse the system.
• Employers are still going to have to use some type of employee vacation tracker or leave management system to keep up with vacation days.
• What will managers do if they’re facing a problem, such as a staff shortage?
• When do employees become eligible for unlimited vacation time?

Sometimes unlimited vacation time policies can have different variations. For example, some companies refer to them as a Free Time Off policy. This allows employees to work with their direct supervisor to schedule time off. Employees don’t have to worry about whether they’re taking a sick day, a vacation day, or a personal day.

Pros and Cons of An Unlimited Vacation Policy

As with pretty much anything in talent management and human resources, there are both pros and cons of an unlimited vacation policy. Sometimes this type of policy could work well in an organization, and other times it wouldn’t be an option at all. General pros of an unlimited vacation policy include:

• If you ask employees what their top priorities are, undoubtedly maintaining work-life balance is going to be one that you hear most often. Employees are willing to sacrifice in other ways if they feel like they can achieve work-life balance, and the idea of unlimited vacation time or unlimited PTO can go a long way toward helping employees feel like they’re maintaining balance. It also shows that an employer is dedicated to ensuring employees are happy in all areas of their life, and some people feel unlimited PTO is representative of a family-friendly workplace.
• Some employers feel that unlimited vacation or PTO can improve productivity. The belief is that employees aren’t worried about the little stuff, so they’re focusing more on the big stuff. That can mean that employees are feeling good, and they’re able to get more done. This goes along with the idea of having flexible work environments in general so that employees can work in the ways that are most productive for them.
• Offering unlimited vacation time can improve the sense of accountability in an organization. Employees want to feel like they’re treated as responsible, autonomous adults. This is going to help them be more engaged, it will reduce turnover, and it will help employees be more productive, at least according to some people. When employees are micromanaged, they begin to feel like children, and that may make them lash out and try to find ways to get one over on their employee.
• Unlimited vacation time can be an effective recruiting tool, especially when employers are struggling to address talent shortages.
• Unlimited time-off policies can cut down on a lot of bureaucracy and red tape within an organization. The framework of this kind of policy can be pretty simple, as compared to things like accrued vacation time, sick days, etc. There’s much less that goes into the administration of an unlimited time-off policy. There still needs to be a leave management system in place, and employees do still have to request their time off, but that’s really as far as it goes when it comes to administering this type of policy.

So what about the downsides of this kind of time-off policy?

• First and foremost, some employees can find an unlimited policy overwhelming. They may feel like there are some unspoken rules or guidelines that they’re not aware of. When employees feel like this, what may happen is that they can actually use little to no vacation time. They may think it’s one of those scenarios where employers say it’s an option, but to actually take advantage could lead to some sort of Some employees also just tend to work better when expectations and guidelines are very clear and defined. Having an open policy of any kind can be intimidating for these employees.
• There are also things to consider such as too many employees taking time off at the same time. This can largely be solved with an employee vacation tracker, but still, it may become difficult for managers and other employees to manage things if multiple employees are off at the same time.
• If a company is thinking about making a switch from a PTO bank to unlimited PTO, employees may be angry if they feel like they haven’t properly received the time they earned. In some cases, employers may have to pay out for accrued time, and that can get expensive.
• While it’s not as common as you might think, there is, of course, the risk of system abuse as well. Employers can usually determine pretty easily if there is a real concern employees might abuse an unlimited system.

In our next posts, we’ll detail some of the businesses that already have unlimited vacation time, and tips for implementing this kind of policy.