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Unlimited PTO sounds incredible in theory… until you realize the exceptions far outweigh the benefits.
One employee found that out the hard way after going on short term disability and discovering that state coverage only pays 70% of his income.
To cover the pay gap, he asked his boss if he could use some of the company’s unlimited PTO to cover the remaining 30%. It seemed like a perfectly logical request on its head, but the reality wasn’t near as kind.
Keep reading for the full story.
Boss won’t honor Unlimited PTO while on disability
I’m currently out on short-term disability and the state policy only covers 70% of my income. That 30% gap is really hitting me hard.
My company offers unlimited PTO, and I assumed I could use some of it to supplement the missing 30% while I’m out, essentially using PTO to “top off” my pay to 100%.
He soon learned the powers that be weren’t interested in taking his side.
My boss, however, is refusing to allow it.
Since we are such a small team, we don’t have an HR person and he makes the final decision.
He consults the employee handbook in one last-ditch effort to plead his case.
There’s no written policy I’ve found that explicitly says our “unlimited PTO” can’t be used during short-term disability leave in California.
Seems like I am going to have to donate plasma…
This employee sure is in a tough spot.
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Reddit is sure to have a lot to say on the matter.
This user takes the employer’s side.
This employee may have somewhat of a fundamental misunderstanding about how PTO operates.
Unlimited PTO is kind of a well-known scam at this point.
This user worries this employee may be unintentionally setting himself up for trouble.
Nobody wants to hear this when they’re injured and struggling, but the employee’s biggest mistake happened long before the disability leave.
It actually happened the day he accepted “unlimited PTO” as a real benefit without asking what it actually covers, who approves it, and what happens when you need it during a medical situation.
That’s not his fault in a moral sense, because companies design these policies to sound comprehensive so nobody asks those questions. But it is the overarching lesson.
Unlimited PTO exists because it saves companies money, not because it actually helps people. Full stop.
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