Happy Thanksgiving folks! With Turkey Day tomorrow, and the Holidays right around the corner, we wanted to dedicate some time to covering PTO and Vacation. Here’s to rest, relaxing and family time!

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Securing time off and actually enjoying it (undisturbed) is one of the single best things you can do for your career.

Studies show that employees who take, use, and protect their PTO are happier, healthier, and more productive.

Yet only 48% of Americans claim they use all their vacation days.

That means a majority of us US workers aren’t maximizing our chance to rest and recover.

You deserve your time off. Instead of wasting it, use the NPP model to take and enjoy your PTO!

Notify
Plan
Protect

Let’s jump into the framework…

Notify

Here’s the rule of thumb that we encourage all professionals to stick to. For every day you want to take off, provide a 1-week heads up. Thus…

1 day PTO = 1 week notice

3 days PTO = 3 weeks notice

7 days PTO = 7 weeks notice

Is this rule rock solid?

Absolutely not.

Industries and teams differ, but I’ve found that this model puts you well ahead of the curve in most situations.

Most importantly, do your best to NOT schedule PTO in situations where:

• You will leave your team hung out to dry (ie. Go Live dates, Demo’s, etc.

• You are still new to a job (wait at least 6 months)

• Other team members are taking PTO

Failing to avoid the above situations isn’t the end of the world, but it will make you more enemies than friends.

Plan

Chances are you either fall into one of two buckets with your PTO.

1. You have “unlimited”, or

2. You have a set number of days per year

If you have a set number of days reserved for PTO every year the planning part is simple.

TAKE THEM!

Don’t think any more about it. If your contract says 21 days. Take all 21.

Ask permission of course, but you are entitled to those days. They are a part of your compensation package. Use them.

“Unlimited” PTO can be a bit more tricky to navigate and is much more common these days.

That said, here is what we recommend if you fall into the “Unlimited PTO” category.

• Aim for 1-2 longer PTO asks per year (5-7 days). These asks will most likely come during the holidays when most people take off anyways

• Aim for 3-5 medium asks per year (2-4 days)

• Aim for 3-5 small asks per year (1 day)

Following this model will give you a range of 14 - 29 days (2 weeks - 1 month) off per year. Depending on your industry and seniority level this range is pretty common.

Now, let's get to the nitty gritty and the question on all of our minds… how do you ask for and secure PTO. Drumroll, please…

Don’t ask!

Well, kind of… ask, but change your language.

Instead of sending an email to your manager saying:

“Hi Manager - can I please take off these dates (xx/xx - xx/xx).”

Say,

“Hi Manager - I was planning on taking off these dates (xx/xx - xx/xx). Is that ok on your end?”

With just this simple change in vocabulary, you have completely flipped the script and taken leverage in making the ask.

Protect

So you’ve secured your PTO and you’ve put together a PTO coverage plan. It’s now time to enjoy your vacation and let work melt away. Right?

Wrong. Insider reports that over two-thirds of Americans check their work email while on vacation.

Don’t be tied to your phone on vacation. Instead, try these things:

1/Delete (yes, delete) your Email app from your phone

2/ Set up a great OOO email. Use this template

3/Trust your co-workers. Great teammates will pick up the slack just as you will for them when they take time off


All told, PTO is a magical thing. Use it (use it!) to rest, recharge, and return to work more productive than ever.

Happy PTO,

The TCK Team

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