How do you use your PTO?

[katespade]

Do you take a day here and there throughout the year, or save it up to take a large block of time off?

When I was non-exempt, most of my PTO went toward coming in late, leaving early, or taking long lunches. I know that makes me sound unreliable, but it was always pre-planned stuff like appointments. Since I don't travel, I feel weird about taking blocks of time off for no reason. I always take the week of Thanksgiving off, and usually take a few days off around Christmas.

Well, now I'm exempt so I don't have to use it when I come in late, leave early, or take a long lunch because of an appointment or errand, and I have no idea what to do with all of the time. I can only roll over a certain amount and I can't cash any of it out. It's use it or lose it beyond the amount I can roll over. As it is, I'm rolling over 45 hours from this year.


I feel like this is the ultimate FWP, but I'm curious about how other people tend to use their PTO throughout the year.

[luv2rn4fun]

When I worked I used it to take big chunks of time amd also to extend 3 day weekends into 4- 5 day weekends. Towards the end I banked a ton so it would be cashed out when I left my job to be a SAHM.

DH used to do the same, and he still does to some extent, but we don't take as many vacations now so he usually tries to extend his long weekends. He has also had to use big chunks for paternity leave the past few years.

In your shoes, I would try to take more 3 day weekends. In fact, when pregnant with C I took every Friday off. It was great!

[katespade]

luv2rn4fun - I work 4x10 so I already get three day weekends.

H and I were just talking about it, and if we're serious about TTC this year it would make sense to start rolling over as much as possible. I also like the idea of extending holiday weekends, to get more time off using less PTO.

[wanderingenough]

If you are thinking of TTC, I'd check out your ML benefits. I was able to lay my PTO over my FMLA/STD once the paid portion of my maternity leave ran out. So the year(s) before conceiving R, I was saving it like a madman because I wanted the full 12 weeks I took off to be paid even though work would only pay me like 5. PM me if that doesn't make sense because I know it can get confusing.

Other than that, I do a mixture of it all. H and I will take random "date days" where we will plan a day full of stuff to do while little man is at daycare. We do long weekends, I take off at the holidays, and we usually go to the beach for a week. Even then I usually have some that rolls over.

[estrellita]

We usually take a week at some point for a vacation, usually in the summer. The rest is for long weekends, days I like off (like my birthday) or before something important (like before E's birthday to prep for a party). We can carry over 40 each year so I try to keep a "cushion" in case I need to take it for a sick day later in the year. I do sometimes use it for appointments too but we have the option to switch our schedule or make up the time if we approve it in advance. They're pretty flexible about it!

[estrellita]

Also ditto wanderingenough, check if you need to be saving that up for ML. A lot of places do STD for ML but not everyone. I know my work requires you use a week of PTO before the STD kicks in.

[katespade]

wanderingenough - Luckily, processing leave has been one of my main job responsibilities for the past couple of years, so I'm very familiar with how my company handles ML. I'll get paid STD for as long as my doctor approves for me to be out (typically 6-8 weeks) and I can take up to 12 weeks of additional baby bonding time, which is unpaid unless I have PTO. I can roll over 120 hours, which would still leave me with 3 weeks to use in 2016 and give me a bank of 7 weeks to use for potential baby bonding time in the future.

[hazelden]

We don't travel much so I use my PTO to extend holiday weekends and take days off when my kids don't have school. I only work on Mondays and Tuesdays so if I take off the Tuesday after Labor day then I'm off for 12 days in a row. I have vacation planned for the last week of June, all of July and the first week in August and only had to use like 10 days of vacation, I'm beyond pleased with myself for that!

[grover]

I teach. We get 15 sick plus 3 personal per year. Sick time is limited to three days in a row before needing dr notes and FMLA.

Generally I take when I'm feeling too crummy to teach (bad stomach bugs and bad migraines). Other than that I will take a mental health day if needed. But writing sub plans in generally harder than just going in. On the plus side, my required contract hours are 7:55-2:45.

Having a coteacher the past three years makes it both easier and harder to be out.

[pooh8402]

I earn about 8 hours every paycheck, so 208 hours per year. It all rolls over, up to 500 hours I think, which I have never been close to getting.

Since I work shifts, I use it to cover on call shifts (my call pay is laughable) or days I call out sick. I do try to take a week every year for vacation, so I use 36 hours for vacation. If I can swing it, I try to do my vacation on like a Thursday-Wednesday, so I can work my 3 shifts each week, not use PTO, and still have a week long vacation.

For maternity leave, my STD covered weeks 3-6, and I used PTO to cover weeks 1, 2, and 7-12. Actually, it didn't stretch that far, so my last week and a half were unpaid.

[krystee]

I have a ton of PTO because I've been at my company so long (six weeks). I typically try to take a week per quarter to split it up, use about a week of the days for J or me being sick, and take a few random days with that last week. We usually travel for two of the four weeks I take off. The other two are just staycations.

[Deleted]

I get 5.33 weeks a year. I use mine for vacations and days off as needed. I can only carry over 2 weeks into the next year. I use my PTO. We usually do 2 trips a year, a few when I get sick then a few when my mom needs a procedure.