191 PTO Hours

March 29, 2017 0 Comments

*This article was previously posted in 2017 and has been updated in 2022*

I recently started a new job, but about 5 months ago, I left my old job with 123 vacation hours and 68 sick hours accrued. Fortunately, I was able to cash out my vacation time, but those sick hours all went down the drain. When leaving my old job, I couldn’t help but think about those times I went to work sick because of the workload or when I would convince myself out of scheduling time off because we were short-staffed. I would even talk myself out of using my vacation time because it felt impractical to take 2 vacations in one year. I’m sure many people can relate to not taking enough time off from work to rejuvenate and take care of themselves all the while leaving many vacation or sick hours on the table year after year.

At my current job, employees cannot hold onto accrued vacation after an extended period time, so if we don’t use our accrued PTO within a year, then we lose it. I have to say, this guideline is a good motivator for work-a-holics who feel like their “work world” will crumble if they are not there. You are forced to unplug at some point in the year to minimize your chances of burning out.

Here some ways to optimize your PTO while still responsibly maintaining your 9-5:

Take advantage of long weekends around your company's observed holidays to schedule a travel getaway
Explore your local area and surrounding cities for quick weekend getaways via short flights or mini road trips, so that you can save PTO for your more extravagant trips
Extend work trips in cool areas
Consider remote jobs that allow you to work from anywhere
Consider working overtime as overtime may lead to additional PTO accrual

What better way to spend your time away from work than experience that fantasy safari in South Africa or taking the kids on an amazing vacation to Disney World like you’ve always promised. Use those vacation hours-don’t be old LaVerda lol Don’t be so busy paying for life that you forget to live life. What would you do with a paid month off from work next summer? Let us know in the comments :)