My job recently rolled out an FTO policy before the start of the year.

Anonymous

May 19,2023 at 12:59PM UTC

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My job recently rolled out an FTO policy before the start of the year. So far, I only requested 9 days off that includes due to sickness. I needed to request 2 days off in June. My manager emailed me about the amount of days I was taking . I had many days accrued with PTO and they didn’t pay anyone out for them. Is it appropriate to cap 160 hours when the whole company has implemented FTO?

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AnonymousMay 19,2023 at 1:24PM UTC
What this sounds like to me is that FTO is working exactly as expected. When is the US going to stop making it okay to screw workers any way possible? And then complain that no one wants to work.
Harshini RajachanderMay 19,2023 at 3:34PM UTC
FTO gives middle managers too much power. My company moved from fixed to flexible too and the understanding was that we would still take around 20-22 days off per year. BUT I have found that if you spread out your PTO days and your manager is okay with it you can take more. Realistically though, it's a lot of work and most people end up taking less than 15 days.
AnonymousMay 19,2023 at 7:02PM UTC
FTO is a grift. As another poster wrote people end up taking even less time off. But the US is the only developed nation without mandatory PTO. My colleagues on other countries are constantly on “holiday.” Our company gives them a few extra days beyond the mandated PTO.
AnonymousMay 21,2023 at 1:27PM UTC
My company has unlimited leadership time off, so if you're a people leader you do not have PTO and do not record your absences. I have never seen a plan more abused by employees! It is amazing. People are always unavailable but balk at their non leadership employees who have to use PTO for holiday pay too in addition to sick and scheduled vacations.
Mary PoolMay 21,2023 at 4:57PM UTC
I did a quick search; they are required to compensate you for the unused PTO or allow you to use it. They can age it out, but they have to notify you beforehand and allow you to use it before implementing the FTO. You might want to contact your state Labor Relations department and learn the rules in your state. You need to review your company's policies to find out about the 160 cap. Here is an article to review to educate yourself before making any calls: https://kslegal.com/pitfalls-to-avoid-when-transitioning-to-an-unlimited-vacation-policy/
misskelleypMay 21,2023 at 11:37PM UTC
Whether or not the Company has to pay employees out for accrued, unused PTO is completely dependent on what state they are in. Payout is not required in all states, in fact, not even in very many states.
AnonymousMay 21,2023 at 5:24PM UTC
If your paycheck stub shows the accruals in there the company is legally required to either honor them or pay you for them unused when you leave the company only. It is not required to pay you for them until you terminate. Please use them, once earned even if they change the policy your stub shows the accruals use that for any conversations required in HR or legal.
misskelleypMay 21,2023 at 11:35PM UTC
It is absolutely NOT required nationwide that companies pay out for accrued, unused PTO. Some states do require that payout, but definitely not the majority. If the company converted to FTO without paying out for accrued PTO it is likely legal in your state. It's not an ideal way to do the conversion, but it's not illegal (except in some states - CA, CO, MA come to mind). For the OP, I would suggest a conversation with your supervisor around what they think of as a reasonable amount of time off to take. Point out the amount you earned annually under the previous system and let them know that you will always ensure that you have the work covered when you have to (or need to) be out of the office, that may allay their concerns. My main objection to "unlimited PTO" is that it usually works out worse for the employees, but better for the company, it sounds like this is the case here.
AnonymousMay 22,2023 at 2:51PM UTC
Not true company can an do put limits on the amount accruals. Before I moved from PTO to FTO, I had caps in place for years. Use or lose it at a great many companies. Lucky you for avoiding it for this long because most companies realize perpetual PTO accumulation is an enormous liability they no longer want to have.
Kathy DonnaldMay 22,2023 at 12:02PM UTC
My new manager will not let me use PTO. I was at the cap, I said I needed to use it before I lose it. Her answer was, no they upped the amount of hours for PTO? So she just put me off.