Unlimited PTO — Which companies offer it, and is it even worth it?

A ton of companies are now offering their employees “unlimited paid time off”, but what does “unlimited” PTO actually mean in practise and how does it compare with “flexible PTO”?

Unlimited paid time off… seems to good to be true? In this post we’ll do a deep dive on this new employee benefits by discussing what it actually means, how it compares with flexible paid time off as well as listing some companies which offer this benefit. But first, let’s cover the basics…

How does Unlimited PTO work?

If a company offers unlimited paid time off (PTO), it means that employees can “take as much time off as and when they need it, whilst also getting paid for their time off”.

In practise however, there are some unwritten rules about unlimited PTO. For example, you can’t book the whole year off and expect to get away with it. Unlimited PTO should probably be renamed:

Unlimited paid time off, within reason.

Most unlimited PTO policies require that employees must avoid “abusing the system by taking time off that negatively impacts their job and the company.” As long as you are getting the work done and hitting your deadlines, there shouldn’t be an issue about using your unlimited PTO”.