Using PTO in 2021

Todd McKinnon, the CEO of Okta, shared his upcoming vacation plans in a company-wide meeting and asked his employees to email over their PTO plans shortly after. Have you personally been in situations where you didn’t want to use PTO and is there any advice you have for individuals scared to take time off during a busy period?

The first course I took when I enrolled in Full Sail University was “Psychology of Play”. I remember thinking to myself when I read the title “man how is this going to get me to the degree that I want”. Little did I know the entire course has helped shape not only my career but my entire life. The course taught the importance of taking breaks and giving ourselves the time to enjoy life outside of the long hours we already spend working. I literally had to spend a few hours each week doing absolutely nothing or something fun rather and report on the activity once complete. Being the type of person that likes to go head in with my work I took the opportunity to skate with my daughter, cook with my wife and even ski with a friend. When I went back to complete the required assignments and reporting not only was I prepared but I had a refreshed perspective to work from. Paid time off is just that, paid time to do nothing or whatever you actually like and no one should leave any time on the clock!

-Mick Rose, Creative & Owner of High Crest Musix

Hey! I’m GiGi Diaz, Mindset and Branding Coach for Women, iHeartRadio personality, and recovering hustler! So this topic of not wanting to take time off and feeling like more work means more success is so important to me. Why recovering hustler? I’m glad you asked! Because I ended up in an emergency room depleted from “hustling” while getting my Master’s degree, holding 3 jobs and managing my first business that I had established back in 2003—not a good move. That’s when I realized that working hard is NOT the quickest way to success. I also realized that I wasn’t alone, that there had to be other women out there, eager to take on the world and make their wildest dreams come true but were going about it the wrong way and just burning out in the process. The hustler approach makes the road to your dream life unnecessarily longer. After my health scare, I spent years looking inward as well as learning about the true core of joyful living. I got my certifications as a Life Coach as well as in Happiness Studies, Positive Psychology Habits Practitioner, and Mindfulness. My passion is to bring this knowledge that took me years to acquire, to the public, helping others awaken their greatness and get to their mountaintop– loving every step of the climb! The truth is if you’re working corporate, the “fear” of taking PTO is produced in your own mind because you’re legally backed to take this time to rest and recover (or do what you want). If you’re an entrepreneur, sometimes taking the time off feels like the business will collapse without and if that’s the case, then you’re not approaching your business the right way, you’re the sole EMPLOYEE in the business, not the CEO and this requires putting systems in place. You cannot create or serve from burnout or overwhelm. PTO is a essential for both corporate and entrepreneurial professionals. I’d love to dive deeper into this topic as it directly affected me many years ago and was the catalyst to complete life change.

-Gigi Diaz, Mindset & Business Coach for Women – Founder of Seizing Happy

This is such a fascinating topic to discuss as part of this was the reason, I lost my identity with my previous job. I was never encouraged to take time off, work as much as possible, wreck my body for the business. And it totally worked…until it didn’t. The business was booming, but at what cost? PTO is money on the table for you to focus on you, your wellbeing, and LIVE. By not taking PTO you are “living to work” instead of “working to live.” The advice I would give to anyone scared to take time off during a busy season is this…generally we use the excuse to not take the time off is because it’s busy. And then when you want take PTO again…it’s a busy time. The cost of not stepping away from your work is your body, mind, and spirit running on empty and not having things or activities to source and refuel you. The cost is doing for other and not for yourself. Exhaustion breeds stress, anxiety, and ultimately resentment in the job. And if they’re scared they’ll be fired or thought of differently at the office for taking time off, I’d ask them what the culture of their work environment is and how does it serve them in their life and goals overall. If I were working a client in this situation, I would get them present to what the cost or consequence for themselves in their life is if/when they don’t take a step back and source themselves. Take the time off. Work will always be there, and you get to make sure you’re there too.

-Thomas Christopher Renner, Life & Leadership Coach

We earn PTO and mental health recovery days are essential so I promote the use of PTO days heavily…Dealing with everyday life assures us that at some point we deserve some time off…If we died tomorrow…our employers and colleagues would figure it out…Keep that same mind frame when taking a necessary break.

– Donna Cameron, CEO of Misfits Media Group

There has never been a situation where I didn’t want to use PTO. I believe that I work hard at work, I deserve the time off. I earned that time off and I will use it. When it comes to those who are afraid to take time off my question to you would be why? Why are you so afraid to do so? Do you not believe you deserve the time off? Do you believe that your dedication to who you work for is more important that personal times? Do you think you are that important you would be missed? Seriously, ask yourself these questions. When the head people in charge want to take off, they take off with no one in mind except for themselves and the people they are going on vacation with. You should be and feel the same. A job is a job and there are plenty out there, but time and your life is something you can’t get back. Why waste your time working all day every day, make all this money, but don’t get to enjoy it. That’s not living. Take the time for yourself, your family, your life and enjoy time off!

-Sirdarius Rashod, Owner of Deputy B., LLC

Personally I have been in situations where I did not want to take off from work due to it being a busy season or time period for the company. Unfortunately for me the company I was working for as a freelance artist did not offer PTO so with that being said taking time off in general was often times a gamble. However, I was with this particular company for about 10yrs and during those 10 yrs I had only taken off maybe a total of 5 times. Imagine that 5 times within 10 yrs that’s basically once every 2 yrs. I was a very committed employee and manager who always wanted to lead by example and be a team player so whenever I was needed to stay late, open early or work extra shifts I did just that. I’m saying all of this because after being a diligent, trustworthy and hardworking employee for 10yrs I was fired! Needless to say I was devasted. I couldn’t understand how someone like me could be fired after all the holidays, birthdays, extra shifts I worked, going above and beyond my duties, I was still fired. In that moment I thought about all of my time I had given and invested into that company wishing I had spent that same time and energy investing in myself. So I say this to anyone who is unsure, questioning or just simply wanting to be a team player or model employee, take that time off! It does not matter what you choose to do or how you choose spend that PTO, it’s imperative that you just do it. It helps keep you mentally as well as physically healthy and stable. We are not designed to be work horses or only survive to pay bills, you must live life, explore it, embrace it, savor it! We are not guaranteed tomorrow so live for today!

-Tanisha Charron, Entrepreneur and media host

I once worked for a high demanding dialysis company which I did governmental billing for. We had PTO but we were forced to use our PTO in situations that were out of our control. It was an issue about water to the building being cut off for plumbing issues so therefore there was no running water and toilets were out. For 200+ employees in one spot, that was a huge deal. So they made us use our PTO to leave for the rest of the day for the plumbing to be fixed. In this case, why wouldn’t the company just bite the bullet and excuse the employees for the rest of the workday, paid?! Many were upset and it shortened their days for other plans they may have already had in place. I think that some employers take advantage of the fact that they give so many hours every pay period for you to accrue which makes an employee feel great but at the same time it makes it easy for them to take it away for issues and situations that is out of the employee’s control. PTO is paid time off that the employee works hard for and its personal time to be taken for personal reasons. I think many abuse this and in turn has caused many employees to be stuck at a job with no way to take off for any personal reasons because the company makes it easy to use it for their own reasons or to make the employee choose. We wonder why many quit jobs or leave abruptly because employers put them in a situation where they have to choose between their self-health or a job that they are strapped to because they have to provide. We need to create avenues for employees to be able to release and get away for mental health reasons but to also believe that their company cares about their mental health!!

– Shannel Gray, Owner and Photographer of ShaeGray Photography

Yes I have, and I lied. Straight up, no sugar coating. I believe some situations deserve PTO without using your PTO, and if an employer doesn’t want to approve it, then lie. Especially being an African American.

-Quintin Muldrow, Lifestyle Brand

When I worked in management consulting, a partner on the project would not allow any PTO, even time off to attend your kid’s birthday. My advice to others on the team — take the time off. No job is worth your sanity.

-Mark Peterson, founder of Ziscuit

Perfectionism kills vacation. “Busy feet syndrome” is what I call it. Nonclinical term, yet it answers to this mental wellness imbalance. Burnout is real and sickness is real. Being stressed and busy is a recipe for both. Taking time off is essential for your sustainability: your actual ability to sustain something in a long-term manner. Busy periods can sometimes be an indeterminable amount of time; therefore, gear up & rest up before these periods. Otherwise, you’re burning the candle at both ends. If your work-life balance is coming at the cost of you, ie. not able to sleep, eat, socialize & have fun, have alone time, work on hobbies, then, your job and/or duties are coming at the cost of you. No job and no one is worth the cost of you. Please do not fear prioritizing yourself; it allows you to sustain everything else while also maintaining optimum mental wellness. You deserve overall contentment with how you live your life.

-Savannah Rose Johnson, BA, CLC, RTTP | Author, Artist, Life Coach & Hypnotist

One of the most essential things a young professional can do is get away from the office for a while. We must keep in mind that a cloudy head might have a significant influence on our mental health. You worked hard for your PTO, so make use of it while you can. You’ll be glad you did. The best thing you can do for the company and especially for yourself is to take a break-even during the busiest moments, walk away, feel refreshed, and take a break. Be empowered to take time off and come back better than before. Don’t be frightened to take time off.

-Dr. Ryan Starzyk, CEO & Entrepreneur

As a business owner, I find that it is difficult for me to put my needs before the needs of others. However, after 2.5 years of not working non-stop, I finally decided to take a vacation, and it was the best decision I made this year! First and foremost, every business owner, no matter the size of their company needs to prioritize time away from the business. Whether your company is big or small, chances are you are working long hours and are regularly solving big problems, which can be physically and mentally exhausting. When my family and I booked our trip to Hawaii this summer I was nervous about being completely unplugged and out of the office for 5 days, but I knew I needed the time away. After my 1-week vacation I returned to the office rejuvenated and with renewed ambition to get things done. My advice is that you should always take your PTO. Don’t let a year go by without taking any time off. Your PTO is there to give you a break and help you come back recharged and ready to win!

-Ebony Green, Speech Language Pathologist

PTO in a lot of situations is to use or lose. Especially in Georgia, the law does not explicitly govern how an employer handles PTO leftover by employees. In a lot of instances, people can take their PTO if they leave the job. It can be paid out as a lump sum. I was never a person who was shy about taking PTO, but I think there is a difference between how people handle PTO in work hierarchies. For instance, as General Counsel of a company, I knew the laws about time off, and I also knew the employee handbook like the back of my hand. Generally speaking, no one on my floor held off taking time off because they weren’t afraid of repercussions or being fired. However, I think that lower-tiered employees fear taking time off because they fear being terminated for something that goes wrong while they aren’t present.

-Ashley Black, Estate Planning & Business Law

I am an avid traveler and I feel that vacation time is extremely important. When I worked in corporate America it was always frowned upon to take vacation time. Many times I felt uncomfortable putting in PTO time that I had earned. Its an old saying, but you cant burn the candle at both ends. We all need rest and relaxation, and I feel that employees are much more productive and inspired when they take time to enjoy life.

-Brandi Garrett, CEO of Sweet Indulgences Beauty