'Just so you know, we're not doing the PTO thing anymore': Assistant makes a standard PTO request, manager informs her he's done away with all paid vacation time

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Sep 26, 2025 4:00 PM EDT

Taking away employee benefits is not exactly the best way to maintain loyalty.

It's remarkable how many companies these days espouse abstract ideas about being a family-oriented workplace environment, full of "lifting one another up" and supporting a healthy "work-life balance." Let's be honest with ourselves here. This is all talk, no show.

The truly supportive companies out there are the ones in which upper management can prove their priorities to support their employees by enacting actual policies that fulfill their needs. Obviously, not every employee's needs can be met in a company-wide policy, but at the very least, a decent business will go out of its way to find solutions to make its employees feel valued.

Employment benefits are a huge part of that equation. Sometimes, large corporations have the resources to provide more of those benefits, but employees can still feel lost and ignored by being just one of so many workers. On the flip side, however, small companies might have trouble providing similar benefits with fewer resources. At one point, this local New Jersey clinic attempted to provide its employees with standard paid time off packages, until one day, that "benefit" was quietly taken away.

In fact, this author only found out about the change when she put in a routine PTO request. Her boss called her into his office and abruptly denied the request before revealing that there was no longer paid time off. He also explained that she could take the day she needed; she just wouldn't be paid for it. 

This is a major no-no for employees who sign contracts guaranteeing benefits like PTO. If an employer is authorized to change those benefits at their will, surely, there should be an official announcement. Moreover, this author should be authorized to propose that a new contract be drawn. Once one term of the contract is altered, then all terms should be up for negotiation. After all, a contractual employment agreement is a two-way street, and employees should be given the opportunity to advocate for their rights and benefits, especially if their managers feel like they can take those rights and benefits away at their whim.

Here's hoping that this author sees the light and decides to start looking for a better opportunity elsewhere, one where she can get the essential benefits of full-time employment that all workers deserve.

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  • This just happened and I'm still fuming. I went to my manager to request a day off next month, and he very coldly tells me that we no longer have any paid time off. I've
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  • been working at this small clinic in NJ for over 4 years. I told him the day I needed, and he said, "Just so you know, we're not doing the PTO thing anymore.
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  • A young businesswoman presses her hand over her face in frustration at her desk in an office.
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • That day will be unpaid." I was completely shocked. I told him, 'What are you talking about? This is the first I'm hearing of this. You didn't send an email or anything. "He just shrugged and said, "Yes, I did. I mentioned it a while ago."
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  • I ran and asked my other two colleagues, and of course, it turned out he hadn't told any of us. They were just as shocked as I was. The whole team is very upset, especially me since I'm the most senior person here. Is he even legally allowed to do that?
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  • To just cancel our PTO like that without any official announcement? We don't have contracts or a real HR department, so the place is basically his personal fiefdom and his word is law. This is ridiculous.
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  • A young businesswoman looks down and places her hand over her face in frustration while sitting at her desk in an office.
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • JamesWjRose • When you quit, not IF, but WHEN and AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!, give ABSOLUTELY NO NOTICE. Don't even tell them, just stop showing up
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  • merlyndavis. Sounds like they're going under, and trying to save money. Whether it's legal or not, it's time to find another job.
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  • TinyEmergency Cake ⚫ You have been at this job too long. Take your experience and find another job that pays more.
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  • Scormey When you leave, be sure to note all of this on Glass Door.
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  • MulysaSemp. That s ks. If you have the previous policy in writing anywhere, you can contact the DOL. Technically it looks like any stated policy must be adhered to, but if it's not in writing it's hard to prove what was said when. It looks like NJ doesn't require anything
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  • Q. Are employers required to pay fringe benefits such as vacation, severance, holiday pay, etc.? A. No. Fringe benefits like vacation, severance, holiday or any other type of benefit pay are not required by New Jersey State law. If the
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  • employer chooses to provide these benefits, they must be administered uniformly in accordance with the established policy or employment agreement. An individual may have a basis for a claim if the employer fails to adhere to the policy or agreement.
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  • Basically, yeah, the issue with small businesses without HR is that they kind of just do things like this. Laws are usually written to exempt places that don't have a lot of employees, even.
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  • cygs420. Contact a lawyer. Most employment lawyers work on contingency so it won't cost you for a consult
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  • No-Professional-1... Depends on where you are in the world. In the US, no.
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  • newwriter365 - 17h ago The Department of Labor would love to talk to your manager. Paid sick leave link Mental health is a valid reason to take a day off.
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