Manager forbids use of 'use it or lose it' PTO, employee finds loophole to take vacation time: 'Two hours every morning next week, two hours every afternoon the week after, a random Friday 3 to 5 to watch a plumber'

Sometimes it pays to read the fine print.

It is amazing what rules and technicalities can be buried in a contract or handbook that most people never thoroughly read, and often the best time to do so is when somebody who should know better is going against that for their own benefit. 

In particular, the workplace is somewhere in which everybody wants to make sure that they know what they are allowed to do, and how that matches (or does not) with the demands of their superiors. There are plenty of bosses out there who are reliant on the idea that their employees will value doing right in their eyes above their own legal rights, and it can come back to bite them. 

We might go as far as saying that when employees face an unfair restriction at work, one of the first places they should turn are the official rules of the company. It might be surprising what they find.

Author image for Ally Perry Ally Perry
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  • a businessman stands outside on a sunny day with a rolled newspaper under his arm
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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  • In this story, workers were left in a frustrating situation when HR informed them that they had to use their remaining PTO by the end of the month or lose their entitlement to it. The issue was that their manager did not allow any of them to take any time off during this period of time.

    However, one employee took it upon themselves to read the handbook. They then realized that if they could get vacation requests processed without a denial within a specific period of time, they would be automatically approved. They took the opportunity to use this to their advantage, and many of their coworkers followed suit. This sneaky way of taking PTO ended up changing the system for their company.

  • Boss said I must use my vacation before month end but also “no one can take time off”, so I read the policy

    Company sends a shiny HR email, subject line all caps, USE IT OR LOSE IT. We had to burn our remaining PTO by the 30th or it evaporates into the sun. Same day, my manager announces in standup that due to quarter end "no one can take time off until the 1st." I asked how to reconcile that, he shrugs and says talk to HR. HR says talk to your manager. Cute
    via pyreforge
  • loop. So I opened the handbook, because I am a petty librarian when annoyed. Page 14 has this little sentence I never noticed. "PTO requests not explicitly denied in writing within 48 business hours are considered approved." There is also a note that partial day PTO is allowed in 1 hour blocks. Thank you, legal team.
    via pyreforge
  • I submitted ten separate requests. Two hours every morning next week, two hours every afternoon the week after, a random Friday 3 to 5 to watch a plumber, and one full day to visit my mom. I sent the requests in our HR portal, which auto emails the manager and CCs a shared mailbox nobody watches. Then I went back to my tasks and set reminders. Forty eight
    via pyreforge
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  • a businessman wearing glasses sits outside and uses his laptop
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • business hours pass. No denial. The portal changes each request to approved, green checkmark, confetti gif. Monday comes and at 9.58 I put a cheerful note in the team chat. "Heading out, see you at noon." Manager pings me to hop on a client call, I reply with a screenshot of the policy and the portal approval. Silence. Then three dots typing, then nothing.
    via pyreforge
  • By Wednesday our calendar looked like cheese. Half the team remembered they also had PTO sitting around and started filing it in little blocks. Meetings kept colliding with green bars. Finance realized that if we did not use the days now, they would be paid out at separation later, which they hate. HR wrote a new post saying we should "coordinate" but
    via pyreforge
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  • that approvals already granted stand. My manager called a huddle to ask why productivity dipped. I said we are following HR's instruction to use PTO. He said he meant in November. I sent him the original email timestamped this month. He sighed and said he never thought anyone would actually read the handbook. I used every hour, took my
    via pyreforge
  • mom to lunch, and my plumber fixed the cursed sink at 3.40 while I drank tea. Next week a new policy appeared. PTO must be requested in full day increments during quarter end, and managers must respond in 24 hours. Thanks for clarifying, truly.
    via pyreforge
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  • Commenters applauded this petty rebellion.

    CoderJoe1 I used to encourage my employees to use all of their vacation time as well as their sick time. I wanted my team to avoid burning out as it took nearly a year to get a new hire fully trained.
    via CoderJoe1
  • muscrerior This malicious compliance is approved.
    via muscrerior
  • Hoak2017 This is the manager's equivalent of a developer saying "I never thought anyone would actually use that feature."
    via Hoak2017
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  • Easy_Lengthiness7179 New policy doesnt address a manager randomly deciding that no one can take PTO that month. You will be stuck in the same boat in the future, with no loophole to use your time.
    via Easy_Lengthiness7179
  • hand_me_a_shovel "He sighed and said he never thought anyone would read the handbook." Translation: "If I knew you would be prepared I would have tried a different tactic to fuck you all over to make my numbers and nab my bonus."
    via hand_me_a_shovel
  • NoSwimmers45 This is why I always make sure my manager knows that PTO for me doesn't mean "paid time off" but rather "prepare the others" because I'm informing the company that I will not be present on the scheduled day.
    via NoSwimmers45
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  • Look-Its-a-Name Ah yes. When manager stupidity meets company policies, the results are always incredible funny.
    via Look-Its-a-Name
  • mallardtheduck In countries with actual employee rights, denying PTO without an opportunity to use it at a later date would usually require the company to pay out the time or, if it means you can't take the legally-entitled minimum(*), be flat-out illegal. * Just to be clear; if you don't have to take the legal minimum PTO if you really don't want to (at least in most countries I'm aware of), but the company cannot prevent you from taking it.
    via mallardtheduck
  • PurpleHippocraticoof Worked at a place where PTO had to be taken in four-hour increments and sick time in two-hour increments. And if you were more than 5 minutes late, you had to use either PTO or sick time. You couldn't just clock in at the 6 minute mark, you had to use the time.
    via PurpleHippocraticOof
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  • Naturally, this turned into people going "ehh traffic sucks and I'm going to be more than 5 minutes late, so I might as well take a two hour paid break and go to brunch".
    via PurpleHippocraticOof
  • PunkCPA This is why evil companies institute "unlimited PTO." It's unlimited in theory, but managers can and do turn down any requests. No carry over, no final payout, and damned little time off because it's always too busy. (People getting fed up, quitting, and not being replaced can make the sleepiest workplace busy.)
    via PunkCPA
  • speculatrix I often want a half day off. It'd be annoying to take a full day and feel like I'm wasting half.
    via speculatrix
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