Stingy company only gives employees 5 days of vacation a year for their first 3 years of employment, gives 12 vacation days after 10+ years: 'This has to be the worst employee vacation plan I have ever seen.'

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Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Dec 6, 2025 8:00 AM EST

The vacation time doesn't even carry over to the following year.

Vacation time is a precious thing. You shouldn't have to spend every weekday at work for the rest of your life just because you have a job. We all need a little break sometimes, and often a three-day weekend won't cut it. 

We all have different standards for what constitutes a good or a bad vacation policy. Take Unlimited Vacation Time, for instance. Some might see this as the only ethical way to give employees vacation time, because, in theory, it rejects the premise that your job should have any say in when or how much you go on vacation. In practice, employees with unlimited vacation often take less time off than those with finite vacation time, because they feel guilty about taking it and fear exploiting the generous policy. Also, employers can be more stingy when there isn't a clear number of days available for an employee to take off. 

If you abandon the premise of unlimited vacation altogether, you're left trying to find the perfect number of days an employee can take off. Is two weeks of PTO per year sufficient? How about three? All I know for sure is that 5 days doesn't quite cut it in most modern workplaces.

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  • People sitting on chair in front of a computer
    via Israel Andrade

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

  • The new hire in this story was shocked to learn that their new job offers only 5 days of PTO per year for the first three years of employment. By their tenth year, they would get 12 days a year. Yikes!

  • That’s not what you want to see when getting a new job

    This has to be the worst employee vacation plan I have ever seen. This is supposed to be for full time employees. 10 years of service and they don't even give you a 2 week paid vacation.
    via u/Significant-Crow1324
  • Vacation Policy: Each full-time employee may take vacation with full pay at such time as is mutually agreed upon between the employee and their supervisor. See below for amount of days after years of service. If an authorized holiday occurs within an employee's vacation period, equivalent time off with pay will be provided. 1st-3rd year of employment 4-5th year of employment 6-7th year of employment 8-9th year of employment 10th year completion 5 calendar days 7 calendar days 9 calendar days 10
    via u/Significant-Crow1324
  • DJK695 The trick is no one last more than 2-3 years because of their policies and the way they treat employees.
    via u/DJK695
  • Pyju Wow, that's one of the worst I've ever seen. My company offers unlimited PTO (I usually use 20- 25 days/year) right off the bat, 19 company-wide holidays, and a 2- month paid sabbatical once you hit 5 years. Plus 4 months of paid maternal and paternal leave if you have a kid. EDIT: since a lot of people are asking, I work at a private financial tech company in the US.
    via u/Pyju
  • FlavourOfTheMonth US holiday is something else. I started with 28 days, plus 8 bank holidays, plus two volunteering days (can be used with any charity). After 5 years I get another 2 days. We can also buy 5 extra days holiday through salary sacrifice. Very glad I'm in the UK.
    via u/FlavourOfTheMonth
  • BRING_ME_THE_ENTROPY I got two weeks pretty much immediately at my current job and my friends at other companies got 5 weeks. 12 days after 10 years has to be a crime
    via u/BRING_ME_THE_ENTROPY
  • SteakThick5016 I am once interviewed for a corporate job white collar job where they told me in the interview that the graciously give you Christmas and Thanksgiving off to encourage you to spend time with your family and recharge and all they ask in return is you work the weekend after to make up for it. I could not get out of that interview fast enough and they were blown away when I withdrew my resume after as I was a top candidate.
    via u/SteakThick5016
  • Hallelujah33 Nah fuck all of that
    via u/Hallelujah33
  • cephalord Obligatory "20 days/year is the legal minimum here". I have 40, with the opportunity to 'buy' more with a benefits plan. Not saying that to bully Americans. Saying that to make sure you understand it is possible and inspire you to unionise and do something about it.
    via u/cephalord
  • aomelko Dang my job gives me 2 weeks off the bat, and its not like a high status job or anything
    via u/aomelko
  • Woman in blue button up shirt smiling
    via Coqui Chang

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

  • Investigator516 I would pass and not take this job. It speaks volumes for how you would be treated god forbid you get into an accident or illness or something.
    via u/Investigator516
  • Man in a hospital bed wearing eyeglasses
    via Alexander Grey

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

  • Legitimate_Stage2941 I never had less than 20 days off from starting a new job. USA is beyond inhuman. Capitalism metastasized.
    via u/Legitimate_Stage2941

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job seniority new hire employees stingy benefits Reddit company vacation vacation time
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