The road to unlimited holidays

When you have a remote team, you can basically hire people from anywhere in the world. But this also means that your competitors on the employer's market can also be from anywhere. So what can make the job in your company so attractive? Might unlimited ho

Remote working is no longer futuristic stuff that few do.

When you open a new remote vacancy, you directly compete with the whole world. No longer with the few companies in your city or region.

We must find new ways to become attractive in the eyes of the best talents.

Unlimited Vacation is one of the policies that are still not common, so still an attractive differentiating element in job offers.
I'm still not applying this policy in my company, but I'm working to create the right conditions for it.

Today I want to share with you what is essential to know if you want to apply this policy successfully.

What is Unlimited PTO Policy

Unlimited PTO (Paid time off) is a vacation policy that allows employees to take as much free time as they want as long as it does not interfere with their ability to complete their work.   It sounds like a great benefit combined with the flexible hours and location freedom. It should theoretically allow workers to live on their terms.   Theoretically.  
Unlimited holidays policy without preconditions and precise rules is a guaranteed failure.

Preconditions

Forget unlimited vacations if the below points are not present in your team/company:

• Employee performance and goals are tracked

• Paid time off management software is in place to keep track of all requests.

• Time off requests are pre-approved by team leaders to ensure absences do not compromise the business's operational requirements.

Rules

• The policy should be understood and approved
  Knowledge of the specific process required to request leave is essential to remain in good standing

• Request, not demand
  Although people can take unlimited days, it's important to remember that everyone still is asking for time, not demanding it. There may be unforeseen reasons that the team leader needs at the time of the request. Holiday requests should show respect for that possibility.

• Get sh*t done
  A critical component of an unlimited PTO policy is that the employee can take as much time as desired without affecting their work. That means that everyone must ensure that everything necessary will be gone before the holiday.

• Get coverage if needed
  Flexibility is important. In the case a teammate wasn't able to make all of the PTO preparation, he/she should remain available to help during holidays.

• Set a minimum 
  Set a minimum number of days employees must take off. It's essential to avoid burnout. 20 days off per year is a good number.

• Monitor and manage abuses
  If one or more coworkers takes excessive time off, this can lead to an increased workload for his colleagues due to covering work while they are away. To prevent abuse, the "get sh*t done" rule is essential.

Make unlimited PTO a perk, not an excuse

To summarize, adopt this policy only if you are determined to create the right conditions to have it as a perk for teammates and the company.

Work proactively to ensure both sides benefit from the perk during the ongoing relationship.

Regularly bring up your unlimited PTO policy in team meetings.

Remind employees who do not have time off the calendar to schedule some.

At the end of the employment relationship, employees should feel like they got a great deal during their time with the company.