Ensure Productivity While Providing Unlimited Vacations
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Working in a company with an unlimited PTO policy seems great. Just think about it: you have the freedom to take a day off from work whenever you want to finish some chores that need to be done or to go on a dream vacation.
However, not many companies were brave enough to drop the old system of tracking day offs and implement an unlimited PTO policy. And the biggest reason for it is that CEOs fear their employees will abuse the perk once they offered it. Even though there is data proving their fear is unfounded (did you know that with the unlimited PTO policy employees take less time off than with traditional policies) they are still wary when it comes to actually implementing it.
So, how do companies like Netflix, Factual, and Crowdflower manage to make their workers get the job done? We may have an idea, so read on.
Track time off
Tracking time off, even with the unlimited PTO policy is crucial, and we talked about it in detail in this article, so have a look. We previously have said that, shockingly, employees with unlimited PTO policy take less time off than the ones with a traditional policy. That’s amazing but not as good as it might sound. Burnout is a serious thing and people who just work too much and didn’t have enough (or any) time off cannot offer their best. That’s why is tracking time off so important! Make sure every one of your employees took enough time off to recuperate and work effortlessly. And don’t forget to install the Vacation Tracker on Slack. You don’t have to pay right away, use your chance of a free trial HERE.
Make your employees accountable
The mechanism of unlimited PTO policy seems just too good to be true, but it’s operating on a much deeper level than the more standard work policies. By implementing an unlimited vacation policy you give your workers extra freedom and you actually make them more responsible than the ones working by more traditional policies. Most people would agree that traditional workplace policies are prohibitive and restrictive, and quite frankly they are all about keeping the worst employees and lowest performers in check. And when you set minimum requirements, people have a tendency to perform down to them. Give your workers freedom and make them accountable, and the results will follow.
Make the best of digital apps
Modern time gadgets make our life so much easier, both personally and professionally. To ensure the productivity of your workers while having the unlimited PTO policy give your best to make the most out of the online resources we have at our disposal. Use the tools like Asana, Trello, Skype, etc and use the maximum potential of your workers.
Task completion and not the hours
Nobody is productive every day and all day. When we feel our productivity is lacking, it might be a smart idea to just stop with work and not force ourselves to endure one, two, or three more hours at work. To make the best out of your employees and get the job done, look for the results and not the hours. Break your project into smaller and easier tasks and schedule meetings once or twice a week to make sure the job is properly done. That way you will make sure nobody is running away from their responsibilities.
Just talk
To ensure maximum productivity of the employees and make the implementation of the unlimited PTO policy successful, make a company that is employee-oriented. Don’t be afraid to talk with your employees and resolve any issue or blank point you might have. If you have clear and open communication inside the company, employees will feel safe and they would give their best of themselves to live up to the expectations.
And that’s all we got for today. We hope we gave you some tips for making your team productive while on the unlimited PTO policy. Read them carefully and make sure you implement them right.
Ana Mladenovic
A cat enthusiast and a cupcake maniac, Ana is a freelance Content Writer passionate about HR, productivity, and team management topics. When she’s not at her keyboard, you can find Ana in the kitchen, trying to make delicious cookies.
