Forced to use PTOI am in the final stages of interviewing for a professional position within a high tech company. On a call to go over benefits with an HR rep, he advised that the company offers 3 weeks of PTO (to be used for vacations, illness, dr. appts, family issues, etc.) but that all employees must use 4 days of this PTO around a particular holiday ... during which the company shuts down. No exceptions. The way I look at it, the 3 weeks PTO now becomes 2 weeks 1 day, as I have no desire to take time off around that particular holiday during the year. Is it legal for companies to insist that you take PTO at a specific time? I know of companies that do have a shut down for a week (normally between Christmas/New Years) but the employees are not required to utilize their PTO during it. Has anyone else heard of this? Thoughts? Thanks in advance for your input. Yes, I have heard of, have worked for, and my husband has worked for comapnies that go on shut-down at a particular holiday, and most of them have had a rule that you have to use some of your vacation time, or PTO, for this. Or, if you chose, you could take it unpaid if you had already used your vaca time. I think only one company that my DH has worked for has "given" this time to employees in addition to accrued PTO. And, when he worked for this particular company, he was on contract there, and though he was forced to take the time off, he was not paid for it. I don't think this company's policy is out of the mainstream at all. You can look at any way you want. The reality is that the company will be closed on those dates and they will not be paying you for it. If you don' t use your PTO because you' ve used it elsewhere, you' ll be unpaid on those days. That' s your choice. It' s not a question of "legality," but company policy and, yes, the company can require you to take the paid time off when their closed. Here' s another way to think about it, you' ll still be paid for three weeks for not working. And even if you have no desire to take the 4 days off with pay around when the company is closed, what would you be doing otherwise? Silly as this sounds, would you insist on going to work and sitting in the parking lot for 8 hours during those four days? They' re closed and they' re paying you not to work during that time. That' s company policy that applies to everyone. They could have a policy just as easily that doesn' t pay people a dime during that shut-down period, you still wouldn' t be working during that time, nor would you be paid for it. This is a much more generous approach, as I see it. | |
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