I have heard this question many times in my 5+ years of interviewing folks while working at InfoTrust. Usually, it goes:
- What does that really mean?
- Do people feel guilty about taking time off?
- In my experience with unlimited PTO, it has the opposite effect and people never take it—is that what happens at InfoTrust?
Well, let me tell you what I have learned since working here:
It isn’t just about being unlimited, but rather about the flexibility to take time off as you need.
We have all had those companies where we have to track every.single.minute of PTO. When someone needed to go to the doctor at my previous employer, you were expected to skip your lunch break. Well, at InfoTrust you control your calendar. Have to go volunteer at your kid’s school for a couple of hours? Great! Need to go to the doctor? Sounds good—hope all is well! Want to take a spinning class every Wednesday at 4pm? You are an adult, if you know this will work, then take it and enjoy sweating your butt off.
“Taking a full week or a few days off is wonderful—but having the ability to attend school events during the day, go to a doctor’s appointment, or meet up with a friend for a cup of tea is priceless. Those ‘this is life’ hours add up and have been invaluable to me and our family. Knowing I have that ability and the support of my manager/our leadership reminds me why InfoTrust is a best place to work. Our personal lives are just as important as our professional lives and that has meant so much to me.” – Natalie Shawver, content marketing manager and mom of an awesome little person
As discussed above, it is about being treated like an adult.
Not only do we have the flexibility to take time here and there, we also are treated like an adult to make our schedule work best for us. Some people are morning people; some people thrive after lunch; and a lot of us need that third cup of coffee. Unlimited PTO means that you can also have flex-time to meet you where you are, and as an adult you can figure out what works best for you, your clients, and your workload.
“Flex-time is honestly a game-changer for me. I happen to live near the office (~15min away) so I love taking morning meetings from home and then driving in for lunch (feasts fit for kings!). I spend the rest of my day there, where I’m more productive in the afternoons. (People! Unlimited snacks! Ping-pong!) It really is the best of both worlds.” – Robert Lin, associate analytics engineer and lover of InfoTrust’s free lunch
There is still a cultural norm of vacations and taking time off.
But how much time do people really take? In the InfoTrust handbook we address this with all employees that it is not about a cap, but we do have a level of expectations that you will take at least three weeks off a year. If you take the minimum amount (and managers do look at this), that normally shakes out to a great summer vacation, a spring break, and something in the winter. On top of that, we celebrate the regional holidays (11 national holidays at my location in the United States), and have about two weeks a year where the office is “soft closed.” When we are soft closed, we work to eliminate all internal meetings, shuffle client work that can be done, and work within our teams to see who has the ability to completely unplug. So, yes, people are taking time off and enjoying what makes them happy outside of work.
“I’ve worked for a number of organizations, most of which had a capped PTO of 3-4 weeks. Unlimited PTO, especially with a team that honors your time away, is a huge benefit. At InfoTrust, your personal life is truly just as significant as your work life.” – Meghan Hodge, an account executive who resides in Maryland but enjoys traveling to Chesapeake as often as she can
We truly care about each other and the need to balance family, friends, and physical and mental health.
At the end of the day, unlimited PTO is only as good as the company culture. At InfoTrust, we have an awesome culture and team. Don’t believe me? Check out our rating on Glassdoor or InHerSight. I can say I wholeheartedly care about everyone I work with. And because of that I will help in any way to make sure they have the needed breaks they deserve.
“I remember my first day at InfoTrust. I was sick, had a sore throat, and couldn’t talk which made me anxious. I kept wondering how I’ll talk in all the meetings scheduled for onboarding. After the first meeting, my manager asked me to go offline and take some rest. I couldn’t believe I didn’t even have to ask for it. The immediate thought I had was it’s the best decision I made to join this company.
Working in other organizations over the years, I had to save my PTO as an immigrant until the end of the year so I could bundle it with Christmas and Thanksgiving to visit my family thousands of miles across the ocean. Even after doing that, I would barely have a few days left for the rest of the year. When I heard about unlimited PTO at InfoTrust, I had a hard time understanding this concept. I thought there must be some kind of loophole that can’t be true. I learned that it’s not just planned vacations—but also impromptu plans, flight delays, emergencies, some inevitable errands—where having such flex time is truly a blessing in disguise. I’m proud and glad to be a part of the company which just doesn’t only quote for namesake about caring for employees and having work life balance but they mean it.” – Chanvi Kotak, BI Engineer and a new employee that recently joined InfoTrust remotely in Idaho
Does Unlimited PTO Sound Good to You?
If you have any additional questions about InfoTrust or want to connect about a shared passion for employee experience, talent acquisition, or diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging—contact me on LinkedIn!
