The worker-empowering alternative to the “unlimited paid time off” scam

True wellness comes from employee power, not empty promises.

Burnout and stress are at an all-time high for many workers — including those relatively well-off office employees in tech and “knowledge work.” So it’s no surprise that companies have introduced innovative benefits to signal that they take employee wellness seriously.

Many of those changes have been positive — more flexible hours and more opportunities to work from home are a big plus. But “unlimited paid time off,” now offered by industry leaders like Netflix and Twitter as well as countless smaller firms, is a ridiculous scam.

Over the next few minutes, I’ll dissect why this new benefit is far more beneficial for employers than workers, as well as what you can do as a business owner to offer your employees a paid-time-off policy that actually helps them stay healthy, happy and productive.

Ask yourself: Do I trust my employer enough to believe that they’ll grant my PTO requests?

Do I know what “reasonable” means to them — and can I be sure they won’t change their mind during “crunch” time?