Spending time in the hospital is a nightmare for many reasons, but aside from the concerns about your health and how terrible all of the food is, you might also spend your stay worrying about how expensive your medical bills are becoming and how many days of work you’ve had to miss. That’s why it’s great to have paid time off, or PTO. But unfortunately, that’s usually quite limited, and your company’s CEO might not be extremely generous with it. Below, you’ll find a notice from one CEO that was recently shared with employees, and then posted on the Antiwork subreddit, that is now under scrutiny for being insensitive and tone deaf.

The point of having paid time off is so that employees can use those days at their own discretion

Image credits: DC_Studio (not the actual photo)

But after one worker was forced to use all of their PTO in the hospital, their company’s CEO had the audacity to urge others to sacrifice their own days off

Image credits: anon

Image credits: anon

If you’re unfamiliar with an American paid time off or PTO policy, according to The Balance, it’s a combination of vacation, sick and personal days all pooled into one bank of paid days off. These days can be used however an employee likes, which means employers don’t need to be informed about why their workers have decided to take a day off. These policies can be very helpful for employees who need to take days off for doctor’s appointments or health issues that they don’t want to have to disclose to their employers, and they can protect employees from losing money whenever they get sick or choose to take a vacation.

In theory, PTO is beneficial for employees, as it allows them to take time off without needing a specific reason

Image credits: s_kawee (not the actual photo)

But there can also be issues associated with PTO. In situations like this post on Reddit, companies and CEOs can be unwilling to budge or negotiate on how many days of PTO employees are allowed to use, without considering extenuating circumstances like being hospitalized or coping with a family tragedy. According to a study from the WorkatWork Association in 2019, the average amount of PTO days employees receive is determined by how long they’ve been working at a company. The days given ranged between 17-29 on average, with the smallest amount being given to employees who had been with a company for less than one year and nearly a month going to employees who had been with a company for two decades or more. 

That may seem like plenty of paid time off, but especially for employees with health issues or who have children and might need to stay home taking care of them at times, the days can add up quickly. And suddenly, a worker might not have any days left for actual vacations or rest. And while the average American who receives PTO does not end up using all of it most years, they definitely should take advantage of those days. Time off is important to avoid burnout and to enjoy a higher quality of life. According to the American Psychological Association, a relaxing vacation can contribute to a person’s overall health, lowering their risk of heart disease, reducing their stress, lowering depression and anxiety rates, improving productivity and increasing their overall satisfaction.  

Image credits: svitlanah (not the actual photo)

“If you take a truly restful vacation, the benefits can last not just weeks but months,” Christine Carter, PhD, a sociologist and a senior fellow at the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California in Berkeley, told Everyday Health. Even staying at home for a day or two to rest can be helpful. “Think about the healthy comfort items that would come with a vacation, and give yourself permission to have those,” Carter advises. “Sit in your backyard and read something enjoyable, or just get outside and expose yourself to nature.”

Yet the biggest problem in this situation on Reddit is the fact that the CEO is attempting to guilt their employees into giving up the days off that they have earned and deserve, rather than using their power in the company to provide extra paid days off for the employee in need. They could also provide unpaid days off and start a fund to raise money for the hospitalized worker, perhaps on a platform like GoFundMe and kick off the donations with a few thousand dollars. If they were really concerned about this individual who has worked at the company for 17 years, they could certainly find a way to help them out. Corporate greed never ends though, and unfortunately, it has clouded this CEO’s judgment and empathy. 

In practice, however, PTO days often end up simply becoming sick days or going unused altogether

Image credits: LightFieldStudios (not the actual photo)

We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Have you ever experienced a similar issue at work? And how would you respond if your CEO urged you to give up your own days off when they have the power to provide more? Then, if you’re interested in reading another article from Bored Panda discussing how to utilize your PTO correctly, check out this article next! 

After this notice was shared online, readers began chiming in with their own similarly frustrating experiences

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Many people also called out the CEO for being greedy and insensitive

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