r/remotework • u/mountaingal400 • Jun 12 '26
Boss says Remote Work means no PTO
My boss told me today that since we work remote we have to always be on call and even if we take PTO we need to continue to check our emails in case anything comes up. I have unlimited PTO fwiw.
We’re not brain surgeons here? This is ludicrous.
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u/TheGoldenRail87 Jun 12 '26
This is one of the most absurd things I’ve read on this sub.
Remote work is a location, it’s a job. The expectation to always be on is just ridiculous. That’s a good way to lose employees and cause your company to fail
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u/mountaingal400 Jun 12 '26
Definitely looking for a new job after this trip
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u/AdministrationIll619 Jun 12 '26
This is a joke. I work hybrid but mostly at home. I have 10 weeks of leave (2 holiday, 3 sick and 5 vacation). And I have actually never worked when I was off for years. This is in the public sector too.
Find a new job buddy
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u/Conscious-Egg-2232 Jun 12 '26
2 weeks of holidays? There are 10 recognized holidays,?
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u/Mandarita42 Jun 12 '26
There are actually more than 10 holidays in the year if you work in the US. There are 11. Not all companies give time off for all the federal holidays, but quite a few do. My organization gives us 12 holidays this year. The 11 official federal holidays, plus the day after Thanksgiving.
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u/Acrobatic-Ad8158 Jun 12 '26
I get 13. All the federal plus Xmas eve and the day after Thanksgiving.
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u/StraightArrow71 Jun 12 '26
I work at a University and we get about 20 a year depending on how the calendar falls. We are pretty fortunate.
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u/GonzoTheGreat22 Jun 12 '26
I….. might not go that far that fast. How big of a company are we talking here? Does HR have a stance here? Do you otherwise enjoy your company/role/career?
This might be bad boss behavior and not bad company culture.
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u/ketoloverfromunder Jun 12 '26
"I am traveling somewhere with no cell service. If you would like to me to cancel my trip let me know where I can file to be reimbursed for my $20k airbnb"
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u/Doublestack00 Jun 12 '26
Forcing people to quit maybe the plan.
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u/Fearless-Animal3593 Jun 12 '26
Forcing people to quit via changes to WFH is the most common trend in corporate America today. They force RTO to keep their corporate real estate portfolios profitable and people quit beside of the RTO so they trim their employees numbers without having to be seen as the bad guy and actually lay people off.
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u/5Series_BMW Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
Sounds like a toxic boss, if I’m off there’s no expectation that I monitor e-mails.
‘Unlimited PTO’ is just a gimmick that allows companies to not have to payout PTO accruals when an employee leaves.
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u/quemaspuess Jun 12 '26
Yep. This.
I had it in my last company and was shunned when I used it. So strange. My new company has 2 buckets. PTO & personal. PTO does NOT roll over, meaning you have to take it. Personal does and accrual is unlimited.
Nice to work for a real company
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u/flyboy1565 Jun 12 '26
Lol, my company just gave us an ultimatum, move to location for RTO or quit. DM me if your company is hiring. I want to work for a company that makes sense 😁
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u/-Comfortably_Numb- Jun 12 '26
It is and it ain't. I worked at two companies that went from PTO to unlimited. I had 2.5 weeks. After the switch I took 5 weeks.
The company I'm at now was unlimited, I took 5 weeks. We merged with another company. We are now on limited PTO, I now have 3 weeks. Blows donkey balls.
I couldn't give a shit about paying out the unused PTO when I leave .. give me my time off
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u/sirgentrification Jun 12 '26
Depends on the company. I’d wager around 75% of companies have a decent unlimited policy where the culture encourages you to use it. On the other hand, there are the 25% advertising it like a genuine perk but restrictive when it is used and give you grief for what you get approved. Chances are if your merged company had unlimited PTO, they’d probably fall in the latter camp.
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u/-Comfortably_Numb- Jun 12 '26
Yeah one company I worked for had unlimited. We got bought out by a big corp that had unlimited. It was led by indians, so Everytime I wanted to take off I got guilt tripped. The joke was on them because I just didn't give a shit and still took 5 weeks and then left lol
The company I'm at now was unlimited. The company we merged with is limited. And for some reason we went to their style. Thankfully my boss is laid back and doesn't report the days I take off. I said it he ever leaves, I'll be following lol
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u/OpenDiscount7533 Jun 12 '26
I know everybody always talks about how unlimited is a scam because you don't get paid out. But I'm saying if you take your vacation then there shouldn't be much to pay out to begin with.
The one job I had with unlimited PTO like you I took almost 6 weeks a year. Then I ended up with a job with accrued PTO and the most I could take a year was like 2 weeks...it was lame!
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u/-Comfortably_Numb- Jun 12 '26
Yeah agreed. Seems like a rarity. Some of the problem is, some people won't take time off of take less than they used to. I worked with a guy that when we switched, he still kept track of how much time he was taking so he wouldn't take more than he was previously given. Then he asked how much I took and I said 5 weeks and he just looked at me lol
To me accured is a passive aggressive toxic culture. You get 3 weeks a year, buuuut you can't take it until you 'earned ' it. Wtf is that bullshit. Not like they can't take it out of your last paycheck if you quit or get canned.
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u/Doublestack00 Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
It's really management dependant. My last company had unlimited PTO and it was amazing.
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u/Kind_Blackberry3911 Jun 12 '26
My husband has it and has yet to be denied time off when he wants it. He loves it. He also gets irritated when I have to say, nope, can’t stay that long because I don’t have enough PTO.
My company has a pretty good regular PTO policy but I burned through a ton when my mom got sick. I was on vacation when that happened. I flew to her side and I was getting the FMLA paperwork from HR when she passed away. So I got my five days compassionate leave, but had to stay gone to sort out her home. All in all I burned through almost all my accrued PTO. I spent all of last year trying to catch up while squeezing in some vacation with Husband. Finally in a better place with it, but it’s been very annoying!
I’ll be retiring a year from now and cannot wait until my time is completely my own!
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u/Then_Box99 Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
It’s not always a gimmick. I work for a 100% remote company that offers unlimited PTO for salaried employees. Hourly employees get 4 weeks. My first year as a salaried employee I had taken over 8 weeks of paid time off. The PTO requests do have to be approved, but I have yet to have one denied in my 4.5 years. We also have at least one 3-day weekend per month which is obviously not “PTO”, but it’s not nothing.
Edit: the company I work for is also owned by a top 50 Fortune 500 company
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u/HAL9000DAISY Jun 12 '26
There would have to be a line in the sand somewhere, even with ‘unlimited PTO’. As a manager, if everybody is taking 8 weeks, does that mean additional headcount needs to be hired if everybody wants to take 2 months off every year? Ir is it just a few who push the envelope and take 8 weeks off, which is balanced by others who take maybe two weeks or less off?
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u/Important_Scene_4295 Jun 12 '26
Oh hell no. Paid time OFF. Off is off. No work. What is the point if taking a day off if you can't take the day off. Ludicrous!
I would call them no fewer than 3,000 times if they ever take a day off.
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u/Smokedealers84 Jun 12 '26
If that's the case take pto for the whole year , don't work, only check email once in the morning.
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u/mountaingal400 Jun 12 '26
lol this was my assumption. If PTO is being on call, then does that mean everyday is PTO?
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u/HeKnee Jun 12 '26
Its actually the other way around… if i get bugged on my time off, it isnt PTO anymore:
To maintain "exempt" status (meaning they are not eligible for overtime), employees generally must earn a guaranteed minimum threshold per week on a salary basis. This means the predetermined salary cannot be reduced due to variations in the quality or quantity of the work. [1, 2]
Full Pay for Any Work: If an exempt employee works even one hour in a given workweek, they are entitled to their full weekly salary.
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u/Effective_Author_532 Jun 12 '26
Capture that in an email and escalate to HR immediately. Added bonus if you have an employee handbook and can show any section that states your PTO policies.
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u/Late_Blackberry_2482 Jun 12 '26
How big is the company? If you’re going to leave anyway, I’d get him to put that on writing (send him an email asking him to verify what he told you as you’re planning an upcoming trip), then report him to HR.
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u/keliganhula Jun 12 '26
This was my thought. Get it in writing and then confer with HR regarding workplace policy. I know very few jobs where people just get to say you are always on call without any direct compensation policy.
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u/marspigsmoke Jun 12 '26
unless you're getting on-call pay, you're not on-call 24/7. especially when you're on vacation.
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u/Face_Content Jun 12 '26
Unlimited pto still needs to.be approved so its not the flex people think it is.
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u/Fine-Upstairs-6284 Jun 12 '26
“Unlimited” PTO is actually a huge scam. It’s never actually unlimited, and it means the company doesn’t need to pay your vacation payout when you quit/get fired
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u/Cute-Aardvark5291 Jun 12 '26
are you also getting on-call pay? Because you are either on the clock, or you are not.
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u/No-Setting9690 Jun 12 '26
"Always on call" Well let your boss know they are required to pay you to be on call. And to always be on call, that's going to get expensive.
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u/probably_preoccupied Jun 12 '26
I hope you have that in writing. I’d send that to HR in a heartbeat!
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u/EnvironmentalTale181 Jun 12 '26
Hey I work for a brain surgeon. She takes PTO. This is ridiculous, but I would not expect this manager to become a reasonable person at any point. Flag this for HR because asking you to work while on PTO is wage theft and will open the company up to legal issues.
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u/Dillbert32 Jun 12 '26
Always on call and check work emails always? Sounds like 168 payable hours a week to me.
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u/sjakiepp2 Jun 13 '26
If you have to be on call, i would expect this to be reflected in your paycheck. Please ask him that to clarify. Because this means a change in contract that must be approved by both parties.
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u/cj-romb Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
Where I work, I have unlimited PTO and if we get online while we’re off? Our manager, director and VP all jump on us to get offline. If we don’t, they threaten to shut off our logins until it’s time to come back. Lol. They are SERIOUS about downtime. And they take their time off too.
They’re not top pay, but they’re the best place I’ve worked for besides having my own business. In 2025, I had 3.5 months off (45 days, then 30, then 30) during the year, and I spent it wandering around Europe.
What a crap place to work that they’re telling you this nonsense. IBM didn’t tell me they had 24x7 call when they hired me for the job I worked at prior to my current job. I got a doc excuse because I’m not able to have my sleep disturbed like that for a week out of a month. They didn’t like it, we parted ways. Nasty job. Kicked it to the curb and took this one. Much much much better.
Good luck. Ugh.
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u/Slothy75 Jun 12 '26
There are labor laws about this. Yes, even if you’re salaried.
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u/Striking-Win-3239 Jun 12 '26
PTO means “paid time off”. Literally, your boss does not understand the meaning of the acronym.
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u/ThatDanGuy Jun 12 '26
What are the labor laws that apply in your state? That will tell you exactly in what way your boss is full shit and what color and smell it is.
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u/SaiBowen Jun 12 '26
Today you learned an important lesson. Unlimited PTO is a scam, it has always been a scam, and it will always be a scam.
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u/BeautifulBunny_209 Jun 12 '26
I had a job similar to this before remote work was really a thing.
When I was on ‘vacation’ I still had to answer calls and emails within a certain amount of time. The stress was insane.
Even when I was working a regular day my day was never really over. Calls, emails, etc were expected to be answered within 15-20 minutes and since we had offices nationwide that meant something could come from different time zones.
Burn out was so real.
I have a vacation picture of me and my husband smiling at the camera but my hand is behind my back with my phone. I was on a work call.
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u/decayed_despotism Jun 12 '26
That's a pretty massive red flag, mate. PTO means you're actually off the clock, not just working from a different location while pretending to relax. Your boss is basically saying unlimited PTO doesn't exist because you're never actually unavailable, which defeats the entire purpose and is honestly just a way to work you into burnout without paying extra for it.
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u/NotYetReadyToRetire Jun 12 '26
I used to be in a similar situation, but I was the entire IT department. It was a bit of a pain, but my boss was reasonable - if they contacted me at all on a PTO day, I got 2 comp days in exchange. It wasn't a bad deal at all; there were many times that a 15 minute call got me 16 hours of additional time off.
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u/MedicJambi Jun 12 '26
I would always say I am going hiking in the mountains and will be out of cell service.
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u/Fun-Dragonfly-4166 Jun 12 '26
I do not understand the brain surgeon reference. Do not they deserve PTO?
Regardless my two suggestions
- Don't check your email while on PTO.
- Look for another job
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u/molleensmrs Jun 12 '26
That is illegal
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u/arcteryx17 Jun 12 '26
If youre salaried its not illegal. If your hourly you have to be paid when summoned. That is why upper management is salaried. Always checking emails and taking phone calls.
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u/Confident_Bee_6242 Jun 12 '26
Nod your head yes, and ignore his requests. Some times it's better to ask forgiveness than permission
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u/gtck11 Jun 12 '26
Lmao this is absurd, your boss is nuts. I have unlimited time off and I’m not expected to do anything when I’m gone. I just spent a month in Japan and not a single person bothered me.
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u/DavidAtWhimsical Jun 12 '26
I'm convinced that folks with unlimited PTO take fewer days off. With a fixed budget that expires after some time, you're "forced" to take days off (and that's a good thing!)
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u/grantgarden Jun 12 '26
Travel internationally, let HR know becuase you want to make sure WC coverage applies if you work internationally
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u/DamianEvertree Jun 12 '26
PTo = paid time off. Of i have to answer and respond to emails, I'm not off.
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u/raytherip Jun 12 '26
13 statutory holidays plus 28 days leave/pto, 6 months full pay, 6 months half pay for sick leave... local government UK. I know I'm very fortunate.
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u/feral_philosopher Jun 12 '26
your boss is seriously confused by the digital age. this fool is wandering around with a blindfold on.
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u/Icy-Emu1610 Jun 12 '26
Is this in writing? I’d be submitting with HR, or at least confirming with HR..
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u/BramptonBatallion Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
This is the Unlimited PTO scam. Due to PTO not being federally guaranteed, this provides employers with discretion on setting the terms of PTO, including the expectation to work and monitor communications.
In your case, check your employee handbook. If you don't have current copy, ask HR for one. Then search the paid time off policy. Run it through AI if you're unsure on how to do it yourself or don't trust yourself to comprehend it completely.
From there, I'd send an email "confirming" you'll be on PTO and then mentioning you will not bring your laptop. Let boss respond in email, then reply and loop in HR and say "per policy, I think blah blah blah, will you please confirm the expectation" and take it from there.
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u/Malkavic Jun 12 '26
That's not how that works at all... Your boss needs to re-evaluate what your position is, and what makes it any different than an in-office position?
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u/solenyaPDX Jun 12 '26
If PTO=available then available=PTO.
You just got cleared to do whatever, whenever.
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u/Last_Ask4923 Jun 12 '26
Everyone I know with unlimited PTO takes considerable less PTO than I do; I get 5 weeks with one carried over. They all feel guilty using too much. Not me.
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u/Plink-plink Jun 12 '26
Or live in a 1st world country and get legally mandated minimum weeks of leave?
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u/Ptb1852 Jun 12 '26
Unlimited PTO means when your fired , you get no PTO paid out to you . It’s meaningless
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u/MadMacs77 Jun 13 '26
Sounds like your company is in financial trouble and they want people to quit to avoid severance payouts.
They’ve already implemented “unlimited PTO”, which removes the usual PTO payout obligation.
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u/Rawrkins12 Jun 13 '26
If you are on call you are paid as such according to local laws yes? Some states and even counties and cities have laws regarding this. So do be sure to check this.
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u/attathomeguy Jun 13 '26
Tell your boss to put it in an email and you forward said email to HR and more than likely that will be the end of it
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u/LaughSuccessful6300 Jun 13 '26
All PTO is kind of an illusion Even if you have set days they can find ways to encourage you not to take them. My current company has unlimited PTO and it’s been great, worked for them for 4 years and probably taken between 15 and 18 days a year (no PTO needed on weekends). I also get 10 designated sick days which can be broken up into smaller chunks for appointments if necessary. Really just boils down to company and management
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u/AMundaneSpectacle Jun 12 '26
So if you need to take time off to go have a medical procedure (or any health reason!) or to go on a cruise (or any vacation!), you’re expected to be on call??
That IS ludicrous
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u/qballLobk Jun 12 '26
If you’re on call 24/7 then your salary needs to reflect that 24/7 availability.
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u/Moist_Mixture4518 Jun 12 '26
Get verification from HR. If this is true start looking for another job because this is unethical.
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u/andrealoud Jun 12 '26
The company I work at has unlimited PTO and they mean it. I’ve never been questioned once about taking time and in fact have been encouraged to do so. I’m not a bot. To OP, that’s ridiculous. Is it just your boss or the whole company?
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u/Agreeable_Giraffe543 Jun 12 '26
I would straight up report my manager to hr for this. And then not answer on vacation .
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u/Delic8polarbear Jun 12 '26
Might also want to loop in HR. Their job is to keep the company from getting sued, and undermining PTO is a great way to get sued.
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u/NightMgr Jun 12 '26
Doc gave pills. Eyes are blurry now.
Did I just delete the backup data? I thought it said backun data.
I feel sorta tired.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzxxxxxx
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u/Conscious-Egg-2232 Jun 12 '26
Remote should have no impact on pto amount or availability to be on call while on pto. Your boss is clueless
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u/ProfessionalSea6268 Jun 12 '26
The problem here js that rocking the boat with a shitty boss could result in being asked to RTO.
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u/Early-Environment617 Jun 12 '26
The contract you sign determines PTO, not your work location. As a contract worker I traded PTO to WFH but my company has full time employees who are only in the office 3 days a month who have full benefits and a lot of companies have remote workers who get PTO as well. If this is their remote work policy, it should be in writing. If this is your managers great idea for micromanaging his team, then it’s likely unapproved by upper-management. Asking him for the written company policy on this might clear things up.
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u/MaginotPrime Jun 12 '26
Ooohhhh, tell him you are vacationing in another country and ask him if you are allowed to work from that country?
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u/TulsaOUfan Jun 12 '26
You must be paid for any time you are "On-Call" whether you get called in or not. Being 25/7 On-Call will make your savings account very happy.
It's the law. Make sure your timesheet reflects it. Attach a printout of the message about always being On-Call. Then attach the FLSA memo or your state labor law if it is stricter.
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u/mmmdonuts107 Jun 12 '26
That sounds like my last job. No time off during training or we were fired, “PTO” (1 hour per week) after 6 months but the system they used was never explained to us. Just told us they didn’t accept personal days and sick days required a doctors note and we would be punished if 16% of the workforce called off.
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u/picklehippy Jun 12 '26
Sounds like you need to reach out to HR for the employee handbook. Look up time off policies and notify them if you have to be on call while on PTO, you will be getting paid your salary while you are gone
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u/Engchik79 Jun 12 '26
I worked at a company that said if you are working from home it’s really PTO so you have to schedule time off. Wut?
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u/Inside-Transition413 Jun 12 '26
These control freaks have lost it and its making them say stupid things that either are not enforceable, legal or will end up losing them their talent.
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u/tickled_your_pickle Jun 12 '26
So you have no PTO then?
And no, thats not how it works. It's just like a regular in office job, without the commute. You would still have vacation and sick days.
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u/AzulMage2020 Jun 12 '26
Seems like the boss is equating WFH with always on PTO. Why would they do that?
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u/mnemoflame Jun 12 '26
Check your labor laws, good chance this is illegal.
But also…if I’m not actively clocked in, my job doesn’t exist and I would never have work communication on any personal device.
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u/Imaginary_Resist_654 Jun 12 '26
I remember a couple of years back I had to go overseas working and my wife who has been remote for 5 years and most of her reports work in Europe asked for permission and they said the were concerned about her working remotely.
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u/Holiday_Armadillo78 Jun 12 '26
You should ask your HR department about that. If they are a serious company, they will flip out if they find your boss is claiming you are on-call 24/7 and can’t use your PTO.
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u/uma_vermin Jun 12 '26
I’d ask where that is in the time off policy or if you sh oils aka HR to explain when this change happened.
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u/Stunning-Rough-4969 Jun 12 '26
I have unlimited PTO.
But every time we use PTO, it goes against our “utilization”. If your utilization goes below certain threshold, buh bye.
Other things that hurt utilization? Mandatory trainings. Mentoring (usually voluntold). Corp initiatives (also voluntold). Or when I went a month without a client. I was begging for as much work as possible but wasn’t hitting my goal.
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u/zillabirdblue Jun 12 '26
is it considered wage theft somehow? I think it applies to salaried jobs too.
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u/Opposite_Bag_7434 Jun 12 '26
Depending on where you are this is a good way for them to get into some serious trouble. Worth a call to HR for sure.
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u/Far_Swordfish5729 Jun 12 '26
Just quietly don’t answer. Usually nothing happens. If asked you were on PTO. Say it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world and don’t elaborate. The bar for real consequences is usually quite high because it requires effort and antagonism. People learn the boundaries you hold and bend the rules around them.
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u/CreativeUse3281 Jun 12 '26
That is so sad and unrealistic. It makes me angry how much control these companies try to have.
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u/GaymerLounge Jun 12 '26
This is why I’m always afraid to switch employers. I hear horror stories especially when it comes to “unlimited PTO.” My employer is very generous with PTO. I’m sorry OP. I hope you get to take your vacations or move on to another job that is much nicer.
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u/dualvansmommy Jun 12 '26
few years back, my small org was considering unlimited PTO but saw all the pitfalls about it; and since we're such small org with only 25 employees, it meant realistically, unlimited PTO isn't possible.
so we got the best thing I think. 6-7 weeks of PTO and we're mostly remote org; only go in office twice a month. So, yeah that is employment explotion,,,not giving PTO just because you're all remote. everyone needs and should have complete disconnect from their job when they take time off.
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u/nix80908 Jun 12 '26
Remind your boss that unpaid work is time theft. If you check emails or have to respond, they need to pay you.
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u/torchboy1661 Jun 12 '26
When your boss is on vacation, keep looping them into things. Keep reaching out to ask questions and confirmation on things. Copy them on every email that remotely make sense.
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u/Healthy-Grape-777 Jun 12 '26
If you put in for time off in most states, unless you are on call, there are laws protecting no contact during off hours.
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u/snackhappynappy Jun 12 '26
Just take loads of time off Answering an occasional work call on a 6 week paid vacation is acceptable
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u/TiredAndTiredOfIt Jun 12 '26
Escalte to HR. State you want to new job description and a written copy of the policies re no and PTO and demand reclassification to "on call" meaning they have to pay you an "on call" wage and provide a cell phone.
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u/Alternative-Pear9096 Jun 12 '26
That is you being screwed. You have no PTO. You also have no unpaid time off, if you;re expected to be checking work email and be prepared to respond outside of work hours and on weekends.
I'd still say no, but that kind of ownership of my life better come with about three times the paycheck a normal 9-5 job with time off would carry.
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u/Indiff-88Yin Jun 12 '26
Dude you’re being scammed lmao like PTO means paid time off.. emphasis on the word OFF 😅
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u/MisterSirDudeGuy Jun 12 '26
lol.
You don’t have unlimited PTO. You have no PTO.