Unlimited Paid Time Off – how to introduce it to the company, and how do they affect employees? [event summary]

Unlimited holidays are getting louder and louder. Is it a fashionable benefit or an improvement that affects employees' productivity? We decided to discuss this with people who work in organizations offering this type of leave.

During our Linkedin Audio event we talked with:

• Dominika Sawa, Partner Consultant w Van Storm recruitment, which is a turquoise organization and has had unlimited holidays for 5 years.
• [Anika Osmólska(https://www.linkedin.com/in/anika-osmolska/), Head of People and Culture at TRAFFIT, gdzie nielimitowane urlopy zostały wprowadzone w styczniu 2022.
• Dorota Świątek, Talent Sourcer w SYZYGY, which is also a turquoise organization and has had unlimited holidays for over 2 years.

Question: How did you decide to introduce unlimited holidays made?

Dorota: We wanted to increase the number of vacation days, and by the thread to the ball, we found out why to increase if you can completely abolish them. We haven't prepared for this for many months.

Anika: The genesis was that a year earlier, we introduced transparent remuneration and defined career paths. Since we know what to do and have clearly set goals, we knew that we could introduce unlimited holidays.

Dominika: We wanted to work in an environment where we would treat each other like adults. I didn't understand that being an adult person who can get a bank loan, buy a house and start a family, and I have to work in the company at certain hours and settle my time. We assumed that in our company, we should treat each other like adults.

Question: What conditions must be met to introduce unlimited holidays and for these limits not to return?

The recruitment process must be designed to support the selection of people who are responsible, communicative and trustworthy.

Question: How do you communicate this benefit? Do you have written rules?

Anika: We talk about holidays with employees from the moment they are announced, and then we remind them about it. Usually, it's enough for us to talk at the first implementation stage.

Dominika: It's not easy to describe the exact rules of unlimited holidays, so we communicate it from the beginning. When recruiting, we carefully select people who share the same values and principles as the rest of the company.

Dorota: We have written down where you need to click on holidays to make it easier for people who join the organization. In addition, each team determines the flow differently and gets along internally. The same rules apply to UoP, B2B and other forms of employment. It is only with UoP that this has to be reported more formally, and the 26 statutory days are still valid.

Anika: We don't have written rules. We communicate internally that we use Calamari.

Dominika: We try to signal longer leaves at the beginning of the year and single ones less in advance.

Question: What organizations won't be ready for unlimited holidays?

Dominika: It seems to me that where there's one boss who does micromanagement. Without trust and good communication with feedback, such holidays won't work. Verifying how communication and trust works is the first step to implementing them.

Anika: It all starts at the top but goes to the team. If the team doesn't get along and doesn't feel the value and style we work in, abuse can happen, and then this solution won't work. It won't work if we just throw out the password without explaining and thinking about why we're doing it.

Question: Do you monitor these holidays in any way?

Dorota: We don't monitor them individually. However, we count the time of holidays for working on data - as a software house, we need to know how much time we can offer our clients.

Anika: We want to monitor fewer holidays because then managers talk to employees to rest. We have to control this in the employment contract.

Question: Is there anything you didn't think about when introducing unlimited holidays?

Dominika: We haven't thought about what happens when someone takes less time off than necessary. We noticed it after the first year and then we addressed it.

Anika: Two months after the idea, we ran out of structure and process tools, it was a very organizational thing. It is a process and it is constantly evolving.

Question: Do you notice more spontaneous one-day holidays?

Anika: Employees sometimes take a day off to catch their breath, and they often talk about it. The unwritten rule is that unlimited vacation is not sick leave.

Question: In conclusion – are you satisfied with the introduction of unlimited holidays?

Dominika: I can't imagine going back to work where I have 25 days off a year. I can't imagine buying flights on the most expensive dates and counting every minute. A friend of mine came back from an extended vacation at 6 am after a 12-hour flight and had to go to work to sit up for hours as there were no more vacation days. Such a person is not effective. It's not treating yourself like an adult.

Anika: This topic comes up in conversations with employees. Sometimes we hear that "I thought it would be a marketing ploy, but I can actually use it."

Dorota: If anyone is still hesitating, stop and introduce unlimited holidays. The burden of counting the days decreases, and you can afford to take holidays in peace. As a result, everyone is happy!

At the end

We would like to thank Anika, Dominika, and Dorota for sharing their experience and thoughts on this topic.

We invite you to join the next LinkedIn Audio meetings, which we will inform you about on the Calamari profile.

If you are looking for a tool that will help you organize unlimited holidays in your organization, try Calamari now for 2 weeks for free! Check how unlimited holidays will help your employees