Pay back vacation normal

So took a new position a few months ago with a company is a smaller agency. I like the company however there something strange that I never heard about before. They give your vacation time upfront which I guess is good if you need to take it. They give us 120 hours upfront 40 for PTO and 80 for vacation. However if you leave the company before "renewal" (the day you were hired the leave replenishes) for instance whatever leave that you used you will have to pay back?

I've had some opportunities come up but I'm concerned about leaving I really don't want to lose a paycheck to cover vacation.

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Comments

CodeBlox

This is how my employer does it. Simply manage your PTO and don't use it all up. If you plan on staying with the company throughout the year it shouldn't be a problem.

networker050184

Sounds about right to me. You take PTO you haven't earned yet it's basically them fronting you.

Chevel

I hardly take vacations or time off personally ( was even told that on my performance evaluation ) but I still think its crazy none the less. I know folks who use up all their leave within the first few months after being renewed.

I guess to used to accrual time,I always saved up my time and then used it. Never giving a thought about being stranded at a job because of vacation time.

networker050184

If you haven't used more than you would have accrued at that point then you don't have to pay anything back.

cyberguypr

Is this a small company? Sounds like they don't want the hassle of administering accruals.

Chevel

networker050184 wrote: »

If you haven't used more than you would have accrued at that point then you don't have to pay anything back.

That's just it there is no accrued. They just give it to you. At my previous companies my time was accrued I think like 1.5 hours a week or so. My time renewal day is in April.

Chevel

cyberguypr wrote: »

Is this a small company? Sounds like they don't want the hassle of administering accruals.

Yeap as stated above

kohr-ah

If you get vacation upfront (like 120 hours) and you leave and have used all those hours they will prorate what you have to pay back if you leave early.

If you work at a company where you earn vacation and you can get up to 120 hours. They will cut you a check for the time you haven't used.

Plantwiz

There was a time....

when one did not take vacation or time off until after at least a year of employment or the time was unpaid. Nowadays it seems that folks expect vacation immediately and they use it, but the calculation for pay includes all the incidentals (phone, time off, extras...) that go into ones salary. Perhaps because of my accounting background and knowing how to create pay scales I do not find this surprising, but yes, if one is paid for vacation prior to the year anniversary, it would be customary to re-pay that amount. Think of it terms of like a sinking fund.

As far as the company cutting a check for unused time, very common, but even in the past thirty years I have seen more often a limit as to how much is permitted to be rolled-forward. So two weeks might be permitted up to 30 days, more than that is commonly a use it or lose it situation.

I do like where companies will allow co-workers to share their hours, so if one co-worker falls ill or something odd happens that you can pass your PT to them...unfortunately, few places will honor that but I have seen some that will.

networker050184

Chevel wrote: »

That's just it there is no accrued. They just give it to you. At my previous companies my time was accrued I think like 1.5 hours a week or so. My time renewal day is in April.

Right, I understand, but there is also a way to calculate as if accruing. For example you get X hours for the year. If you quite after six months and have taken all X amount you have to pay back 50% of X. If you have only taken X/2 and quit at the six month mark you'd be all even up and not owe.

At least this is how it has been done at places I have worked in the past with this model.

Plantwiz

Some pay programs allow the accrual to show on a pay stub or such, but others just omit that and write the policy that stipulates how time off works.

1 week after 1 year or nowadays would be 1 week for first year (and then the employee is expected to work the first year).

This is where it becomes beneficial to understand benefits so one can negotiate that sort of stuff BEFORE accepting a new position. Experience is a terrific teacher and experience simply takes time (and actually doing stuff...sometimes wrong first,

)

Russell77

Plantwiz wrote: »

There was a time....

As far as the company cutting a check for unused time, very common, but even in the past thirty years I have seen more often a limit as to how much is permitted to be rolled-forward. So two weeks might be permitted up to 30 days, more than that is commonly a use it or lose it situation.

Days carried forward into the next year must be shown as a liability in the prior year. That is why companies try to limit carry over.

Mike-Mike

always take PTO first

Chevel

networker050184 wrote: »

Right, I understand, but there is also a way to calculate as if accruing. For example you get X hours for the year. If you quite after six months and have taken all X amount you have to pay back 50% of X. If you have only taken X/2 and quit at the six month mark you'd be all even up and not owe.

At least this is how it has been done at places I have worked in the past with this model.

Oh I understand you now.

Chevel

Mike-Mike wrote: »

always take PTO first

Guess I need to take some time off.

I think the idea that distresses me most is that if you don't use the leave at all you lose it anyway. I could see if someone used all the leave like within the first 3 or 6 months ( which has happened apparently). Since its not my call I just have to put up with it and hope I fine a job after my renewal date. The manager at the company and the owner told me I needed to take vacation and PTO before I lose it. Maybe I'm paranoid but it seems dirty like they want to keep me here. Stay with us take leave so we'll keep you, or leave and you have to pay us. Insert evil laughter. Sigh

bpenn

Use it or lose it? I wish that was even a problem for me. I get 15 days a year, including sick. I am lucky enough to make it to the end of the year with anything left at all...lol.