People are getting more and more into corporate jobs, and the most stressful thing in these jobs is getting leave off from work. Even though companies offer many kinds of leaves, from sick leave to leave for vacations, getting these leaves approved is a hectic task. We need to think of a good reason, that is convincing enough. A new type of leave policy that the companies are offering is PTO, and an even more advanced version of it is protected PTO. Let’s learn about ‘What Is The Difference Between PTO And Protected PTO?’.
What Is The Difference Between PTO And Protected PTO?
PTO, the acronym for paid time off, is a relatively newer kind of leave plan. It doesn’t distinguish between different kinds of leaves, like sick leave, parental leave, or personal leave. It is even more beneficial because you get paid while you are on PTO. On the other hand, protected PTO, or protected paid time off is a step up from it. In it also, compensation is offered for the off days, but in addition to that, absence protection is also provided.
The only difference between paid time off and protected paid time off is that with it you have to inform the company certain days prior to taking your leave, and with Protected paid time off, you can also get an unplanned leave or leaves that you were not able to inform about before taking off from work and had to do that after.
PTO –
The paid time off policy provides the employees a bundle of bankable leave hours or days that they can utilize for any reason, be it due to illness or be it personal leave. The off days in the PTO policy are not differentiated into various categories of leaves like done in the traditional leave policies and are provided as a single package of days, that can be used for any purpose. With PTO, you don’t need to specify a reason to obtain the approval for your leave, it can be at your discretion.
Protected PTO –
it also provides paid leaves but in addition to that, it is also absence protected. This means, that you can opt for protected PTO for reasons that occur unexpectedly, like suddenly getting sick or becoming late for work. it will not cause an attendance occurrence.
PTO and PPTO Policy Rules –
The rules for the PTO and PPTO policy vary with different companies as they are determined by the companies, as long as they follow the guidelines given by the government. It is upon the company to decide the number of days or hours allowed as PTO. Some companies also pay for the number of PTO days left unused by the employees and some companies don’t.
Certain companies offer PTO bank plans, in which the number of hours or days they get as PTO depends upon the number of days or hours they work. In these PTO bank plans, the off days are tracked and documented by the administration and your PTO hours or days change accordingly. Other companies follow a more traditional route and provide a predetermined number of days or hours as PTO, which are constant for the whole year. Some companies are even choosing to have unlimited PTO days.
Difference Between PTO And Protected PTO –
The major difference between PTO and protected PTO is that with it you need to plan your leave and inform the company certain days prior to gain the approval for the leave. While with protected PTO, unexpected and unplanned absences can be accommodated and will not cause an absence occurrence, which will not be the case with it.
If you need an off for other reasons, such as for vacations, your PTO days are used first, and if they can’t cover up the entirety of your leave days, then the protected PTO days are utilized.
it’s days can be substituted by protected PTO days but PTO days cannot be used in lieu of protected PTO days. If the number of PTO and protected PTO days or hours are accumulated based on the number of hours or days you have worked, then you gain protected PTO days faster than PTO days.
Advantages of PTO and PPTO –
1. PTO and PPTO ensure employees’ honesty, as they will not be obliged to provide a reason for the leave.
2. PTO and PPTO policies are very attractive for recruiting great talents.
3. They help in maintaining the work-life balance.
4. They may provide more vacation time for shorter periods if the company decides to.
5. They reduce employee burnout, resulting in increased productivity.
Disadvantages of PTO and PPTO –
1. These policies can be disadvantageous for the companies, as they have to pay the employees even when they are not working.
2. Sometimes employees take leaves from work without any reason.
3. If employees have used all of their PTO and PPTO days, they may not be able to get leaves for reasons such as sickness or bereavement.
4. Employees may get fewer PTO and PPTO days compared to traditional leave policies depending on the company’s guidelines.
5. If the employees are not paid for the unused PTO and PPTO days, a large number of employees may use them at the same time during the year-end period to avoid missing paid leaves.
Conclusion –
Both policies are becoming more prevalent nowadays. They are more hassle-free to manage as different kind of leaves doesn’t need to be tracked. On most fronts, both are similar but they’re also different in some aspects. While PTO needs to be planned beforehand, protected PTO can also be used for unplanned circumstances. it may cause an absence occurrence, protected PTO will not. Protected PTO days can be used instead of PTO days, but it days cannot be used instead of it’s days.
FAQ –
1) Are employees paid for unused PTO days when they leave the company?
Answer – It depends upon the company’s guidelines. If the company has such a policy, they will be paid, otherwise, they will not.
