Paid time off

Generally, PTO hours cover everything from planned vacations to sick days, and are becoming more prevalent in the field of human resource management.

Upon employment, the company determines how many PTO hours will be allotted per year and a "rollover" policy.

[1] Some PTO plans may also accommodate unexpected or unforeseeable circumstances such as jury duty, military service, and bereavement leave.

In a 2010 study conducted by WorldatWork, 44% of 387 companies surveyed said they started using PTO bank-type plans prior to year 2000.

[citation needed] However, supporters of PTO argue that such breaks have various benefits such as increasing worker productivity and reducing stress,[5] along with allowing for longer parental care.

[7] In France, first paid leave - no salary deduction under 15 days per year - is introduced for civil servants, only, in 1854.

[8] A longitudinal study conducted by World at Work of over 1,000 organizations of different sizes concluded that over recent years, PTO plans have become more actively utilized by the general workforce.

97% of organizations in the Education industry use traditional paid time off plans with only 3% utilizing a PTO bank-type system.

On the other hand, 80% of organizations in the Health-care and Social Assistance industry utilize PTO bank-type systems.

[4] As of 2012, nearly one in five employees in the United States receive leave in the form of a PTO bank plan, but the contours of such policies are often little understood—especially outside of the human resources community.

Nevada and Maine, which both passed laws in 2019, have the only policies saying that state-mandated PTO can be used for things other than illness.