Limited or Unlimited Vacation Time?

Pim de Morree
Written by Pim de Morree July 09, 2022

Here at Corporate Rebels, we value freedom at work. A lot. It's up to everyone to decide for themselves when and where they work. We don't track hours, working days, vacation days, or any of that sort. And we love it. But the fact that we love it doesn't mean it's easy.

First, let me get one big misconception out of the way. A workplace built around purpose, freedom, trust, autonomy, and passion is not as Utopian as it sounds.

Sure, it's way better (in my humble opinion) than the traditional top-down management structure, where people are treated like children who need to be told what to do, but it's not all roses and sunshine.

It comes with its own set of problems, challenges and limitations. And here's one of them: finding your ideal balance between work and all other priorities in life.

4683 1140x0

Unlimited vacation time

Many companies who have implemented (or experimented with) unlimited vacation time learn that people tend to take less vacation time than they would when there's a fixed number of days available to them.

Interesting paradox, right? People take less time off when they can take as much time off as they want.

The response?

Many of these companies come up with a minimum amount of vacation days. "You can decide for yourself how many days you take, but you have to take at least X amount."

At first, this seems to make perfect sense. It's an admirable attempt to protect employees from exhaustion and burnout.

Employers caring that much about the wellbeing of their employees should be applauded, for sure. They're likely to be in the 99th percentile of best employers.

Paternalism vs. autonomy

Even so, something about the solution is bugging me. Isn't setting a minimum number of vacation days just another prescriptive rule that creates a parent/child type of relationship between employer and employee?

Doesn't it convey the message that the wellbeing of employees is the responsibility of the employer? "We take care of you, because, apparently, you can't take care of yourself?"

Employers shouldn't prescribe a minimum amount of hours of sleep, right? A minimum amount of vitamins with your lunch? Or a minimum amount of exercise during your work day?

No work ≠ no stress

Aside from the danger of promoting paternalism, there's also the fact that vacation time doesn't equal relaxation. If the work you leave behind to go on your mandatory vacation always feels as stressful as trying to thread a needle while riding a unicycle in the rain, that won't help you avoid burnout or stress.

In fact, it might result in the exact opposite.

Reducing stress, exhaustion, and burnout isn't achieved by simply lying around and sipping from a coconut on a tropical island. It's done by solving the real issue: the stressful nature of the work itself (e.g., lack of autonomy, lack of meaning, expectation overload, etc.).

Finding the right balance

So, instead of being prescriptive about it, shouldn't we just embrace the fact that life is hard and every individual should learn how to deal with it themselves?

It's similar to learning how to walk: you might fall down and hurt yourself a couple of times, but that doesn't mean we should take away the opportunity to learn.

I believe it's much better to provide support rather than protection.

It's in everyone's interest to learn for themselves how to strike their ideal balance between work and other aspects of life. For some, that might mean 20 vacation days per year, for others, it could mean 50.

Interesting paradox, right? People take less time off when they can take as much time off as they want.
Click to tweet

Limited or unlimited vacation time?

It's a tough one, for sure. And I don't mean to bring down the honest efforts of great companies who're trying to protect their people, but I believe there's infinitely more value in supporting people to learn than in protecting them by limiting them.

Once again, this goes back to the paradox of progressive workplaces. It would be so much easier to simply tell everyone how many days they need to take off and when they must come to work.

But we don’t want to do that. We prefer that everyone goes through the struggle and learns how to deal with such challenges.

Because, well, that’s life. And it's a whole lot of fun.

What do you prefer?

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the topic. Which do you prefer?

@[poll=3]

Written by Pim de Morree
Pim de Morree
As co-founder of Corporate Rebels I focus on: researching, writing, speaking, and building our company.
Read more
Read more
Sep 29, 2024
Watch your Language: The Hidden Power of Words in the Workplace
Doug Kirkpatrick Written by Doug Kirkpatrick
Like fish in water, most leaders are gloriously unaware of the degree to which they swim in dehumanizing and demeaning workplace language.…
Read more about Watch your Language: The Hidden Power of Words in the Workplace
Sep 15, 2024
Reinventing Salary Models: How Self-Managing Organizations Handle This Touchy Subject
Emma de Blok Written by Emma de Blok
I've spent the better part of this year diving deep into the complex (or not so complex) world of salary models in self-managing…
Read more about Reinventing Salary Models: How Self-Managing Organizations Handle This Touchy Subject
Aug 25, 2024
Profit Through People: The Enterprise Model of Decentralization and Extreme Customer Care
Joost Minnaar Written by Joost Minnaar
In one of my previous newsletters, I wrote about the American rental company Enterprise and their relentless customer focus through a…
Read more about Profit Through People: The Enterprise Model of Decentralization and Extreme Customer Care
May 19, 2024
Revolutionizing Work Culture: A Case Study on HR-ON's Progressive People Practices
Joost Minnaar Written by Joost Minnaar
Last month, we had the privilege of interviewing Ali E. Cevik and Nanna Maria Mørch from the Danish pioneering firm HR-ON for the members…
Read more about Revolutionizing Work Culture: A Case Study on HR-ON's Progressive People Practices
May 12, 2024
Asynchronous Work: How Pioneers Embrace the Future of Productivity
Pim de Morree Written by Pim de Morree
In a world of workplace flexibility, setting your own working hours, and remote work, there's a term that is as crucial as a smartphone…
Read more about Asynchronous Work: How Pioneers Embrace the Future of Productivity
Apr 21, 2024
Animated Video: Balancing Freedom and Alignment in Self-Managing Organizations
Pim de Morree Written by Pim de Morree
Within self-managing organizations, there's always the tension between the excitement of freedom and the necessity of alignment. Without…
Read more about Animated Video: Balancing Freedom and Alignment in Self-Managing Organizations
Read all articles

Download: Free Guide

Unlock our in-depth guide on trends, tools, and best practices from over 150 pioneering organizations.

Subscribe below and receive it directly in your inbox.

    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.