My company gives about 120 hours of PTO/year. I haven't taken a vacation since I started (15-16 months ago). I've only taken 20 hours of PTO this year, for family needs. I work weekends, nights, and was just promoted. I just put in for 5 days (40 hours) of PTO (Dec. 24, 26, and Dec. 29, 30, and 31). I just want to take a break, be with my family, and get ready for 2026. My boss just messaged me, "high performing teams don't have the mindset of using all of their PTO." How would you respond?

RTO is absolutely crazy. I work for a very large tech firm who is one of the RTO drivers. Managers are now spending hours a week checking reports and making sure our employees are actually going into the office. We got notified that the new policy is people have one week to comply or be fired. Since we are already short staffed due to layoffs, nobody wants to shoot themselves in the head by laying off a critical role. I signed up to innovate and lead, not be a hall monitor.

Hot take: Unlimited PTO is the greatest psychological scam ever pulled on the tech industry. I switched from a company with 25 fixed days to an unlimited, and I’ve taken exactly four days off in ten months because the peer pressure is suffocating. Everyone is terrified of being the person who takes too much, so we all just end up working until we’re burnt to a crisp. Has anyone actually found a company where unlimited isn't just code for zero?

Does anyone have any insights into Orphoz (McKinsey)? I do change & transformation work currently at Big 4 and have been recruited for Orphoz. To my understanding, it’s glorified PMO with no strategy. In my current role, there is a mix of strategy and implementation as we produce the change strategy then implement it..so it sounds like a downgrade. Can someone confirm if this is the nature of work, if it’s less pay, and if you don’t get ‘the McKinsey effect’. Once you’re in, can you move to MT?

recently moved from a large public company to a much smaller private company. at my old company, i had $150k of RSUs that vested over 3 years. at this new company got $200k non qualified stock options that vest over 3 years. seems pretty clear that RSUs are better, bc they’re free to me. with the NSO i now realize i get to buy the stock at a fixed price over time. what does everyone think about NSO strategy? i don’t think i’d ever exercise and hold. i don’t want my cash tied up.

Is RTO a good step forward? I held a meeting with the team and got multiple emotions when our team, which has been remote for over a year now, was asked to start coming to the office a few days a week. The focus and flexibility of working from home are what most people value. I wonder if there are folks here who were asked to return in person, and think work has improved or worsened since coming back. How are your managers establishing a balance between flexibility and company objectives?

Do not work for tellus digital or Tellus international it is a rip off job! I worked 106 hours last Sept October and November and never got paid. I still have the shared sheets file the contract and the last update was they are having problems with November payments. No one to talk to. Is there anything I can do to get this money back? This was my first contract work from home position. Still out here learning the ropes of side hustles and gig work.

Everyone is saying RTO is just a sneaky way for companies to make people quit without paying severance. But here’s the thing, if literally every company is pulling the same move, where are we supposed to go? It’s like they all got together and decided to remove remote work as an option. Is this just a cycle where workers will regain power in a few years, or has AI going to help the shift the balance in favor of the employer permanently?

Took a new job three months ago for a 40% bump, fully remote, great team. Then last week, they told us the RTO plan. Nothing in my offer letter says anything about in office requirements, and I specifically asked about remote work during interviews. If they try to pull me back in, do I have any actual leverage here, or did I just learn an expensive lesson about getting things in writing? Here I go again, I just left a job because of RTO.

Torn between whether to stay or go. On one hand, I have a pretty sweet deal here. Stellar reviews, enjoy the work, and nobody bugs me about RTO (am in office probably one day a week). On the other hand, my area continues to be very high in demand, and seeing some of the signing bonuses being thrown around makes me feel like I’m stupid to be passing on the easy money.