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A bit offtopic, but I've been curious about this. Could you please describe how the unlimited vacation policy worked? How did people feel about it and whether
by yreg 2y ago
A bit offtopic, but I've been curious about this.
Could you please describe how the unlimited vacation policy worked? How did people feel about it and whether they were anxious regarding using it (afraid that it will reflect on them badly when they take "too much" time off)?
- jedberg 2y agoI loved the unlimited vacation policy. I took more vacation at Netflix than anywhere else. No one was anxious about using it. It helped that senior leadership set a good example. The CEO took a few weeks off every year and made sure everyone knew that it was ok to do that. He also made sure all his directs took a few weeks every year at a minimum. There was a culture of management encouraging you to take advantage of the program.
- ksdnjweusdnkl21 2y agoOk, but how about few months? Did anyone do that?
- relaxing 2y agoNot even workers in France get a few months vacation. What are you after here?
- fnfjfk 2y ago“Unlimited” means there is no limit, so logically it means a few months should be fine. If a few months not fine, I think a reasonable request would be to define the limit and claim that instead of “unlimited”. I work at place with about 5 work weeks off, which is a lot for the US, and there’s never any question about whether you can use your time or not because the number of days is exactly specified. I like that better than a vague “unlimited” (but not actually) policy.
- yreg 2y agoWe have an actual unlimited unpaid time off policy. I have several colleagues who have taken 6+ months off (even repeatedly). Obviously I suspect that wouldn't be well-received within the "unlimited" paid leave at Netflix (but perhaps I'm wrong, I just can't imagine it).
- intelVISA 2y agoI quite like the unlimited unpaid policy, is there a reason it's rare? I'm guessing the implication that if you can take 6months off you weren't really necessary?
- relaxing 2y agoYeah companies generally hire because they need you there working.
- yreg 2y ago>I'm guessing the implication that if you can take 6months off you weren't really necessary? No one is strictly necessary. You can bring value to the company and it still doesn't mean that the company would go bankrupt if you left for half a year.
- jedberg 2y agoLike most policies at Netflix, or for that matter most workplaces anywhere, judgement is required. The policy is unlimited. You are welcome to take a year of vacation a week after you start. However, there are other factors, such as remaining employed. You most likely won't be meeting your job duties if you're on vacation for a year.
- yreg 2y agoSo you are expected to see to your job duties while on vacation? What you describe sounds a bit like "if you manage to do your work faster, you can take the remaining time off", correct?
- jedberg 2y agoNew parents did sometimes take a couple of months, but typically no. Some people would do 4-5 weeks in the summer. If could get your work done and set things up to run without you, it wasn't a problem. You had unlimited vacation, but you still had to get your job done.