r/actuary • u/frozenactuary-3859 Consulting • 2d ago
Do you always plan your PTO in advance? How much notice do you give?
I understand that if you’re planning to take a week off, you should let your manager know well in advance. But what about taking just a day or two off?
How far in advance do you typically inform your manager when you need a day or two of PTO? Do you usually plan these days off weeks ahead, or is giving a few days’ notice acceptable?
Also, do you give a reason for taking one or two days off, or do you simply request PTO without explaining why?
I’m curious to know what’s considered normal in your workplace and what your team’s expectations are.
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u/FullMetal373 2d ago
Really just depends on the team. It’s probably a bad idea to just last minute schedule PTO especially if it’s a busy time. If it’s some kind of emergency I would hope a good team would be ok with last minute PTO.
In general for like an extended weekend or something I’d aim for at least a week notice. Longer 1 week+ vacations usually a month.
Typically I plan trips and stuff in advance anyhow so PTO notice aligns with that. It’s not often I randomly decide to take a Friday off.
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u/Otherwise_Ad2201 2d ago
It depends. If I know I’m taking a 2 week long trip a year in advance, I will put it in. If I know my day off is going to interfere with a project, I will plan with my boss for coverage. If something comes up unexpectedly, I put it in day of. It has never seemed that serious. Once I texted that I was in the hospital and didn’t know when I would be back. My boss said we will get your work covered.
I never give a reason in the official request.
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u/halflop 2d ago
As a manager, the earlier the better. For just a day or two, at least a week notice is preferred. But if things are slow, I don't mind the occasional last minute request.
I don't expect any reason to be provided, although if it's for a fun trip/experience, I always enjoy chatting about those things!
That said, every manager is different. I always like to have a chat about expectations early on to make sure everyone is on the same page.
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u/KittenAlgorithm Annuities 2d ago
A general rule of thumb is 1 week notice for 1 day of PTO.
I usually put things in when I know about them so I'll put in a few 2-3 day chunks all at once, months in advance, so my manager only has to approve things once. I've also put in time last minute/day of because sometimes life happens and plans have to adjust.
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u/jakfrist Life Insurance 2d ago edited 2d ago
I have submitted PTO requests everywhere from 18 months (2.5wk trip) to 18 hours (personal day) in advance.
Typically my manager knows why because I’m comfortable talking to them about things. But if I ever need to go somewhere personal there has never been an issue with leaving the reason blank.
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u/MikeTheActuary Property / Casualty 2d ago
My situation is a little odd in that I'm on self-managed time (i.e., I don't have defined work hours or PTO, but there is a general expectation about how many hours I average each week, and that I'm accessible when needed), and my manager is several time zones away from me.
If I'm going to be unavailable, I block the time on Outlook as soon as I know it.
If I'm going to be offline for consecutive days (e.g. vacation), I'll let my manager know when the dates are set.
If I'm going to be away from my computer for the entire time my and my manager's days overlap...my manager and I have a standing weekly one-on-one chat, and I'll mention it in the one-on-one meeting prior to my absence, and a quick Teams ping the day before, as they've probably forgotten.
If it's something that's come up since the relevant one-on-one (e.g. doctor calls and says they want you in tomorrow)...then I'll mention it at the earliest possible, sensible time.
I have been in environments where you needed to ask permission for PTO, and/or where there were limits on how many people in a team could be out at a given time (either explicit policy, or a practical matter given the ebbs and flows of work). In those cases, you'd want to handle the bureaucracy as soon as you had a date in mind.
For ordinary PTO, you shouldn't need to give a reason -- it's your time, it's a work benefit, it's not your employer's business -- but it's natural to give at least a high-level explanation anyway. (If you're taking PTO to interview elsewhere, the explanation you give might not be the whole story.) "I have some family business I need to take care of" is a perfectly reasonable thing to say, for example.
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u/No-University-9404 2d ago
No need to justify what you’re using your PTO for, just say you’ll be out of office (unless you feel inclined to share if you have nice plans)! Also if there is an emergency where PTO either use your sick days (or bereavement days which many companies offer depending on state laws) or use your PTO and just say that something has come up and you’ll need to be out
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u/ajgamer89 Health 2d ago
I’ve done it as early as 6 months out and as late as the morning of (if I or any of my kids get sick). Generally just let my manager know as soon as I know I’m going to be taking a day off. Never had a manager take issue with a last minute day off, though I expect most would like a few weeks notice at least if you’ll be gone for over a week.
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u/Boxsterboy Consulting 2d ago
No need to explain why. If you’re taking a week or more off, a couple weeks notice is probably a good idea. If it was a day here and there, I would think you should give at least a few days notice. Emailing the night before or that morning generally is considered bad form absent an emergency.
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u/DonVonTaters_IV Property / Casualty 2d ago
I would not provide a reason unless it’s a situation where you need multiple days off at the last minute.
Reason, it can only hurt you.
In general, don’t share too many personal details with your coworkers. In a perfect world people wouldn’t be judgmental about your hobbies / how you choose to spend your PTO but that isn’t reality.
Ex: “John took today off, he must be hungover from going to that football game last night”
Just say “I need to use a PTO day”
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u/Proper_Ear_1733 2d ago
Depends on what’s going on. I’m usually using mine for sick days (we only have one bank) so no advance notice. But if I’m taking a long weekend I usually know in advance.
That said, if I don’t have any urgent deadlines or important meetings and I need a mental health day then I don’t have a problem being spontaneous.
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u/Killerfluffyone Property / Casualty 2d ago
depends how many days, time of year, and relationship with whoever i report to. currently less than a week usually 1 to 2 days. more than a week usually at least a week. if i wanted to use 4+ weeks i would try to give at least a month of not more so things can be planned/organized in advance. for my reports it is also more or less that but i don’t hold them to it. as for a reason? no unless its really last minute. i may say what i am doing as a matter of conversation but it wouldn’t matter if i didn’t. my reports don’t need a reason but sometimes its just a small talk/ personal conversation piece. In canada the law is that typically you don’t need a reason however your employer can dictate when/how you take days if they really want to.
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u/OpTicDyno Finance / ERM 2d ago
Depends a bit on when it falls during the work calendar and length taken. If I know I need to miss 3 days during QE, that’s told months in advance. A week during BAU work, about 2-3 months in advance. A random Tuesday during BAU, maybe a week or two. A general rule of thumb is the more time you give your manager/team to adjust, the better
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u/lametown_poopypants Probably ignoring a meeting 2d ago
I usually take 1-3 days as I want and as business allows and don’t give a ton of notice since my boss doesn’t even know what my team does. If I feel I can take it, I do.
I give a few weeks notice when I’m out a week or more. That seems more like nice than needed.
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u/Suspicious-Drink1208 1d ago
2-3 months if am going on a 2-3 week vacation. If it’s just a day or two, usually a week is enough but also need to read the room, as in don’t be taking random days off during busy weeks unless it’s necessary which would be like a personal day or sick day
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u/Due_Permit8027 2d ago
I ask my boss as soon as I know about it. Why not?
Emergencies are Emergencies.
I have taken PTO at short notice, but that's when I'm light and it makes sense to take it then.
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u/No-Property-561 Property / Casualty 2d ago
I don’t take PTO. I spend every second of my life committed to increasing shareholder value.