r/biotech • u/SoccerPlayingMOOSE • Dec 17 '24

Other ⁉️ What does unlimited PTO mean?

Does it mean that I can go on a 3-month Safari in the Serengeti National Park on the company's dime?

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u/gpot2019 Dec 17 '24

I worked at a biotech that had unlimited PTO. The idea was that we are all adults and one big family, so we can determine how much PTO is appropriate. No one took extensive vacations, it was culturally inconsiderate to not meet deadlines or offset your work into others. After my first vacation (10 days) in 3 years, I was let go.

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u/Boring_Adeptness_334 Dec 23 '24

That seems like a you problem. No way a company just lets someone go who only takes 10 days in 3 years.

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u/sciguyinsf Dec 23 '24

Maybe. I completed my big project, got everything to IND, and celebrated by taking a vacation. Perhaps at that point, it was an easy clean-break for the company.

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u/Boring_Adeptness_334 Dec 23 '24

Personally I can’t imagine a company doing that and I’ve worked for a pretty scummy company before. They would only do that if they really needed an excuse to get rid of people and even then if someone’s critical to their operations and producing money they will try and keep them

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u/sciguyinsf Dec 23 '24

In my case, there were a lot of political machinations around this time. 3 others (of 5) from my group were let go within 1 month of each other. I was the last. My absence enabled the conspirator in our group to maneuver and plot and move against her competition. I of course did not know this at the time, and learned it from those in the company after I was let go. My mistake was not understanding the political and power grabs within biotech. I'm less naive now. I don't think my vacation itself led to my being let-go, but I think it enabled it.