Taking PTO after starting a new job - question

[ExhaustedWalrus]

I started a new job on December 14th, and I wanted to take the day after my birthday (Feb. 26th) off to spend some time with my fiance and family. I currently have 26 hours built up (I get 160 hours per year), so this would take 8 hours away. This is the first time I've had PTO at a job, and I was wondering what the etiquette was for taking time off so soon into a new role.

Does it look bad taking a day off this soon? I have already mapped out most of my PTO days for the year, and I factored this day into the equation. But I am unsure how this would look this quickly, or if I am blowing it out of proportion and my boss wouldn't care.

 

[Grouch Douglass]

I started a new job on December 14th, and I wanted to take the day after my birthday (Feb. 26th) off to spend some time with my fiance and family. I currently have 26 hours built up (I get 160 hours per year), so this would take 8 hours away. This is the first time I've had PTO at a job, and I was wondering what the etiquette was for taking time off so soon into a new role.

Does it look bad taking a day off this soon? I have already mapped out most of my PTO days for the year, and I factored this day into the equation. But I am unsure how this would look this quickly, or if I am blowing it out of proportion and my boss wouldn't care.

Click to shrink...

I would say don't worry about it at all, its your time. If you are especially concerned maybe try talking to your boss about it?

 

[Originalshez]

It's your entitlement to use as you wish. Take it whenever you damn well want

 

[FliX]

This is not soon after taking the job. Hand in your notice early, give everyone a heads up. Plenty of time.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Is your company's PTO just a general pool of PTO or is it broken up by category (sick/vacation/etc)?

I can't imagine that taking ONE day off two months after you were hired is going to reflect badly, especially if you request it in advance.

 

[I Don't Like]

It's one day and the day after your birthday. Don't think this has anything to do with etiquette.

 

[Rob]

Your boss probably won't care. It is just a day after all. Plus it's been a few months since you started so it's fine.

 

[Perkin_Warbeck]

I think one day shouldn't be a problem unless you work with some real assholes. Just make sure you follow whatever policy they have for requesting it x number of days in advance.

 

[Deleted member 41178]

Shouldn't be a problem at all just follow whatever the process is for asking for time off.

 

[RecRoulette]

You have the time, use it. It's one day.

 

[Deleted member 70788]

Your company should have clear guidelines on what the process of PTO approval are. Normally you just let your supervisor know you'd like to take PTO and they approve it and you're good to go. Some companies have a policy that you can't use it for 30 or 90 days or something. Your employee handbook, co-worker, or HR supervisor should be able to answer this.

Overall though, if you have PTO and you're not skipping out on a critical day or window for a big project, you should have no problem taking it. That's the point of PTO, you accrue it, it's your right to use it.

 

[Culex]

Many jobs have a 60-90 day phase in period before you can use PTO, unless your offer letter exempted you.

you should double check

 

[RolandGunner]

I started a new job on December 14th, and I wanted to take the day after my birthday (Feb. 26th) off to spend some time with my fiance and family. I currently have 26 hours built up (I get 160 hours per year), so this would take 8 hours away. This is the first time I've had PTO at a job, and I was wondering what the etiquette was for taking time off so soon into a new role.

Does it look bad taking a day off this soon? I have already mapped out most of my PTO days for the year, and I factored this day into the equation. But I am unsure how this would look this quickly, or if I am blowing it out of proportion and my boss wouldn't care.

Click to shrink...

Unless your company has a no PTO for 90 days rule or something it doesn't seem like a problem. Just let your boss know what the reason is and see if they have any concerns.

 

[boxter432]

i thought this would be like day or week 1 of the job, not over 2 months later lol

 

[Josh5890]

Requesting one day off two months in is not a big deal at all, unless there is some internal policy with the company that would conflict with your request.

Now if you started last week and were looking to take a week off that same month that would be a completely different story.

 

[Viale]

I started a new job on December 14th, and I wanted to take the day after my birthday (Feb. 26th) off to spend some time with my fiance and family. I currently have 26 hours built up (I get 160 hours per year), so this would take 8 hours away. This is the first time I've had PTO at a job, and I was wondering what the etiquette was for taking time off so soon into a new role.

Does it look bad taking a day off this soon? I have already mapped out most of my PTO days for the year, and I factored this day into the equation. But I am unsure how this would look this quickly, or if I am blowing it out of proportion and my boss wouldn't care.

Click to shrink...

Two months after starting is not too soon haha. You're good.

 

[Koukalaka]

I started a new job on December 14th, and I wanted to take the day after my birthday (Feb. 26th) off to spend some time with my fiance and family. I currently have 26 hours built up (I get 160 hours per year), so this would take 8 hours away. This is the first time I've had PTO at a job, and I was wondering what the etiquette was for taking time off so soon into a new role.

Does it look bad taking a day off this soon? I have already mapped out most of my PTO days for the year, and I factored this day into the equation. But I am unsure how this would look this quickly, or if I am blowing it out of proportion and my boss wouldn't care.

Click to shrink...

a) You've been in the role for a few months at this point.

b) You'll be giving plenty of notice.

PTO is there to be used at the end of the day - as long as you're following internal policy and not just dropping it on your team/boss at really unexpected or inconvenient times, nobody should tell you how to use it.

 

[Lace]

Echoing what everyone else said. Check your company's internal PTO policy to make sure there isn't a phase in requirement. If there is I would just bite the bullet and work through it. If not just connect with your boss and let them know.

 

[ErrorJustin]

As someone that manages a team of 8-10 -

If the time has accumulated, take it off worry free and guilt free. It's one day. No one is going to care or if they do care then the place is suspect.

 

[AndyD]

This is not soon after taking the job. Hand in your notice early, give everyone a heads up. Plenty of time.

Click to shrink...

This. I thought this was going to be one of those "My first day was Monday, I want to take two weeks off" questions. But what you describe is entirely normal. Take a day, let your boss/manager know a few days or weeks ahead if you can.

 

[Bigkrev]

Unless your employer/boss has something where they require 30 days notice of planned vacation , you are fine

 

[StrapOnFetus]

Yea dude, this is your time. They cant touch you for taking it.

 

[Br3wnor]

As a rule I've never taken time off from work the first 6 months of being there, I want to show that I'm reliable as fuck and every job has seen me that way, whether or not the 6 month rule had a lot to do with that I dunno, but it definitely hasn't hurt me. I've left all my jobs for new ones, never been fired (have had 5 "career" type jobs)

 

[Jedi2016]

If they've given you the time, take it. That's what it's there for.

That's what I tell my team, too. Especially since our company has a "use it or lose it" policy for vacation time (you don't get to start rolling over days until you've been here a few years, and there's still limits to how much you can roll over). So I'm real big on getting my guys to take time when they need it or just want to unwind for a long weekend or something. We've got teammates to cover, that's what they're there for.

 

[davepoobond]

Many jobs have a 60-90 day phase in period before you can use PTO, unless your offer letter exempted you.

you should double check

Click to shrink...

this

 

[pbayne]

Should be no issue just book it well in advance and clear it with your manager in case it maybe clashes with other peoples leave

 

[demosthenes]

Is it not standard procedure in your business to tell you how to take time off?

Talk to your boss. As long as you don't have anything due, shouldn't be a problem.

 

[VorpalNonsense]

If you've already accrued PTO then it's yours to use
Just make sure to request it well ahead of time, like, asap, do it today if possible
Good to double check with your manager too like somebody here mentioned, sometimes there are special rules for the first 90 days
As long as you get the approval and do it well ahead of time there shouldnt be a problem with this

Tip for the future: Usually if I think I'm going to take time off within the first 90 days, I will actually bring it up in the hiring meeting to make sure it's okay, just letting them know I have a prior commitment and asking if that's okay

 

[Deleted member 70788]

Just to expand on the question. I'm always super upfront in interviews if I have a few dates that I'll need off in the first few months. Normally though, that's more than one day situations. 1 day within 3 months is mild IMO. That said, if you're ever interviewing for a new job and need to take off a few days, I've never had a bad response being upfront about specific dates in an interview. If anything I think it shows forward thinking, good communication, and respect.

 

[nded]

You've earned that time off. Just give notice well in advance so your co-workers can plan around your absence if needed.

 

[Chopchop]

One day off like that is okay, and you're giving plenty of advance notice too. You've been working for a few months so it's fine.

As long as you're not asking for a day off within your first week or so, you're probably fine, and in those cases it's probably something that you can be up front about during the hiring process.

Just don't be this one guy I saw, who asked to leave early on his very first day of work to beat the traffic. We were all like "wtf dude."

 

[julia crawford]

My employer gives single day vacations automatically on request and requiring only a single day in advance. It's pretty cool.

You should definitely just tell them hey, i have an important date coming up, i'd like to take a day off in X day.

That said, do make sure to meet safely with your family.

 

[Okabe]

Many jobs have a 60-90 day phase in period before you can use PTO

Click to shrink...

Yeah usually its 3 months

 

[Deleted member 4461]

I dunno. Heavily depends on your company and culture. I've taken PTO like, a week after starting a new position before. I've seen some other people do the same.

Switching jobs doesn't mean your existing plans disappear, and companies should understand that. December to February doesn't seem like a big deal to me, but that's just me.

 

[nihilence]

Talk to super or hr. Some places are weird where you earn pto, but you also have to earn the time to request it.

At least that's how I understood this job. There is personal, sick etc.

 

[The Climaxan]

If they give it to you and it's accrued and available, then there is no such thing as too soon as long as the PTO day in question wont result in your work getting fucked up or a major task falling to someone else without warning. TL;DR - Take the day and enjoy it.

 

[TheAggroCraig]

It's a single day and you're giving 3 weeks notice for it, I don't see it being an issue since you said you've already accrued the time. The only issue I could see is if you were in a job that needed coverage and others had the day off already.

 

[Perfect Chaos]

This isn't that early at all, and it's yours to use unless there are bizarre policy stipulations in place. Give your boss a heads up. Shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Jogi]

use it whenever you want. It's your right with employment. They can't hold it against you for using what they (or the state forced them) to give you.

 

[RadzPrower]

I'd give the standard 2-week notice, but this is hardly too soon after starting a job.

I'd say taking time off in even the first couple weeks is okay so long as it's an actual emergency or you had prior plans and informed them that you already had plans BEFORE you were hired.

 

[RedOnePunch]

You're good OP. When I read the title I thought you were going on a week long vacation a month after starting, which again isn't necessarily bad. Context is important.

use it whenever you want. It's your right with employment. They can't hold it against you for using what they (or the state forced them) to give you.

Click to shrink...

This is true. A lot of these restrictions we place on ourselves.

 

[squeakywheel]

Check with HR. My company has a 90 day moratorium unless you're sick. YMMV.

 

[Josh5890]

Just don't be this one guy I saw, who asked to leave early on his very first day of work to beat the traffic. We were all like "wtf dude."

Click to shrink...

Actually you are better off hearing that on the first day. It is much easier to let employees go in their probationary period and that would be an easy red flag.

 

[Chopchop]

Actually you are better off hearing that on the first day. It is much easier to let employees go in their probationary period and that would be an easy red flag.

Click to shrink...

That was the first red flag of many from that guy. He was indeed let go during his probation period.

He was more disappointing than anything. He apparently interviewed well, and our team leads liked him. Then when he actually started, he didn't have anywhere near the skill level we expected, and fucked up most things he touched. He was jarringly different from what we expected to get.

I think within his first week, he fucked up a bunch of my work, then spent the next 15-20 minutes trying to explain to me why the stuff he broke - my stuff - wasn't that important.

 

[construct]

As a rule I've never taken time off from work the first 6 months of being there, I want to show that I'm reliable as fuck and every job has seen me that way, whether or not the 6 month rule had a lot to do with that I dunno, but it definitely hasn't hurt me. I've left all my jobs for new ones, never been fired (have had 5 "career" type jobs)

Click to shrink...

no one is getting fired because they took a day off almost 3 months into the job. you kept your jobs because you did the work. if you have your own personal work ethic, great, but it doesn't need to be expectation for everyone else-- that goes for a lot of things like staying late.

 

[Elfgore]

Minus some rule preventing this, go for it. Just make sure to get it in quickly.

 

[C.Mongler]

I mean generally "no, it's fine" but work culture can be a bitch and I know nothing about what its like where you work. If you work somewhere where people are reprimanded for being out of the office, even just with like snide comments by management (ex. "Oh, James took a day off again huh? Does that guy ever work?"), there might be some dickheads who would look at it negatively, but generally your earned time off is your time off, and that's that. As long as you're giving two weeks notice to your supervisor that you're using it and they don't raise any concerns about it you should be gravy. Working somewhere for 2 months isn't even that soon; I've worked with people who requested time off as a prerequisite for being hired or even organically within their first couple weeks.

 

[Grym]

Personally I see absolutely zero problem with asking for a day off. It does depend a bit on company culture as others have said. But it isn't like you are taking three weeks off the moment you are hired. I don't think it is even remotely close to a difficult ask.

 

[Earthstrike]

Just shoot an e-mail to your boss and ask if it's ok? That's the whole point of asking. He's not going to get offended by the question.

 

[Hollywood Duo]

If you are entitled to it and you ask in advance there should be no issue.