At Roc8, I am experimenting with something from this month: In addition to planned and emergency leaves, we’re adding minimum monthly leaves (or leisure leaves).
How it works?
On the 1st of every month, everyone gets one leave option for that month. It doesn’t carry over to the next month if it’s not used. This should help folks take a day off guilt-free so we actually reach a 19-day work month in practice.
Like most of what we do, it’s an experiment to improve our culture and build long-term sustainability. If you don’t use it during the month, it’s a nudge to take the last day off.
Unlimited leave policy is a scam.
From a design perspective, you add a lot of cognitive load on the employee. Do I take more leaves? Will I be impacted in that case? Would I be rewarded if I don’t take leaves?
Reduce uncertainty. Reduce guilt.
Remove unlimited leaves from your perks and make it easier for your team to take time off in a practical way.