‘PTO-maxxing’ isn’t the problem: Your company’s culture might be

As companies gear up for annual summer vacations, there’s a new workplace trend bubbling up that leaders need to know about: “PTO-maxxing.” It’s the strategy employees are using to take their calendar holidays and plan vacation days around them, stretching a paid holiday into a lengthy break and maximizing their total PTO—potentially turning 14 PTO days into 46 vacation days. As CEO of my company, I see it less as a problem and more as a symptom of workplaces that continue to judge employees negatively for taking much-needed rest. One recent study found that while leaders recognize that vacations boost employee well-being and improve job performance, they still penalize employees who take them when they’re up for a promotion or being considered for a new role. Essentially, leaders weren’t walking the talk. The question becomes: Why are leaders subconsciously discouraging unplugging? If giving your employees time off sends your organization into a tailspin, it may be time to rethink your systems. For healthy teams, vacations can lead to deeper creativity and a stronger connection to the company. For fragile ones, things can start to unravel. Here’s why PTO is critical for both employee and company well-being—and what leaders can fix before vacation season exposes the cracks. Why autonomy makes teams stronger I’m a major believer in truly disconnecting from the office. As a leader, I try to walk the walk: Every year, we abscond for a couple of weeks to my family’s olive farm in Turkey. During those days spent walking the groves and helping with the harvest, I keep check-ins to a strict minimum. It’s good for my mental health, and it sends a message to employees: We value time off. At Jotform, our teams function like mini-companies, with the autonomy to set and meet their own deadlines. Rather than micromanaging them, we trust them to determine how they work—and when to step away. I’ve seen how this approach builds clarity, trust, and accountability. Ultimately, more a