How much do they need?
How much should you give?
Should you have a policy for it?
In our team, we actually don’t have a strict policy or tracker for it. The only instructions we give on it is if you need to take time off, tell us ahead of time. That’s it.
Sick leave, vacation time, holidays, take as much time as you need. As long as you get the job done, we’re good.
Like now, I have a programmer who’s been having problems with his eyes. I gave him as much time off he needs to get treatment and rest. Because of that’ he’s working as much as he can on the days that he can work. He’s productive because he had the time he needed to get better. He’s getting things done.
Knowing that they can get as much time off as they need works for us. They stay because they can’t get this perk anywhere else. And it works for me because they don’t disappear. They’re not afraid of losing their jobs. I know exactly where they are and how long they’ll be out. And before they go on leave, they make sure their tasks are done or they ask their teammate to take over for them.
I’ve seen others who have a policy where they define how many leaves they have and they have a tracker for it. It’s fine if this is something you want to do. I just don’t do it because I prefer to keep things simple.
In my book, the Outsourcing Lever, I write about this in detail. If you want to learn more about how we deal with paid time off, as well as stuff like raises, management and recruiting, check out the book. It’s free when you go to OutsourcingLever.com. And if you want a physical copy, just pay for shipping.
And if you want to see more videos, check out our YouTube channel or our Facebook page for more outsourcing tips. You can also check out how to get started on hiring Rockstar Virtual Assistants.
About John Jonas
John Jonas is a long-time outsourcing expert and the creator of OnlineJobs.ph.
Since 2005, John has taught hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs how to profitably delegate to VAs in the Philippines (and get their lives back in the process).
With help from his own VAs based in the Philippines, John has created an outsourcing empire that allows him to work 17 hours/week and to spend most of his time with his wife and 5 kids.
Find John at JohnJonas.com and Facebook.
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This article is great (just like everything else on this blog). I really like your policy, but I think its possible the nature of your work and maturity of your company allows for a little more flexibility. It would be really helpful if you could give a mock scenario of what someone’s pto days could look like.
If you were going to give a handful of holiday’s off, which ones would they be the first to consider?
Hi Chandler,
Thank you for your comment. When it comes to holidays, regular and non-regular holidays can be considered first because they are fixed (or they already have a schedule beforehand). There is an article on how they will be paid according to the type of holiday (regular or non-regular) -> https://www.rappler.com/nation/list-2021-holidays-philippines
I like reading your article. Keep on posting.