Where is the fine line between voluntary and coercive, especially when it comes to all kinds of corporate programs? In an ideal world, every employee is free to decide what to do with their accumulated bonuses. In reality, as is often the case, things are quite different.
Our story today, first told by the user u/Traditional-Dog1601, actually tells the story of how classic corporate traditions clashed with one person's sense of ownership in one particular case. So, let's read on together to see what came of it.
More info: Reddit
Sometimes, even the best corporate practice turns bad if people start twisting it, making great voluntary things mandatory
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The author of the post has been working in one company for six years and accumulated over 120 PTO hours, which he plans to spend on a vacation one day
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
There's a corporate practice of donating PTO hours to other coworkers, and the staff is collecting time for one lady for her not-so-urgent surgery
Image credits: Wavebreak Media / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The author, however, refused to donate any of his hours, especially since he's not this close to that lady, and he became a true scapegoat for the whole staff
Image credits: Traditional-Dog1601
Even the author's boss once cornered him and demanded he donate some hours, but it actually became a matter of principle for the man
So, the Original Poster (OP) says he's 32 years old, and for the past six years, he's worked at a company that has a corporate policy of saving PTO hours, which can then be used not only for the staff themselves but also donated to someone else. For a very urgent case, for example.
By the way, employees are currently donating hours for one of their colleagues, "Jennifer," who's about to undergo an elective surgery that's not covered under FMLA. Our hero has already accumulated about 120 hours and plans to spend them on a trip someday. So, when one of his colleagues asked him how many hours he planned to donate to Jennifer, the OP honestly admitted he had no intention of doing so at all.
The author says he's not particularly close to Jennifer. At most, they just say hello when they see each other at work. So, our hero decided it would be fair not to donate anything, especially since, according to corporate rules, he has the right to do so. But, as it turns out, other employees didn't see it that way, so now the author is getting a side-eye from his colleagues.
Then, our hero's immediate boss recently cornered him and declared that it was "bad" to do so, and that they all expected the author to donate some of his hours - say, a third of his accumulated bonus time. The author's girlfriend offered to donate a symbolic five hours, but the guy believes it's a matter of principle now, and doesn't want to succumb to pressure. So the man decided to take this online, seeking support.
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The practice of donating PTO hours to colleagues is, in fact, quite common. For example, this dedicated article on the Shiftbase blog states there are three basic models: a leave-bank, where the PTO hours are "donated" to a common pool managed by HR, direct employee-to-employee sharing, and a charitable donation, where the cash value goes to an approved charity.
Apparently, in the story we described, either the first or the second model is in play. According to many experts, this is an excellent practice that not only lets employees accrue PTO hours in the event of urgent issues but is also intended to improve team spirit.
"Leave-sharing programs are an excellent way for employees to genuinely help their fellow co-workers while fostering camaraderie among those facing family emergencies or disasters," the SHRM website says reasonably. Well, one cannot argue with this, but reality sometimes gets twisted by people.
At the same time, when any voluntary practice becomes mandatory, it certainly doesn't foster camaraderie within the team, ain't it? Many commenters on the original post also noted this, arguing that the OP was within his rights in refusing to donate, and that if the company really wanted to help the employee, it could provide her with some hours on its own behalf.
For now, in this particular situation, many responders do believe that this all looks like an attempt by higher-ups to solve the problem at the expense of staff. And it even looks like a kind of "witch hunt." So what do you, our dear readers, think about this story? Please feel free to share your words in the comments below.
Most commenters supported the author, claiming that he was within his rights not donate his PTO hours
