Because July 4 falls on a Tuesday this year, many are attempting to use up saved paid time off so they have a five-day work week — taking off June 30 and July 3 with the weekend in between.
TikTok user Andrea (@plussizeandbossy) said in a recent video, which has been viewed more than 477,00 times, that if people haven’t done so now, putting in their paid time off early will increase the likelihood of them getting the “OK” from their bosses.
“If you haven’t done this already go ahead and put in PTO for June 30th, which is a Friday, and July 3rd, which is a Monday,” Andrea said. “Because if you take off those two days you can have a five-day weekend.”
“Even if you don’t want to take off two days, take off July 3rd, that Monday,” she continued. “It might be slow in the office but you ain’t trying to get out of bed on Monday morning, go to work, just to be off on Tuesday. So, go ahead and take at least July 3rd off, so you could enjoy your weekend. You’re welcome.”
She added in a caption for the video, “I don’t know about you… but I need 5 days off!!! I definitely don’t want to be working on Monday, July 3.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Andrea via email for further comment.
According to Rocket Lawyer, employers can usually deny paid time off requests if they choose to do so, unless an individual’s work contract explicitly states otherwise. A main reason one’s manager would deny a PTO request would be to ensure that the respective workplace is appropriately staffed.
One commenter who saw Andrea’s clip quipped: “Jokes on you I ran out of PTO already.”
While another said that there was no need for them to put in for any paid time off as their company effectively gave it to them for free: “My company is closed July 3 and 4. I took 5,6,7 off. Nine days off.”
However, there was a viewer who said that they have difficulty putting in their requests around the holidays as their job doesn’t allow the practice: “My job won’t let us put in vacation days the day before or the day after the holiday.”
Someone else said that because they have a remote position, every single day that they work already feels like paid time off, and encouraged others to use their vacation days at their respective jobs: “Work from home. Every day feels like PTO. Leaving for Cancun [on] July 6th for three weeks. Def use up that PTO!!”
Update 4:27pm CT, May 12, 2023: In an email to the Daily Dot, Andrea shared how since working in the hospitality industry,m she has noticed more people planning to travel on July 3 than initially forecasted.
“Which immediately made me think about putting in PTO to enjoy the long holiday weekend myself,” she said. “It just made sense to at least take off Monday, July 3 to gain a 4-day weekend, and wanted to share the strategy with others so they could take PTO before it was too late.”
She continued that working in hospitality, she was one of the people who never took time off, leading her to have “poor health, depression and severe burnout.” She said she decided to prioritize self-care and take a break for her overall mental and physical health.
“When I returned from my break, I was also recharged which increased my productivity leading to better job performance in the long run,” Andrea said. ” I’ve had to learn the hard way that it’s YOUR responsibility to create your own work-life balance. Especially since companies use it or lose it policies will cause you to forfeit these hard-earned benefits.”
In the end, Andrea said submitting PTO early is key.
“Companies do need to make sure shifts are covered and they have enough people working to meet demands, so the earlier you submit your PTO, the better the odds of getting it approved,” she said.