‘When 99% of companies say unlimited PTO, it’s a lie’: Worker said she was reprimanded for taking ‘too many sick days.’ She has unlimited PTO
A corporate worker who posts on TikTok under the handle Cuddles (@cuddleswpuddles) posted a video discussing how companies that offer unlimited PTO aren't being truthful to their employees.
In the clip, Cuddles speaks candidly about how a company she worked for threatened to fire her if she took too many days off. She also clarifies that she has been diagnosed with Crohn's disease and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), which her company knew about. The video has gained over 26,500 views as of Tuesday, sparking a conversation about how companies often misrepresent their employee benefits.
@cuddleswpuddles Unlimited PTO is a lie #FMLA #ADA #adaaccomodations #disabled #disabilitytiktok #ableism #PTO #unlimitedpto #healthcare ♬ original sound - cuddles
"Let me tell you about the time that I got in trouble with my job for taking too many sick days, while in a position that had unlimited sick leave. And, for context, I am disabled," Cuddles says speaking directly into the camera.
"My job was aware that I am disabled because I had ADA accommodations through my work. I was working in the healthcare industry, managing clinical trials. Because I'm disabled I took over 10 sick days in a calendar year," she explains.
To her astonishment, the worker says she was reprimanded for taking less than two weeks of her supposedly unlimited PTO. "I was so surprised when I received a warning from my manager about how I took too many sick days," the TikToker continues.
Her story takes a strange turn when she says that she realized her company was deliberately trying to build a case against her so they could fire the worker. She says, "[My manager] had to give me a written warning that stated that anybody who took more than 10 sick days had to get this morning. And, if you continue to take too many sick days—not saying what too many meant—then you could be fired."
"I was very confused because I had an unlimited PTO, unlimited sick day position. But, when 99% of companies say unlimited PTO, unlimited sick leave, it's a lie," Cuddles explains.
After receiving additional government adjustments for her disability, she left her position because of the corporate culture around PTO. "What inevitably happened is I felt too much pressure from my job I knew I was gonna keep having to take more sick days, so I quit my full time job," she says.
"The system is not set up for disabled people," she concludes.
Many users discussed how companies often punish people for taking any of their PTO.
"I worked somewhere that adopted unlimited PTO…and within 3 months fired someone for taking too much PTO," one user said.
"I had an unlimited sick day position and got in trouble for taking four sick days in a year," responded another user.
"My friend recently got told 'idk if we can approve more time off. You’ve used so much' and she’s supposed to have unlimited," added a third.
A fourth wrote, "I had like 7 paid sick days working at the TSA, and I got in trouble for using some of them, I didn't even use all of them."
Others pointed out how unlimited PTO is just a way to allow companies to shirk departing workers of any benefit payouts.
"'Unlimited' pto is just a scam so companies don’t have to pay out accrued pto when people leave," a user pointed out.
"They say unlimited so they don’t have to pay it out when they fire you," a second agreed.
"It’s just to get out of pay outs for unused days when people quit. I am chronically ill and was passed on a promo because I took “advantage” of PTO," a third shared.
The Daily Dot reached out to Cuddles via TikTok comment.
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