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Hanging Coat

This story about the PTO culture (or lack thereof) of millennials is not so unique to that generation or the the current times. Unlimited PTO has existed for a while and it is usually a bad deal for the employee because their management sets an implicit limit by their own actions. We have all had bosses who are always on and connected to work does not matter if they are on vacation or its a national holiday. They send emails at ungodly hours. Everyone knows the person has no life outside work and that is their bar for performance. 

It's up to the individual to decide if they want to play that same game or do something else. The most successful in such an organization tend to be the ones who have a mind-meld going on with this boss - which means no life outside work and being always on. The more "clever" ones fake their dedication to the cause using all the methods cited in the article. I have not seen it work beyond a point because the fake dedication is easy to see for someone who truly lives for their job. This is not to say folks should not try their strategies to eke out a life in such organizations - but sooner or later they will need to find another job.

A majority, 78%, of U.S. workers say they don’t take all their PTO days, and it’s highest among Gen Z workers and millennials, according to a new Harris Poll survey of 1,170 American workers.

Younger professionals say they don’t ask for time off because they feel pressure to meet deadlines and be productive, and they get nervous requesting PTO because they don’t want to look like a slacker, says Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer at The Harris Poll.

That’s not to say they’re not taking breaks — they’re just not telling their boss.

Back in the 50s and 60s it was common at least among state government employees in India to take off to wherever they needed to be leaving their coat hanging on their chair. Such stories were often recounted at home and the younger generations were in awe at the ingenuity. People would assume for several months sometimes that the person had merely stepped out for chai or some such. Given the glacial pace of work the absence never had any tangible consequences. 

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