Unlimited vacation days: good idea or not?

Yess, here I am again with an article about vacation days. This time the following question: are unlimited vacation days beneficial, yes or no? Never think again about how many vacation days you have left and just leave whenever you want. That actually sounds too good to be true, is that not the case?

More and more companies are giving their employees the option to take an unlimited number of vacation days. This trend started about five years ago at large American companies like Netflix, Google, and Microsoft. The goal is to create a better work-life balance. Moreover, traveling can also enrich the minds of your employees, which can have positive outcomes. In 2016, software company Nerds & Company continued the trend in the Netherlands, after which other companies slowly but surely followed with the arrangement. In 2018, job platform Joblift published a study showing that in three years, 429 job vacancies were posted online from 77 different companies where unlimited vacation days were promised.

Labor psychologist Jaap van den Broek sees a clear reason for this trend. He believes it has everything to do with the increased need for autonomy. ‘Due to the individualization of society. Not only entrepreneurs but also employees want recognition for freedom. People want to determine for themselves what they do and when they do it. That companies are accommodating this is a logical consequence.’ Research from Sprout also showed that employees become truly happier as they can take on more autonomy and responsibility. It shows trust, which in turn stimulates independence. I can only say that I completely agree with this.

But the arrangement also raises a lot of questions for me. Is there a catch? And will employees not abuse this by staying away for months, or does it actually only work as a motivator? I can well imagine that it makes it much more attractive for you as a company. According to account and project manager of Nerds & Company Tina Kruisdijk, employees at the company take an average of seven extra vacation days since they introduced this arrangement.. These days are not only used for vacation but also for things like moving and caregiving. Well, I am quite surprised about this. I expected people to make much more use of it.

This is exactly the major downside of the arrangement: that ambitious employees hardly go on vacation. In the AD, HR manager of UPD, Chantal van der Lelie, states that UPD for this reason – in addition to offering unlimited vacation days – has also established the rule that employees must take at least 20 vacation days. It is of great importance that employees get enough rest, and that is the company's concern.

My conclusion? Unlimited vacation days plus a minimum of 20 mandatory vacation days for the enthusiasts. The condition is, of course, that you get your work done, and that requires quite a bit of discipline, I guess. But well, everything gets used to, just like this arrangement, it seems to me.