A recent survey from Patriot Software, an accounting and payroll software company for small businesses, is challenging one of modern HR’s most popular benefits offerings — and the numbers are hard to ignore.
The study surveyed 1,000 employed adults across the U.S. and found that despite growing adoption of unlimited PTO policies, most employees are still not taking meaningful time away from work. In fact, 66% say they would cap themselves at 15 days or fewer per year even without a formal limit — and among Gen Z workers, nearly half would take 10 days or less.
This tracks with broader industry findings. Research from HR Brew found that just 6% of employers offered unlimited PTO as of 2022 — and among those that did, employees took about the same or even less time off than those on traditional plans.
The Patriot Software findings point to a fundamental policy design problem. Without a defined number to anchor expectations, employees default to taking less, not more. As the study notes, “freedom without boundaries can create uncertainty instead of relief” — and 25% of high earners (those making $150,000+) acknowledged as much.
Workers aren’t asking for fewer guardrails. An overwhelming 91% say a mandatory minimum time-off policy paired with unlimited PTO is appealing, and two-thirds believe a fair annual allowance is 11 days or more. The message is clear: employees want structure, predictability, and permission to actually use what they’re offered.
Fairness gaps also emerged. 27% of women say their PTO feels unfair relative to their workload, compared to 20% of men — a disparity that likely reflects disproportionate caregiving responsibilities many women carry outside of work. This is especially relevant in the context of broader burnout trends: according to recent data, 52% of employees reported feeling burned out in 2024, with women reporting burnout at a significantly higher rate than men (59% vs. 46%).
For Millennials, the stakes are particularly tangible. 40% have taken unpaid leave after exhausting their PTO, and another 25% needed time off but couldn’t afford to take it unpaid. For households already managing childcare costs and rising living expenses, that’s not a small tradeoff.
For business leaders, the takeaway is actionable: rethink how PTO is structured, communicated, and modeled from the top down. A policy that exists on paper but goes unused isn’t a benefit — it’s a missed opportunity.
Read the full study from Patriot Software here.
