[roenxi]

> This is both true and mind boggling to me.

We all come into this with a lot of context. However, America has I think something like the highest average and median wages outside the Nordics [0, 1]. And the Nordics are potentially a statistical aberration.

If somebody "gets" 2 weeks of paid time off, but at the end of the year their average salary is (50/52)% of someone who gets no PTO, are they really being paid for time off? It doesn't look paid to me.

The real benefit would be a culture where you can take unpaid time off then return to the same job later on. The per-hour pay is likely to correct quietly via ye olde market forces, and everyone enjoys the best of all worlds. High pay if they want it, time off if they want it.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_average_w...

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_income

[bosie]

> If somebody "gets" 2 weeks of paid time off, but at the end of the year their average salary is (50/52)% of someone who gets no PTO, are they really being paid for time off? It doesn't look paid to me.

How much does it cost an american worker to take 2 weeks off? If that means unemployment, new job search and your own health care payments, it might be much more expensive than that.

> median wage ... OECD

any idea how they calculated the purchasing power for the US?

[themagician]

I pay hourly employees between $14-$20/hr. The standard is to let people accrue two weeks. I just give it all up front. It's easier this way, honestly, because people spend the time more evenly throughout the year. I guess I could reverse it so they are "earning" the PTO over time, but everyone seems happy with it the way things are, and that's fine by me.

For salaried employees I just give them an FTO policy instead. As long as things are getting done I just don't care. I'm not interesting in creating a hostile work environment to save a few thousand dollars a year.