A good paid time off policy can help improve workplace satisfaction and promote a positive work-life balance. But for employees at smaller organizations, desirable PTO access can be tough to come by.
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals how paid leave — including personal days, sick days, vacation days and holidays — differs based on a company's size. However, time off is vital for employees at any organization.
"[PTO] fuels employee satisfaction, which directly correlates to retention rates," Amy Marcum, manager of client implementation at Insperity, wrote in a recent op-ed for EBN. "When a PTO policy is well-written and enforced, it ensures time off is administered fairly and equitably across the workforce, reducing the potential for favoritism or managers bending the rules for their team members."
Still, BLS data largely shows that companies with more employees offer more paid leave: 65% percent of employees working at companies with 500 or more workers have access to personal leave, 90% have access to sick leave, 82% have access to vacation leave and 86% have access to paid holidays.
Workers at smaller companies tend to have less access to leave. Thirty-six percent of employees working at companies with less than 50 workers have access to personal leave, 72% have access to sick leave, 70% have access to vacation leave and 73% have access to paid holidays.
To ensure that all employees get access to the time they need, HR and benefit leaders must work hand-in-hand with executive teams, experts stress.
Read more: PTO policies need a reboot — this platform has a plan
"My peers in HR and people operations don't need to be convinced of the importance of paid leave," Amber Zeise, director of people at Cocoon, wrote in a recent op-ed for EBN. "But getting sign off from executive leadership so that HR teams are empowered to update these policies is often easier said than done….As HR leaders, we can make the business case for paid leave policies by educating leadership to understand what a competitive leave policy is and the benefits of having one."
Read more about how paid leave differs based on company size.
PTO amounts based on company size
| Size of establishment | Personal leave | Sick leave | Vacations | Holidays |
| 1 to 49 workers | 36% | 72% | 70% | 73% |
| 50 to 99 workers | 47% | 76% | 72% | 69% |
| 100 to 499 workers | 60% | 88% | 84% | 87% |
| 500 workers or more | 65% | 90% | 82% | 86% |
