CEO requests employees to donate PTO days to long-term worker who exhausted hers, sparking debate

In most cases, if a person is a part of a corporate realm, having a work-life balance becomes quite out of reach for them. On Reddit, a user shared a photograph of a notice that they had received from their CEO, asking employees to donate their PTOs to a worker who needed it. While this request infuriated many, a few found it to be reasonable. 

Expressing their disbelief over the "pathetic" notice sent by their CEO, the user wrote, "I am at a loss for words." The announcement was directed at the employees and it read, "We have a long-term employee of 17 years from our Dietary Department who has been in the hospital and rehab for several months. She has exhausted all her PTO days and her benefits are running out." The President and CEO of the company pointed out that this situation was "quite a drain on the employee's family's income." So, they asked the employees if anyone would come forward to donate "one or more days of their PTO."

In the comments, the user who posted this also pointed out that the employee had been working a 50-60-hour week for months before being hospitalized. Speaking about their hospitalization, the user wrote, "I’m not convinced it wasn’t a contribution to the illness to begin with. And this is the thanks our workplace has for her." Among the thousands of upvotes and comments from people who shared the same opinion as the user, some contrary opinions were also posted. A few people felt that companies asking to donate PTOs to coworkers has become a common practice.

"This is very common in tax-funded offices at state local and federal levels. From schools and universities to garbage collection. There is no option in the budget to fund extra leave. It is very common for people to respond generously," commented u/Ofwa. "But if this guy increases PTO days for one employee without doing so for everyone else, he can get sued by other employees for discrimination. On the other hand, he can use this opportunity to overhaul the PTO policy without knowing what the industry, overhead and profit margin are. I do not know how feasible that is," wrote u/supercommandonj.

However, most users in the comments found this practice intolerable and even suggested that the CEO should've donated rather than asking the employees. "This is manipulation and it is disgusting that they would do it. 'It’s a drain on their family’s income.' It’s not the workers' responsibility to pay other coworkers," commented u/GrubbyTheGrub. "If anyone at any company has the power to just give PTO days to a 17-year veteran of the business, you would think it would be the President/CEO. But, I guess not," commented u/Greenfire32. "Translation: 'Dear Dunces, allow me to guilt trip you into doing something that would be cheaper for me in the end,'" wrote u/bippityboppityzopp.