Office Worker On Unlimited PTO Uses Day Off To Catch Up On Work
Indonesian woman uses Unlimited PTO to work unpaid overtime, citing “freedom” and “not wanting to fall behind.”
JAKARTA — Citing her employer’s “progressive” unlimited PTO policy, 28-year-old marketing analyst Ratri Ayu Prasetyo spent her Tuesday vacation day locked in a WeWork booth finishing a backlog of client decks, replying to unread emails, and pretending she was “definitely going to log off by lunchtime.”
“I just love how much freedom we’re given,” said Prasetyo, as she toggled between seven browser tabs and an untouched sandwich. “I didn’t have to work today. I just... needed to make sure I wasn’t behind on anything tomorrow.”
Her company, a Jakarta-based fintech startup called Koinkuy, introduced its Unlimited PTO program in early 2023. It was described in the internal memo as a “radical reimagining of rest” and came with an inspirational quote about “owning your energy.”
Since its launch, 89% of employees have not taken more than two consecutive days off, a trend management calls “a powerful example of personal accountability and self-leadership.”
Prasetyo’s teammates were reportedly “super supportive” of her decision to take time off by not responding to her Teams status or volunteering to cover her campaign deliverables.
“Honestly, she’s so lucky to work for a company like this,” said her colleague Fadli, who also has Unlimited PTO and has used it primarily to attend weddings, funerals, and get his booster shot. “I think she’s really modeling how to take rest seriously.”
Ratri’s manager, who has not taken any time off since before the pandemic, was equally impressed.
“It’s important our team feels trusted to rest when they need to,” he said from a café in Canggu, where he is currently on his third “working wellness retreat” of the year. “Of course, we measure outcomes. If people want to work during their time off to stay ahead, we fully empower that.”
When asked whether Unlimited PTO meant the team could disconnect without pressure or fear of being left behind, he responded by closing his laptop and ordering a turmeric latte.
According to Koinkuy’s Head of People, the Unlimited PTO policy is a win-win. Employees get flexibility. The company gets to eliminate vacation liability from its balance sheet. No one needs to track anything, and no awkward questions are asked when people don’t take leave.
“In countries like Indonesia, unused statutory leave must be paid out as part of UPH,” she explained. “But with our new structure, there’s no accrual, so there’s nothing to pay. It’s very freeing. For everyone. Especially Finance.”
When asked whether this model creates a culture of invisible guilt, unspoken expectations, and vacations riddled with guilt, she laughed.
“That’s just self-management in action,” she said, before pulling up a slide titled “Employee Resilience = Shareholder Confidence.”
Despite reports that no one at the company has taken more than four days off in a row since the policy’s launch, internal surveys show 93% of staff believe they “could take time off at any time,” with the remaining 7% replying “what time off?”
At press time, Ratri was seen opening her laptop again after briefly standing up and calling it “a break.” She said she plans to take another day off next month to catch up on administrative tasks, but will “definitely make time to maybe walk outside or something.”
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