Our vacation policy: mandatory minimum days

We used to have an unlimited vacation days policy, but it backfired. We fixed it by switching to a minimum days system.

For the first few years of Balsamiq, we told our employees to take as much vacation as you want. The result? People didn't take enough! Not knowing what's really expected means that everyone reverts to the minimum possible amount for fear of being 'that person'.

We fixed it by making the minimum amount explicit, and it has worked well for over a decade.

Balsamiq's time off for vacation policy

We have a "minimum vacation policy" at Balsamiq. That is, take at least 20 days off a year. The minimum is set to encourage us to REALLY, REALLY take time off. (Because we mean it!). It should not be viewed as a maximum.

There is no set maximum, but obviously there is a point at which someone could take too much vacation. If you take too much vacation, your pace will be impacted and your teams will suffer. However, what is right year-to-year may change. For instance, we recognize that special life events (both joyful and difficult) may temporarily change our pace.

If you plan to substantially go over the minimum in a particular year, speak with your team(s). Being open and communicative is one of the ways we live up to our value to Be a Great Teammate.

Tracking time off

To stay in compliance with employment law, we do track vacation time. It also helps us nudge you if you're not taking enough.

Don’t feel like you need to save up! If you go over your minimum, our payroll team will make sure the extra hours aren’t reported to the payroll consultants.

We have a lot of freedom in our schedules and do not want people to feel anxious about how they report hours. Things like taking an extra hour one day to run errands, but working more on another day to make up for it, or working on a weekend to finish up a project or do a release, then taking a short day later, don't need to be reported.

That's it! Do you have a similar policy? Do you have any questions about it? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below!

Peldi for the Balsamiq Team

I appreciate that from your vantage point the policy of non-accrual of vacation, and a “do what’s right” policy towards vacation must seem like you are building a cool place to work. Frankly as a grunt i find that very irritating. You are just then left with the feeling that your boss is granting you a great gift by allowing you time off because they are an altruistic good guy. No damn it, i’ll EARN my vacation days, even if they are ridiculously paltry. So long as my pay check says they’re mine, stamped in indelible ink, something that was earned.