Got two offers this month with 15 days PTO that accrue at 3.08 hours per pay period and include Q4 blackout weeks that aren’t holidays. Bonus quirk: requests must be in 8-hour chunks, so a 3-hour dentist visit dings a full day; is this normal or am I just finding the weird ones?
@OP it’s sadly common now — ‘8-hour chunks’ for PTO plus Q4 blackout weeks, . When you counter, ask for 2‑hour PTO increments for appointments or a separate sick bank and get blackout exceptions for pre-booked travel in writing; did either offer front-load the 15 days or is it strictly the ‘3.08 hours per pay period’ accrual?
That “3.08 hrs per pay period” doesn’t pencil to 15 days — if it’s biweekly, that’s about 80 hrs (10 days). Ask them to spell out total annual PTO hours in the offer and whether Q4 blackouts block usage only or also stop accrual; if they won’t clarify, I’d pass. @jaca109’s point on increments stands, but push for flexing those 3‑hour appointments within the week instead of burning a full day.