P T O

It's the end of the world as we know it. Okay, so not really. But to some of my employees - they think it is. Well, because of the "economy" the bosses decided that to cut back - employees need to take PTO time - MANDATORY PTO time. 2 days. In March. We did this in December as well. I guess it affects the "bottom line" because then the company wouldn't "owe" as much PTO time to employees later on.

So, I don't necessarily like this - because unlike some of these Engineering/Sales/Tech Support "geeks" - I DO go on vacations!! I use my PTO time. And I am trying to save up so that I can have a sweet awesome summer with lots of traveling, sun bathing, beaches... Hopefully that dream can still come true. Anyway - Mandatory PTO. Well, everyone should be happy that they are basically told to take some time off. So, I'm going to do something wicked awesome (don't I sound like a cool high school kid using those words?) for those two days . . . I'm just not 100% sure what yet.

But anyway - being in HR - and somehow getting the payroll "liaison" job I also get to be the PTO Nazi. Yay for me! I'm just glad that they told me like 5 hours before they sent out the Company wide e-mail, so that I could prepare for the - complaints, problems, issues, freak out moments, etc. So, 16 hours will automatically be deducted from their PTO balances. But it gets confusing because if they've already taken some PTO in March - then they don't have to take more - but the whole process of CALCULATING who has taken what, and what to subtract if they already had some subtracted gets a bit messy! So, I better be prepared to spend many many hours on this little project. And that's not including the many employees who come and complain or don't have PTO etc. I already feel bad for one guy who just used all his PTO on his recent honeymoon. Now he has to either go negative PTO and never accrue more vacation time - or take time without pay.

Well, tough times call for tough measures - according to the company e-mail. We all should just be happy we have a job, can take a few days off to spend with family, and aren't taking a pay cut...yet...or hopefully ever.

It's funny how I used to love the words "PAYDAY" or PTO time - but ask me today or this year and I will just sigh "ahhh" and shrink a bit from the weight of those words and the stresses they cause me. What a job huh? But, I love stresses :) and solving them, so life is good. Se la vi! (Look how happy I was in this picture - first official full-time paycheck headed to it's home at Wells Fargo...before I knew the nightmares it would bring...)