PTO Genius, another startup launched in 2020, nudges employees that its algorithm guesses are at risk for burnout—based on factors like long hours and behavior changes—to take vacation. If they decline, the service offers to cash out unused PTO to help an employer offload that liability. Rob Whalen, cofounder of six-year-old PTO Exchange, describes an influx in demand this year and says his company now works with 60 employers covering more than 200,000 workers.
“Bernie,” who asked to be identified by a pseudonym because he feared angering management, is a municipal government employee in Florida. He can cash out up to 35 hours of PTO each year—around a fifth of
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