WTF Gym Talk (Stuart Brauer)’s Post

I absolutely love this time of year—the crisp air, football, and the kickoff of both the holiday and snowboarding seasons. But, I also get energized by open enrollment season. What??? Yes, I love benefits and wellness and especially enjoy helping others understand their benefit options. To make the process a little easier, I pulled together a few tips to help you make the best choices during open enrollment. You’ve got this! You can read the full post on MyBrothersRBlind.com, under ‘Open Enrollment Tips’. If you have questions or your own tips, please share in the comments👇 Link: https://lnkd.in/ezhA73m7 The image features a square felt letter board with a white frame and black back sitting on a wood table. At the top, centered in white letters, is a smiling face. Below, the words “You Got This” are also centered, with another smiling face beneath them. #MRBRBLog #OpenEnrollment #TipsforYourBenefits #AllyForTheBlind #healthbenefits

A confession about unlimited PTO: 🌴 Have you felt this way, too? Today is my last official day of the winter break. (Go easy on me, Monday, please!) I’m happy that I have flexibility at Chewy with unlimited PTO and taking time off is encouraged. Still, I’ve struggled with unlimited PTO over the years. I’ve had to push myself to take more time off with an unlimited PTO policy. Sometimes, I think it’s easier to take time off when there’s a specific number of days to use each year. I’ve wondered why that’s the case. In my situation, hesitations related to taking too much time off can form with unlimited PTO, especially if I’m fairly new in a position. But I haven’t felt pressure from anyone or anything to keep working instead of taking time for myself. There are some interesting mental gymnastics involved. How do you approach unlimited PTO? #UXWriting #ContentDesign #ContentStrategy

Use Your PTO & Your Points in 2025: Honestly, you can’t even spell the word points without the letters PTO so it’s almost like paid-time off is inherently part of a points strategy. Paid-time off is part of your compensation package and every year that you don’t take those days, you’re literally giving time and money back to your employer. Meanwhile, those days off are meant for you to recharge and reset. Time off is a good thing for everyone involved. Most importantly YOU. But what makes paid-time off even better, when you don’t pay for your trips by using your points and miles. In 2024, I took 11 trips including France, Scotland, and Mexico all using my points and miles, saving myself $16,000 vs paying out of pocket. HELLO deals! This could be you. Someone who works to make 2025 a year of travel, but also one that costs a whole lot less. Here’s an example of how you take 14 PTO days + holidays and turn it into 57 days of travel…you’re welcome!  Jan 17-20 (4 days): 1 PTO day + 1 holiday  Feb 14-17 (4 days): 1 PTO day + 1 holiday May 23-26 (4 days): 1 PTO day + 1 holiday June 19-22 (4 days): 1 PTO day + 1 holiday July 3-6 (4 days): 1 PTO day + 1 holiday Aug 29-Sep 1 (4 days): 1 PTO day + 1 holiday) Oct 10-13 (4 days): 1 PTO day + 1 holiday) Nov 8-11 (4 days): 1 PTO day + 1 holiday Nov 22-30 (9 days): 2 PTO days + 3 holidays Dec 20-Jan 4 (16 days): 4 PTO days + 6 holidays Sign up for my upcoming 4-week bootcamp starting Jan 27 and learn how you can get a free trip within the next 6 months if not sooner: https://lnkd.in/eFqiQnDk

The day before a three-day weekend, most of us have one foot out the door, and our minds are not quite focused on work.  We work half days ahead of National holidays, the boss is awesome, he doesn’t micromanage and gives us enough rope to hang ourselves, although most of us go to him when struggling and need advice. Although I have plenty to do, and will work until we are kicked out midday, how are things looking for you today? In Colorado, we are windy and warm, chance of showers, and we have one of the biggest 10K foot races in the country this Memorial Day. Boulder is expecting over 50,000 runners, walkers, hikers, mom’s, dad’s kids, dog’s, you name it, if they have legs, they’ll be here. Boulder is practically shut down on Monday before the race ends, so if you are not here way early you will struggle to get around unless you’re on a bicycle. It’s a thing here, I used to help with CATS Gymnastics, we set up an outdoor trampoline track having our gymnasts perform for passersby, it was fun. The race has a serious side, then the public side. One of my coworker’s husband was determined to “compete”, aka finish the race and he did…on crutches. That’s right, he had some aliment and couldn’t run so he completed all 6.2 miles on crutches and finished! Some people dress up in costume, others are more serious, but no matter, it is a great time for people watching. I have attended enough to know I will have something else to do. Hmm, maybe take a bike ride north of the city. Whatever your plans, I hope it is filled with rest and relaxation, time to connect with friends/family, do a few fun things, and enjoy your time off. I try to leave work at work, but I’m not always successful, so if you must, keep it at a minimum. You are given days off for a reason. Americans are guilty of not using all their PTO, especially those with unlimited PTO. I think it is a trick companies play on their employees. On average, employees with unlimited PTO only take 10 days off. The average American takes 17 PTO days a year while workers with unlimited PTO take 10 days off. We can see that just because an employee has an option to take as much time off as they want doesn’t mean they will. – Forbes.   So don’t feel guilty about taking time off, even if you have more to do. For some companies, there is always more to do because they don’t staff appropriately, and if it has gone on for more than 6 months, chances are it’s not getting fixed. If you are one of those employees’ working nights and weekends just to keep up, that is not normal. It is nice of you to be a good soldier and stay late to get things done, but at who’s benefit? Believe it or not, other companies add staff to keep a work/life balance. New job curious? Give me a call. Glenn – The Insurance Recruiter 720-442-8230

Every business has their "busy seasons", but I think we can all agree that there isn't a busier season than "working mom the last two weeks of the school year"! Performances, classroom visits, teacher gifts, ceremonies, field day, field trips, added items to pack each day, bags of junk coming in the door each day, wondering if you scheduled enough for the summer (or did you schedule too much?), planning your drop offs and pickups to different locations the following weeks, etc. etc. etc. 🤯 As a mom to a 2nd grader and a 5th grader, I am planning for this by using some #PTO during this time. While working moms are also a group to save their PTO for all of the just in case situations/school breaks, this is a time where even just one day off really helps me out! Yes, I can sneak away from my desk for the one hour I need to be at school today and shift my schedule to be done before the late afternoon activity, but it just adds to the stress. Using PTO to really enjoy and celebrate another year always helps, just a bit! Hope everyone else is hanging in there! #Pharmacists #Workingmoms #UseyourPTO

What's the point of racking up your PTO and never using it? PTO allows you to enjoy life and reset your mindset so that you come back feeling refreshed and inspired to do great work. As we gear up for the last month of the summer, my question to you is: What are you waiting for? Use some of your PTO to enjoy the last moments of summer weather. If you're a parent, this time before school starts is valuable. Life is short. Take time off.

What's the point of racking up your PTO and never using it? PTO allows you to enjoy life and reset your mindset so that you come back feeling refreshed and inspired to do great work. As we gear up for the last month of the summer, my question to you is: What are you waiting for? Use some of your PTO to enjoy the last moments of summer weather. If you're a parent, this last month before school is valuable. Life is short. Take time off.

Most common PTO and Vacation Policies These are the most common PTO and Vacation policies we have seen in the last ten years.

Most common PTO and Vacation Policies These are the most common PTO and Vacation policies we have seen in the last ten years. We show you how to implement them in clockit.io

The “Couple’s Day”…… PTO, if used correctly, is one of the most powerful benefits that helps me stay at 100% inside and outside of work. My company is great about offering it, and I believe it should be used regularly. This year, my wife and I have become more intentional with how we use our PTO. With some financial goals in mind, we've cut back on big vacations and weekend getaways. So what to do with all that leftover time off? Enter the "Couple’s Day"—the simplest, most rewarding concept. We pick a random day off, put our phones on DND, and just focus on each other. A few weeks ago, we spent less than $100 on a day that included a relaxed workout, a coffee date, 18 holes of golf, and lunch by the river. The best part? We felt completely recharged—not just for work, but as parents—because we made time for each other. I highly recommend it: take a day off, spend it with your partner, and if you plan it right, you won't miss a beat at work.