Friends playing together in the sea, splashing and diving during a summer sunset
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When it comes to perks, it’s been a sweet two years to be an employee with coveted skills. Meal subscriptions. Home office expense allowances. Work from home arrangements. And at many companies, an extra helping of paid time off.
As many as 20% of employers offered paid “mental health days” in 2022, according to SHRM, the first time the human resources organization has tracked the benefit. Others added summer Fridays, bonus days to fight burnout, company-wide shutdowns and “self-care weeks” to help overburdened workers rest and recharge amid a global pandemic.
But as fears of an economic downturn spark hiring freezes, headcount cuts and rescinded job offers, some experts are starting to question whether all that unprecedented paid time off (PTO) generosity will remain.
As Jenny Dearborn, a veteran human resources…