Dear Greg,

My executive team wants me to implement an unlimited-vacation-time policy at my company because everyone says that’s what all the cool companies are doing. But how do you police such a policy?

How much is appropriate, and what is considered abuse of the system? I would prefer to just give everyone six weeks’ holiday per year, as often happens in my home country of England, so it’s clear what you’re entitled to without having to worry. Any suggestions?

Six weeks . . . vacation . . . for everyone?! Isn’t that essentially unlimited vacation? Who the heck has the time to take six weeks of vacation? It sounds like everyone in the UK works part time. (And spends the rest of the time in pubs? C’mon, we kid because we love our friends across the pond!)

Unlimited vacation time is a growing trend in the US. It is designed to foster workplace flexibility and work-life balance, making people more productive. I agree with that, but it also saves companies a lot of money, since they can avoid paying for unused vacation time when people leave.

Unlimited doesn’t mean that employees literally take as much vacation as they want. It means you aren’t confining people to a rigid amount of time, and it is still subject to approval. This way you can also reward high performers by being more accommodating with their paid leave.