Employers strive to have balanced employees. They encourage people to use PTO instead of allowing it to accumulate.
When I first started working in labs, i had been with organizations that would allow you to bank your time and cash in a certain amount at the end of the year. This was nice to get an “extra” paycheck, but it made it where I wouldn’t take time off, because i wanted to cash my time in. In the long run, I feel that i would have had greater benefit from taking the actual days off. It is amazing what a rest from work can do to refresh you, not only physically, but mentally as well. Achieving a good work life balance can be difficult. Its important to look at your acquired time off as a benefit that you have earned for hours worked. Believe it or not, you are benefiting your organization and your fellow coworkers too, when you do use your PTO. There is a reason for getting more vacation time the longer you work for a company, obviously employers do not want their people to get burnt out and not be productive.
Currently, most organizations have gone to a general PTO bank. This has all your time in the same bank. Vacation, sick, and holiday. Of course, each company has there own rules and regulations that apply to taking said time off, but make sure when you become employed with a new group that you understand your PTO and how you can use it. When you can use it. How much can you roll over, if any? There are a lot of details to consider when it comes to your precious hours away from work. Do your benefits research, you’ll be glad you did.