My current job has unlimited PTO, but it’s not called unlimited. It’s called “discretionary” time off. And I think that’s an OK term for it. You don’t have a limit to your vacation/sick days, but you have to be a professional about it and not let things fall apart at work.

I’m fortunate in that we mostly work as a team and treat each other as human beings, even including the project manager and our direct management. So it can be alright at a good place. For example, we were asked our vacation plans for the quarter and I decided to add an extra day to a decent short break, and I gave myself a week long staycation next month.

But no limit also means no minimum, so of course the shittier places will use it to make things worse.