I work a standard desk job and have been taking on additional roles to cover for others when they are put (of course tons of unpaid OT in a salaried role). Due to this I have a good bit of PTO that does not rollover/get paid out (state laws don't help with this).
I am attempting to take every day I can that doesn't have specific deadlines, but all of it is getting denied due to alleged business needs. This will leave me with 5-10 days of PTO I can't take and won't be paid out when the year ends. Has anyone experienced this and found a solution? I'm confident explaining my additional unpaid jobs I'm covering will not be seen as an acceptable reason to take my earned days off. Tons of my coworkers have no issue taking off and I often cover for them when taking days off. Appreciate any insight or strategies to get time approved without facing repercussions.