Looking for 3 design partners

Reduce turnover
by preventing burnout.
Automatically.

68% of employees don't use all their PTO — and burned-out employees are 2.6× more likely to quit.

Recess targets 70% employee adoption to get your team planning and taking regular time off throughout the year. Burnout drops. Retention improves. Recruiting costs plummet.

Book a Pilot Spot Free for 12 months. 1 spot remaining.
👤 Employee View
Sarah Chen's Action
PTO Balance
12 days (pending)
Trip Budget
$450 saved
✈️ Portugal Trip Planned
April 15-22, 2027 · 5 PTO days
Pending manager approval
📅 Manager View
Mike's Team
Mike's Direct Reports (6) HIGH
3 high-risk · 0 moderate · 3 healthy
↳ Sarah Chen HIGH
No PTO in 127 days · Last break: Dec 2026
↳ Jacob Rivera HEALTHY
Regular PTO schedule · Last trip: 3 weeks ago
Sarah's Team (4) HIGH
2 high-risk · 1 moderate · 1 healthy
💡 Managers lead by example
Jacob's Team (4) HEALTHY
0 high-risk · 1 moderate · 3 healthy
📋 Sarah's PTO Request: April 15-22 (5 days)
Coverage: 4/6 available · No conflicts
⏳ Pending approval
💼 People Ops View
Company-Wide Metrics
PTO Liability:
$380,000
Activation Rate: 73%
Compliance: 82%
Q2 PTO Planned: 127 days
Dec Requests: 47
Avg Days: 6.4 days/person
⚡ Engineering: 3 high-risk
68%
of employees don't use
all their PTO each year
2.6×
more likely to quit when
employees are burned out
$75K
average cost to replace
one employee who quits
70%
target employee activation
in first 30 days
15%
target turnover reduction
through burnout prevention
The Problem

Burnout drives turnover.
Turnover is bleeding you dry.

Employees who don't take regular time off burn out. Burned-out employees quit. Every departure costs you $75K in recruiting, training, and lost productivity. The cycle repeats.

🔥
The Burnout Spiral

68% of employees don't use all their PTO. They procrastinate planning, feel guilty taking time, or forget they have days left. By the time they realize they're burned out, they're already looking for a new job.

💸
The Turnover Tax

Every employee who quits costs $75K to replace. Recruiting fees. Training time. Lost productivity. Ramp-up period. Three departures = $225K gone. And burned-out employees are 2.6× more likely to leave.

📉
The Retention Crisis

Exit interviews say "burnout" and "work-life balance." You offer unlimited PTO, wellness budgets, mental health days. Nothing changes. Because the problem isn't benefits — it's that employees don't actually take time off.

How It Works

One announcement.
Burnout prevention on autopilot.

You send one email. Employees plan their entire year in 20 minutes — trips, long weekends, regular breaks. They actually take time off. Burnout drops. Retention improves.

1
✓ Gusto connected
📧 Announcement email sent
Done. That's your only job.
You connect & send one email

Link your HRIS in 60 seconds. We write the announcement email for your team. You hit send. That's everything we'll ever ask of you.

2
How do you want to use your PTO?
🗓️ Long weekends ✈️ One big trip 🏡 Mix of both
✓ Annual plan ready
Spread across 9 months · 0 in December
Employees plan their entire year

A 7-question quiz helps employees map out their PTO: big trips, long weekends, holiday extensions. The tool suggests optimal timing, budget estimates, and event matches. Their whole year planned in one sitting.

3
PTO Request
June 15 – June 22
✓ Manager Approved
Employees take regular breaks all year

PTO requests flow throughout the year — not all in December. Employees take time off before burning out. Managers approve seamlessly. Turnover drops because people actually recharge.

The Platform

Three dashboards.
One intelligent engine.

Employees plan their year. Managers approve with coverage visibility. HR tracks activation and retention impact. Behind it all: the Recess engine matches destinations, events, and optimal timing — making PTO planning effortless.

🏖️
Employee
The Recess vacation planner
Personalized trip recommendations
Complete itineraries in 20 minutes
Monthly budget tracker + trip fund accumulator
One-click PTO requests
Event & concert matching for upcoming travel
Spotify artist matching — see your favourites live
Holiday bridge suggestions (get more days for less)
Best time to visit every destination
Past trips history & yearly travel log
Monthly budget $150 / mo
$90 used · $60 remaining this month
Trip fund $450 saved
3 months accumulated · no vacations taken · Portugal is covered ✈️
👤
Manager
Coverage & team visibility
One-click PTO approve / deny
Coverage calendar — conflicts flagged automatically
Team burnout heatmap
Upcoming time-off at a glance
Zero manual coordination emails
Conflict warnings before approving overlapping requests
Nudge direct reports who haven't planned yet
PTO balance visibility per team member
🔒 Managers see dates only. No destinations, no trip details — those stay private between the employee and Recess.
Sarah C.Away Jun 15–22
James T.Available
Priya M.Pending approval
Jacob's Team (4)All available
📊
HR / People Ops
Company & group health — never individual data
Company-wide PTO utilization rate
Activation rate by department (groups only)
December pile-up prevention score
Accrued liability trend — whole company
Turnover risk score by team, not by person
Department burnout heatmap
Departments under 50% activation flagged
One-click nudge to unactivated employees
Monthly snapshot report — downloadable for CFO
🔒 HR sees aggregates only. No names, no destinations, no individual PTO history — Recess physically cannot show it.
Liability reduced ↓ 34%
company-wide · vs. same period last year
⚙️
The Recess Engine
What powers the recommendations
40 destinations with seasonal weather data
Ticketmaster + Songkick event APIs
Spotify artist matching for concert discovery
Holiday optimization algorithm (use 3 days, get 9 off)
Budget estimator (flights + hotels + activities)
PTO balance tracking from HRIS sync
Burnout risk scoring from PTO usage patterns
Coverage conflict detection across teams
🔒 Zero-knowledge architecture. Trip data stored with anonymous IDs only — we physically cannot link a destination to an employee name or ID. Companies see aggregate planning trends, never personal travel details.
🛡️ Bank-level encryption. Read-only HRIS access. AES-256 encryption in transit and at rest. Even Recess can't see employee destinations — only aggregate patterns for HR.
The Retention Question

"Will employees actually
use this?"

Fair question. Most PTO tools sit unused because employees ignore them. Our target is 70% activation because the tool actually helps people plan their lives — not just submit forms.

When employees use it, they take more time off. When they take time off, burnout drops. When burnout drops, turnover falls. The research is clear: employees who take regular PTO are 2.6× less likely to quit.

Good morning 👋
Sarah Chen
Available PTO Days
12 days left
⚠️ Use by Dec 31
Used: 8 days Total: 20 days
🔥 Burnout Risk
HIGH
No PTO in 127 days · Last break: Dec 2026
Smart Holidays
🇺🇸
Memorial Day
May 26 · Add 2 PTO → 5 days off
+2 days
🎆
July 4th (Thursday)
Take Fri Jul 5 → 4-day weekend
+1 day
✈️
Portugal Trip
Apr 15–22 · 5 PTO days (98% match)
+5 days
🎄
Christmas Bridge
Dec 26–27 · Add 3 PTO → 11 days off
+3 days
Past Trips
🏔️
Asheville, NC
Mar 14–17 · 3 days used
3 days
🌆
NYC Staycation
Jan 20–21 · 2 days used
2 days
🌴 PTO Balance 12 days left · Use by Dec 31
💰 Trip Fund $450 saved · 3 months accumulated
🔥 Burnout Risk
HIGH
🏖️
Lisbon, Portugal
98% match
📅 7 days 💰 $1,840 🌴 5 PTO days
✅ Trip fund covers $450 🌴 12 PTO days left
🌌
Reykjavik, Iceland
94% match
📅 5 days 💰 $2,100 🏔️ 4 PTO days
⚠️ Need $1,650 more 🌴 12 PTO days left
🎯 Events near your bucket list trips
Matched to your PTO · $450 trip fund ready
JUN
14
Lisbon Sardine Festival
Lisbon, Portugal · 3-day festival
5 PTO days · 12 left 🔥 Popular
✅ Trip fund covers $450 of $1,840
SEP
20
Northern Lights Season
Reykjavik, Iceland · Sep–Mar peak
4 PTO days · 12 left ✈️ On your list
💰 $2,100 est. · save 3 more months
MAY
26
Memorial Day Long Weekend
Anywhere · 2 PTO = 5 days off
2 PTO days · 12 left ⚡ Smart pick
✅ Trip fund more than covers it
The Business Case

$120/employee/year.
The math: prevent 3 departures = $225,000 saved.

Every employee who quits costs $75K to replace. For a 200-person company with typical 20% annual turnover, preventing just 3 departures = $225K saved vs $24K annual cost. Potential ROI: 9×. We'll measure actual impact during your pilot.

🧲
Turnover Prevention
Employees who take regular time off are 2.6× less likely to quit (Gallup). With a target 70% activation rate, we aim to get employees across your company planning and taking breaks throughout the year. Result: Lower turnover through burnout prevention. For a 200-person company, preventing just 3 departures annually = $225K saved.
Proven burnout-turnover link · $75K saved per prevented departure
🔥
Burnout Prevention
68% of employees don't use all their PTO — and burned-out employees quit at 2.6× the rate. Recess ensures employees take regular breaks before burnout sets in. Exit interviews stop saying "work-life balance" because the problem is solved.
Target 70% activation · Regular breaks prevent burnout
📉
Liability Reduction
Unused PTO sits on your balance sheet as accrued liability. Recess distributes usage across the year — reducing the financial burden and preventing the December cash flow spike when everyone cashes out at once.
Avg. 34% liability reduction by Q4
💰 Quick ROI Estimate
Team size 200 employees
Recess cost $24,000 / yr ($120 per employee)
Turnover reduction (est. 3 fewer departures) +$225,000 saved
PTO liability reduced (est. 34%) +$80,000 off books
Net ROI — Year 1 $281,000 net gain · 12× return
* Estimates based on industry averages. Your results depend on team size, industry, and current turnover rate.
Targeting 70% Activation

It doesn't feel like
HR software.

Most PTO tools feel like work. Recess feels like planning something you actually want to do — which is why employees use it, take more time off, and burn out less.

✈️
Trip Planning Made Effortless

Portugal in April? Weekend in Austin? Tool suggests destinations that match their budget, interests, and available PTO. Planning feels easy, so they actually do it.

🎵
Events That Matter to Them

Concert during their trip? Festival they'd love? They get notified. This keeps them engaged and excited about taking time off — year-round.

🗓️
Smart Break Suggestions

"Memorial Day is Monday — take Friday for a 4-day weekend." These nudges help them take regular breaks throughout the year, preventing burnout before it starts.

Result: Employees plan time off in January because they want to, not because HR is forcing them. They take regular breaks throughout the year. Managers can plan projects around known time off. Burnout drops. Turnover falls. Your recruiting budget thanks you.

The IT & Security Priority

Built for enterprise.
Designed for trust.

Before your IT team even asks — here are the answers.

🔐
Zero-PII Integration
We never ingest names or salaries. We use anonymized UUIDs to map your org hierarchy. Your employees are identities, not profiles.
No PII stored
🛡️
Read-Only Architecture
We only read employee rosters and PTO balances. We never write to your HRIS. We can't modify payroll, permissions, or any company data.
Read-only access
SOC2-Ready Pipeline
Bank-level AES-256 encryption in transit and at rest. Automated security scanning. Annual penetration testing. SOC2 Type II certification in progress.
Enterprise-grade
🔗 Works with your HRIS
🟢 Gusto
🐾 BambooHR
🔵 Rippling
⚪ Workday Soon
🟠 ADP Soon
Social Proof

The evidence is clear:
Burnout drives turnover.

📰

"More than half of employees are burned out at work, and it's costing companies billions in turnover and lost productivity."

Harvard Business Review
November 2023
📊

"Burned-out employees are 2.6 times more likely to be actively seeking a different job and 63% more likely to take a sick day."

Gallup Research
State of the Global Workplace 2023
📰

"U.S. workers left a record $74 billion in PTO on the table. Companies are sitting on massive unused PTO liabilities."

U.S. Travel Association
Annual PTO Report 2024
📰

"The Great Exhaustion: Workers are burning out at record rates"

The Wall Street Journal
January 2024
📰

"68% of Americans don't use all their PTO. Employees cite guilt, workload, and lack of planning as top barriers to taking time off."

Pew Research Center
Workplace Survey 2023
Your only job
Send one email.
We write it. You hit send.
0
IT tickets
required
1
email to
your team
70%
target employee
activation

Only 3 spots.
2 already taken.

We're selecting design partners before our January 2027 launch. Your input shapes the product — and you get locked-in pricing before we go public.

💰 Free for your entire first year — zero cost, zero risk
📊 Full activation + ROI report you can take to your CFO
✍️ We write every announcement and employee communication
🎯 Locked-in pricing before public launch in January 2027
💬 Monthly check-in — we bring the data, you bring the coffee
🛠️ Direct line to the founders — your problems shape the roadmap
🔒 Employee data stays completely private — always
Request Your Design Partner Spot
1 spot remaining. We'll reach out within 24 hours.

Free for 12 months. We write every communication. You just hit send.