How Amtrak Turned Unused PTO Into $5.9M In Extra Employee Value.

In today's highly competitive labor market, attracting and retaining top talent takes more than traditional compensation, it demands flexible, personalized benefits that meet employees where they are.

For Amtrak, that challenge carries extra weight. As the company plays a pivotal role in rebuilding America's infrastructure and expanding into new markets, it's working to hire 4,000 new employees, making a compelling, differentiated benefits package a strategic priority for recruitment, retention, and engaging a modern workforce.

The answer was to find extra value in unused PTO.

The Challenge

Amtrak needed a solution that could maximize the value of its existing benefits while giving employees more choice, autonomy, and financial flexibility, without adding cost or complexity to an already large and growing organization.

The Solution

Amtrak partnered with PTO Exchange to give its 17,000+ employees a way to convert unused PTO into personalized benefits aligned with their financial goals and lifestyle needs, including:

- Retirement savings
- Health care spending
- Travel experiences
- Charitable donations, and more

By turning unused time into purposeful value, PTO Exchange helps Amtrak deliver a modern, mission-aligned benefit that supports its growing workforce at every life stage — one that meets the expectations of today's job seekers and strengthens the overall employee value proposition.

The Impact

Since December 2023, Amtrak employees have exchanged:

•    $6+ million in PTO value
•    87,000+ PTO hours
•    Almost 3,000 individual exchanges

In Their Words

"PTO Exchange allowed us a vehicle for our employees to exchange their PTO for themselves, their communities, and their co-workers, and that was really important for Amtrak." ASSISTANT VP OF TOTAL REWARDS

Why It Works for Transportation Companies

Amtrak's results reflect a broader truth for large, mission-driven employers: a modern benefits package isn't just about attracting talent, it's about giving the people already doing the work more control over what they've earned. By turning unused PTO into a flexible, purposeful benefit, Amtrak is investing in its people while continuing to move the country forward.

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