I used to get 30 days holiday. Then we got bought out by a bigger company that moved us to “unlimited leave”. Now I take 20-25 days a year as it’s all I can manage.

The leave is still signed off by your manager - so they can say no if they think you’re taking too much or aren’t able to handle your workload effectively.

There’s no holiday cover for most roles - so you cover the time off by working extra the week before or after you go.

I manage a team so I made it clear I will provide cover for their workload for 20 days a year (plus bank holidays) - and then if they want to take anything over that it’s on the basis they can manage it without workload cuts.

Essentially, it’s a BS policy for most people - you’re scrutinised if you take advantage of it and if you take the bare minimum, the business lauds it over you that you could be taking this if you managed your time better.

Some people take the piss of course, and they are resented by those who feel they are not able to have as many days. And, my company makes regular rounds of redundancies so no doubt that’s taken into account.

In my experience unlimited leave should be viewed as just being there if you need it. So plan in your regular 4 or 5 weeks, and if something comes up like a child care issue or house move then use it then. Or if you get married and want a month’s honeymoon you could still have some time off at other points that year. But in general, don’t expect to be taking 6-8 weeks a year without scrutiny.