{"id":"hr-pto-policy-plain-summary","audience":"hr","category":"explaining","track":"writing","technique":"audience","title":"Summarize the PTO policy in plain English","free":false,"task":"Warehouse employees keep asking how PTO works, and you're posting a summary on the break-room screen. Write exactly 4 numbered points, each one sentence under 20 words, plain text, at about an 8th-grade reading level, then a final line telling people to check with HR for their own situation. Use the policy as updated this year.","materialLabel":"PTO policy excerpt (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"Cedar Freight - Paid Time Off Policy (excerpt), hourly employees\n\nSection 3.1 Accrual. Eligible hourly employees accrue paid time off at a rate of 1 hour per 30 hours worked, commencing on the first day of employment.\n\nSection 3.2 Usage. Accrued PTO may be utilized following completion of the 90th calendar day of employment.\n\nSection 3.3 Carryover. Unused PTO balances may be carried over into the subsequent calendar year, subject to a maximum carryover of 40 hours.\n  AMENDMENT effective Jan 1 this year: maximum carryover increased to 60 hours.\n\nSection 3.4 Requests. Requests for PTO of 3 or more consecutive days shall be submitted via the scheduling app no fewer than 14 days in advance. Requests for fewer than 3 days require 48 hours' notice.\n\nSection 3.5 Payout. Upon separation, payout of accrued unused PTO is subject to applicable state law. (HR note: varies by state; don't summarize this one, tell people to ask HR.)\n\nSection 3.6 Blackout. PTO requests are not approved Nov 20 - Dec 31 (peak season) except in emergencies approved by the site manager.","rules":[{"type":"numberedItems","count":4},{"type":"maxWords","max":100},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Asking to 'summarize the policy'","why":"The AI writes a section per policy part with bold headings and legal-sounding words.","fix":"Be exact: \"Exactly 4 numbered points, one sentence each. Plain text.\"","checks":["numberedItems","plainText"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each point instead: \"each point under 18 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Using the old number","why":"The 40-hour cap appears first, and the amendment is easy to miss.","fix":"Add: \"Carryover is 60 hours (the Jan 1 amendment).\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Keeping policy words","why":"AI copies 'accrue' and 'utilized' because they're in the source.","fix":"Add: \"8th-grade words. Say 'earn' and 'use', not 'accrue' and 'utilize'.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Explaining what varies by state","why":"The AI summarizes the payout rule, which HR asked you not to do.","fix":"Add: \"Skip payout. End with: check with HR about your situation.\"","checks":["r2"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Sets the reading level","patterns":["grade","plain (english|words|language)","simple words","everyday"]},{"label":"Uses the amendment","patterns":["60","amend","updated","this year"]},{"label":"Sets the number of points","patterns":["\\b(4|four)\\b.{0,15}(point|line|item)"]},{"label":"Sends people to HR","patterns":["check with hr","ask hr","contact hr","payout"]},{"label":"Sets a word limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)"]}],"hint":"Policy language is written for lawyers. Tell the AI who reads it, how simple the words must be, which version is current, and what to send to HR.","rubricLabels":["The points cover earning (1 hour per 30 hours worked), when you can use it (after 90 days), carryover (up to 60 hours, not 40) and how to request (14 days ahead for 3+ days, 48 hours for shorter) or the blackout","Uses plain everyday words a 13-year-old could follow (no 'accrue', 'commencing', 'utilized', 'subsequent', 'separation')","Does not explain the payout rule, and ends with a line telling people to check with HR about their own situation, with no intro or heading"]}