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Summarize the PTO policy in plain English
Practice: Saying who it's for. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
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.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Asking to 'summarize the policy'. The AI writes a section per policy part with bold headings and legal-sounding words. Try: Be exact: "Exactly 4 numbered points, one sentence each. Plain text."
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each point instead: "each point under 18 words."
- Using the old number. The 40-hour cap appears first, and the amendment is easy to miss. Try: Add: "Carryover is 60 hours (the Jan 1 amendment)."
- Keeping policy words. AI copies 'accrue' and 'utilized' because they're in the source. Try: Add: "8th-grade words. Say 'earn' and 'use', not 'accrue' and 'utilize'."
- Explaining what varies by state. The AI summarizes the payout rule, which HR asked you not to do. Try: Add: "Skip payout. End with: check with HR about your situation."
What a strong prompt includes
- Sets the reading level
- Uses the amendment
- Sets the number of points
- Sends people to HR
- Sets a word limit
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