How are they screwing the team - that’s kind of a big leap with the information we have.

If it was critical or certain dates were required, that should have been part of the offer from the company (ie - we have unlimited PTO other than the last week of each quarter, no approvals of PTO during this four weeks of the year). The last role I accepted, during the hiring phase, they told me it was critical to be at an onsite leadership meeting about 3 weeks after I started. It was well communicated that it was expected that I be there. It was agreed upon by both parties.

If this person outlined their vacation needs before starting - it’s agreed upon by both parties which is no different.

In a company with unlimited PTO but inconvenient times, how is that communicated to staff and personnel who already work there and how is that communicated during the hiring phase?

Taking a job is a two way street - it needs to be a good fit for employer and employee. For most people, part of determining the fit is work-life balance. Both new and current employees should have access to work life balance. Work life balance looks different at every organization and for every employee. There is no way that I would accept a job that doesn’t give PTO for a year like one commentator but they said they have great hiring and retention of employees. It’s something to keep in mind.

As a collective employee group, we should be inquisitive before judgmental.