(KRON) — We’ve heard for years now about “quiet quitting,” the workplace trend in which, instead of actually quitting, workers mentally check out of their jobs and do as little as possible. But this summer, there are reports of a new workplace trend that’s gaining steam, and one generation in particular that could be taking advantage of it.
It’s called “quiet vacationing.”
What is quiet vacationing?
According to U.S. News & World Report, quiet vacationing is where employees pretend to be working while traveling or taking personal time. And while it’s not entirely new as a workplace trend — the practice was once known as “hush trips” or “hush vacationing” — these days workers use tech tools to create the illusion of working.
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Quiet vacations are different from “workcations,” when employees openly reveal to their bosses that they’ll be working remotely while traveling. Instead of blending business with personal travel, quiet vacations are on the downlow.
Who is quiet vacationing?
“Millennials’ fear of taking time off has made them culprits of out of office workarounds, including mouse moves and playing hooky,” according to a recent study from the Harris Poll.
According to a Resume Builder study from 2024, 1 in 8 workers planned on quiet vacationing last summer. About 11% of the employees contacted in that survey admitted to taking a vacation day without their employer’s permission.
“They’re going on vacation without formally taking leave, and pretending to still be online,” according to Forbes. “Essentially, some workers could be scanning through Slack or responding to the odd email from a beach in an entirely different country, right under your nose this summer.”
One generation in particular appears to be guilty of quiet vacationing, and it might not be the generation you think. Rather than the oft-maligned Gen Z, millennials are the most prone to taking a quiet vacation.
HERMOSA BEACH, CA – APRIL 22: Holly Martin, who works at Snapchat, brought her laptop and bikini to Noble Park in Hermosa Beach, CA, to get some work done in the sun, on a warm Earth Day, during the coronavirus pandemic, photographed Wednesday, April 22, 2020. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
According to Fortune, nearly 4 in 10 millennials secretly take time off work to go on vacation without letting the boss know.
Why are people quiet vacationing?
The reasons why people, and millennials in particular, are quiet vacationing might not be as simple as just wanting to kick back on the company dime. According to Resume Builder, anxiety about asking for time off was the top reason for opting to take a quiet vacation day rather than using PTO.
Or as Fortune reported, “A significant chunk of ‘quiet vacationers’ are likely not using up more leave than they’re actually entitled to, they’re just scared that by asking for those days off work, they’ll be passed up for opportunities.”
How do you tell if someone is quiet vacationing?
According to Fortune, the biggest sign that a worker is on a secret vacation is a “shift in the frequency or timing in their responses.”
“If someone who typically responds to emails and Slack messages within minutes suddenly takes hours or starts responding at unusual times, they may be on vacation or working from a different location,” said career coach Kyle Elliott, speaking to Fortune.
Should you take a quiet vacation?
In short, probably not. Conor Martin Hughes, a senior certified professional with the Society for Human Resources Management, advised against the practice.
“While it provides some short-term benefits, employees need to fully recharge without distractions,” Hughes said. “Checking email and doing light work tasks doesn’t allow the brain to rest.”
The practice can also be risky. According to Hughes, quiet vacationing “can be seen as dishonest and lead to resentment from co-workers.”
Rather than taking a vacation on the downlow, many experts advise instead having an honest conversation with your employer about expectations and work-life balance. Employees feeling the need to take a quiet vacation, “could be a sign of a larger cultural issue, such as a lack of psychological safety of unclear expectations, that needs to be addressed,” said Elliott, speaking to Fortune.
Honesty is usually the best policy.