What Is Quiet Vacationing, Latest Workplace Trend Popular Among Millennials

Phrases like "quiet quitting", "rage applying" and "great resignation" have become viral since last year and have captured the annoyance and frustration of some employees as the Covid pandemic disrupted their work-life balance. But now, a new trend has emerged in the industry and is known as "quiet vacationing". As the name suggests, this trend involves taking time off under the guise of working remotely. Quiet vacationing is especially gaining popularity among millennials. According to a recent Harris Poll of 1,170 employed US adults, 37% of millennial workers said they took time off without informing their bosses.

"There's a giant workaround culture at play," said Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer at the Harris Poll, while describing the quiet-vacationing trend, CNBC reported. "They will figure out how to get appropriate work-life balance, but it's happening behind the scenes."

This trend isn't driven by rebellion. Instead, it reflects the pressure millennials feel in today's competitive job market. Speaking to the outlet, Libby Rodney explained that millennials, who comprise 40% of the workforce, often avoid requesting vacation time for fear of being perceived as slackers.

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According to the Harris Poll, nearly half of all survey respondents, including 61% of millennials and 58% of Gen Z, said they felt anxious about asking for personal time off (PTO). The survey also noted that 80% of US employees don't take all their PTO, with Gen Z and millennial employees being the primary contributors to this statistic. 

"Instead of going at it head-to-head and worrying about if you'll rustle the feathers of your boss during a tight economic quarter, millennials are just kind of doing what they need to do to take their vacation," Ms Rodney told Fortune. 

Meanwhile, quiet vacationing is just one of several tactics millennials employ to maintain the facade of productivity. Others include "mouse-jiggling" software to appear active on communication platforms like Slack or sending messages outside work hours to simulate overtime effort.