Forget quiet quitting, bosses are now on the look out for employees taking ‘quiet vacations'

It's mostly the millennial workforce that appears to be most prone to 'quiet vacations'. (Representational images: Unsplash)

Just as workplaces were grappling with the phenomenon of "quiet quitting," a new, equally subtle trend has been emerging, especially among millennials: "quiet vacationing." This latest form of workplace deception sees employees secretly taking time off, often while maintaining a facade of being actively at work, right under their bosses' noses, Fortune reported.

Much like "quiet quitting," where employees mentally disengage from work without the financial risk of actually resigning, "quiet vacationers" are adept at deceiving their employers. This could involve scanning Slack messages or sending an occasional email from a beach in a different country, creating the illusion of presence while enjoying a clandestine holiday.

Interestingly, it's the millennial workforce that appears to be most prone to this new trend. Despite often being stereotyped as lazy or unprofessional, less than a quarter of Gen Zers, Gen Xers, and baby boomers admit to taking time off without informing their employers, Fortune reported, quoting a Harris Poll report on out-of-office culture. Nearly 4 in 10 millennial workers confess to having gone on vacation behind their bosses' backs.

A separate Resume Builder study indicated that 43 percent of "quiet vacationers" are taking time off for up to three days on the company's money. A quarter of these covert holidaymakers even manage to take an entire work week off.

Key giveaway

Career coach Kyle Elliott, speaking to Fortune, pointed out a key giveaway for employers. "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," he said.

"This could be a sign of a larger cultural issue, such as a lack of psychological safety or unclear expectations, that needs to be addressed," Elliott added, suggesting that "quiet vacationing" might be a symptom of deeper workplace issues rather than just individual employee misconduct.