'Quiet vacationing': Millennials' stealthy strategy for work-life balance

More American millennial employees are opting for 'quiet vacationing'. (Representational)

Post the pandemic, traditional office norms are being continuously redefined, and millennials have introduced a new covert method to reclaim their personal time without raising alarms at work: "quiet vacationing." This trend, which involves taking unapproved time off while ostensibly working remotely, has emerged as a response to the flexibility provided by the lockdown-induced shift to work-from-home setups.

A Harris Poll surveying 1,170 employed American adults revealed that 37% of millennial workers admitted to taking time off without informing their superiors.

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

This surreptitious strategy isn't driven by rebellion. Instead, it reflects the pressure millennials feel in today's competitive job market. Representing 40% of the workforce, millennials often avoid requesting vacation time for fear of being perceived as slackers.

The Harris Poll findings indicated that nearly half of all respondents, including 61% of millennials and 58% of Gen Z workers, experienced anxiety over asking for paid time off (PTO).

Moreover, a staggering 80% of US employees don’t utilise all their PTO, with Gen Z and millennials being the primary contributors to this statistic. Rather than risk disapproval during critical business periods, millennials opt for quiet vacationing to secure the breaks they need.

"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," Rodney told Fortune.

Quiet vacationing is just one of several tactics millennials use to maintain the facade of productivity. Some employ "mouse-jiggling" software to appear active on communication platforms like Slack, while others send messages outside work hours to simulate overtime effort.

Rodney believes employers can mitigate this trend by actively promoting and even mandating the use of PTO. She suggests that leaders set an example by taking time off themselves, thereby normalising the practice and alleviating employee anxiety.

Interestingly, millennials aren’t alone in their unconventional approaches to challenging workplace norms. Gen Z, often labelled as the most difficult generation to manage, employs tactics like granting unauthorised discounts to customers as a form of quiet resistance against corporate policies.