Employees need to ensure that their Zoom backgrounds are sufficiently blurred, as the secret of “quiet vacationing” is no longer under wraps. A recent report has revealed that employees, particularly millennials, are pushing the boundaries of remote work. Rather than informing their supervisors about taking time off, workers are opting to play hooky or go on vacation while pretending to work remotely.
The Harris Poll’s Out of Office Culture Report from May surveyed 1,170 employed U.S. adults and discovered that 37% of millennial workers admitted to taking time off without notifying their superiors. Libby Rodney, the chief strategy officer at The Harris Poll, described this phenomenon as “quiet vacationing” in an interview with CNBC.
Millennials, who constitute almost 40% of the workforce, have resorted to extraordinary measures to maintain the facade of working, as indicated by the report. Many have confessed to moving their mouse cursor to simulate online activity and sending emails outside of work hours to give the impression of working overtime.
However, this surreptitious behavior comes at a cost of guilt and stress for many employees. The report highlights that while most employees are content with their paid time off allocation, a significant percentage feel anxious about requesting time off due to pressure to always be available for work inquiries and the guilt of burdening colleagues with unfinished tasks.
This new trend of “quiet vacations” underscores a growing source of worker anxiety stemming from the pandemic. There is a disconnect between the ideal company culture young workers desire and the traditional values enforced by their older managers.
In a workplace divided between employee demand for flexibility and CEO resistance to change, companies are gradually adapting to accommodate the evolving workforce. While this transition may be challenging, embracing hybrid work models and prioritizing work-life balance will be crucial in attracting and retaining talent in the future.
Vocabulary List:
- Sufficiently (adverb): To an extent that meets the requirements or expectations.
- Boundaries (noun): Limits that define how something can be done or what is possible.
- Facade (noun): An outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality.
- Surreptitious (adjective): Kept secret or done in a way that avoids being noticed secretive.
- Burdening (verb): To load or oppress with a heavy loaddutyobligationor responsibility.
- Disconnect (noun): A lack of connection or communication a break or interruption in the relationship.
