US millennial workers are opting for “quiet vacations.”
Phrases like “silent resignation,” “angry application,” and “great resignation” have been trending since last year, capturing the frustration and dissatisfaction of employees whose work-life balance has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. But now, a new industry trend has emerged called “silent vacation.” As the name suggests, this trend involves taking time off under the guise of remote work. Silent vacations are especially popular among millennials. According to a recent Harris Poll of 1,170 working U.S. adults, 37% of millennial workers said they have taken time off without telling their boss.
“There’s a huge culture of avoidance at work,” Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer at the Harris Poll, said while explaining the quiet holiday trend. CNBC “They will figure out how to achieve the right work-life balance, but it will happen behind the scenes,” the report said.
The trend isn’t born of rebellion; rather, it reflects the pressures millennials feel in today’s competitive job market. Libby Rodney explained to the outlet that millennials, who make up 40% of the workforce, often avoid requesting time off for fear of being seen as lazy.
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According to the Harris Poll, nearly half of survey respondents said they feel uncomfortable requesting personal time off (PTO), including 61% of millennials and 58% of Gen Z. The survey also noted that 80% of U.S. employees don’t take all of their PTO, with Gen Z and millennial employees being the main drivers of this statistic.
“In tough economic times, rather than jumping the gun and worrying about whether their boss will rebel, millennials are just doing what they need to do to take time off,” Rodney said. luck.
Meanwhile, quiet vacations are just one of several tactics millennials use to maintain the appearance of productivity — others include using “mouse-wiggling” software to appear active on communications platforms like Slack, and sending messages outside of working hours to make it look like they’re working overtime.
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