Are Your Employees “Quiet Vacationing?”

“Quiet vacationing” occurs when employees take vacation days without informing their employer, so it appears they worked more than they actually did or worked from home and did not put in a full day’s worth of work. Employers must understand this new trend and take the appropriate steps to address it.

Why Are Employees Quiet Vacationing?

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers have adapted to hybrid or remote work policies. As a result, management approaches and work styles have changed, potentially contributing to quiet vacationing.

Specifically, quiet vacationing in remote work settings might be happening for many reasons:

• Burnout or lack of interest in work tasks
• Difficulty separating work and personal life
• Feelings of isolation and disconnect from the team
• Lack of structure and boundaries

In addition, employees working from home are expected to meet their work demands. In many cases, these demands have increased, so employees may feel anxious or guilty about requesting vacation or paid time off, fearing it may impact their job security.

3 Ways to Prevent Quiet Vacationing

Quiet vacationing can be difficult to completely avoid, but there are proactive steps that employers can take that may help discourage it. Employers should consider the following:

Schedule regular check-ins

Employers and supervisors can conduct regular team meetings to track progress and address concerns. These check-ins also implement a system for regular status updates.

Utilize flexible work arrangements

Offering flexible work hours and allowing breaks can help employees maintain productivity without compromising accountability.

Establish clear expectations

When employees know what to expect, they are more likely to adhere to expectations. Employers should ensure employees understand remote work policies and schedule expectations for hourly and salaried roles.

General Considerations

Instead of becoming discouraged by quiet vacationing trends, employers should encourage workload transparency and emphasize the importance of work-life balance. This may reduce employee anxiety about job security and requesting vacation or paid time off. Increased employer-employee communication could reduce quiet vacationing.

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Is Quiet Vacationing a Reflection of Your Company Culture?

If your employees feel that you aren’t addressing work-life balance as part of your culture, it could lead to quiet vacationing. But how can you find out? Conducting an internal survey of your employees can provide some insight, but many are reluctant to be completely honest when responding to a supervisor or colleague. A cultural review from GTM may be the solution. Our expert HR consultants will provide an unbiased survey of your staff, giving valuable insights into what’s working for your employees and where you can improve. Fill out the brief form below to learn more.