As a human resources leader, it is my responsibility to stay up to date on the latest trends. Frankly, I’ve heard them all — quiet quitting, quiet hiring, bare minimum Mondays, you name it.
But when I learned about this latest trend, I needed to speak up.
Quiet vacationing, or taking a “hushcation,” is a trend where employees take time off without officially requesting vacation days or informing their employers. An example would be instead of spending time relaxing on the beach, they’re joining virtual meetings with their camera off without actually using vacation days.
The kicker? Most U.S. employees note feeling satisfied with their amount of paid time off (PTO) days, with 78% of workers in a recent Harris Poll survey saying they leave PTO days on the table each year.
As with most things, there’s more to the story. Quiet vacationing is an issue, not because today’s employees are lazy, but because they’re anxious.
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In fact, according to the same Harris Poll survey, nearly half of employees said they are nervous when requesting vacation days from their employer, fearing they’ll be seen as unproductive or that there won’t be adequate coverage for them while they’re out of the office.
Often those same employees are the ones responding to work emails during their formally approved leave or fielding business calls during time meant to be spent with family or friends.
So how can we remedy the situation?
All employees deserve to feel empowered to use their hard-earned time off. After all, days off are part of employees’ full compensation package; it’s a benefit already allocated, and employees are fully expected to use it. Employers also deserve peace of mind knowing they have coverage while folks are out and their employees are working while they’re in.
To achieve this balance, I’m advocating for loud vacationing, a workplace initiative that promotes using time off.
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Employees should be encouraged to fully use their time off, to unplug and not feel guilty about it. With the right HR technology, there are tools on hand to submit reasonable requests and receive immediate yes or no decisions based on the predetermined company policy, not managerial whims. Automated time-off decisioning tools also consider coverage needs for each team, helping employees feel confident their work is covered while out of office.
Business leaders must understand that work-life balance is tied to employee morale and productivity. A 2022 Morning Consult study commissioned by Paycom found nearly two-thirds of U.S. employees say work-life balance is important to job satisfaction. Let’s honor vacation time and respect employee boundaries when they’re on leave. Let’s also lead by example. Teams need to see managers taking time off throughout the year and unplugging while they’re out.
Employees declining their vacation time isn’t a win. At face value, you’ll have greater coverage, but as we’ve observed, this can be a mirage.
Successful cultures are built on mutual respect. Loud vacationing is a good place to start.
Jennifer Kraszewski is the chief human resources officer at Paycom.
