The Gen Z Way: Peaceful Getaways, AKA Silent Vacationing

Enter Gen Z into the work environment and a heap of changes along with them.

Generation Z, known to be the most radical when it comes to ‘customary’ norms and the most vocal when their mental health is threatened, is slowly changing the work environment. But this time, the phenomenon is not ‘Town time’ or maximizing PTO (Paid Time off); it's silent vacationing.

Silent vacationing is different from absconding, different from the fake 'dentist appointment’ everyone pulls once in a while. This is a much more florid approach, a trend that has taken shape in the past couple of years with the ubiquity of remote jobs.

Taking a full-blown holiday while still delivering is where it’s at, but take ‘delivering’ with a pinch of salt.

In many countries, the minimum leave days for full-time employment workers range from 16 to 20 days, with a few select countries allowing up to 28 days. With most of the leave days being non-PTO and exclusive of Public holidays, workers have found ways to turn normal working days into Paid Time Off.

Being smart is the name of the game.

While it is commonplace among many employees, this phenomenon of silent vacationing is largely associated with the young working population (Gen Z ) who are invariant to work pressure. Unlike the customary working population that’s ‘afraid’ to inform their bosses that they are taking time off, Gen Z’s won’t hesitate to prioritize that trip to the Turks and Caicos.

With the rise of remote work and the possibility to deliver while on a game drive or while watching paint dry, silent vacationing has become much more common. This flexibility has allowed many to maintain the crucial work-life balance, keeping the fabric of this relationship stable.

Most have especially been fond of integrating technology into their lives to create the illusion that they are presently engaged at work.

Aside employees scheduling emails at off-duty hours to give the impression that they worked overtime, developers have come up with apps that can keep your mouse moving to show that you are working, File corruptors for when that document is due but not really, and update simulators that make your computer seem like it’s downloading never-ending updates, because ‘delivering’ doesn’t always amount to deliverables.

When work gets slow and the desk at work threatens to give you arthritis, these online tools come to your rescue while you enjoy that cruise to Bocas Del Toro, or you could go the Gen Z way and just take that vacation, approved or not, and deal with the consequences once your summer tan has set.

Many employers, view this as a breach of contract while also insisting on the need to explore more inclusive and honest means to ensure workers aren't subject to mental burnouts. The value of transparency in work cultures cannot be overstated.