What is “quiet vacationing”, this practice of going on vacation without telling your boss ?

“Quiet vacationing” consists of taking days off without notifying your manager or colleagues. anyaberkut/Getty Images

Summer is approaching, but the summer season is not arriving quickly enough for the taste of some employees, impatient to get away from the office. An eagerness that pushes them to slow down at work, or even take a vacation, without telling their boss.

This practice is commonly called “quiet vacationing”. It consists of taking days off without notifying your manager or colleagues. On paper, this seems difficult, if not impossible.

But the "silent vacationers" are masters of illusion. They set up their work email on their phone to give the impression that they are working from home, when in reality they are sipping a cocktail by a beach. fine sand. The most daring even go so far as to schedule messages to be sent late in the evening, to pretend they are working overtime.

A marginal practice

This concept comes straight from the United States, and is intended to be a criticism of the American model in terms of paid leave. Because, in Uncle Sam’s country, it’s not always easy to go on vacation. Most Americans only get 15 days off per year. And few people take them all. Many only sit for a few days here and there, for fear of being seen as slackers. 78% do not use the maximum number of paid leave days granted by their employer. According to a Harris Poll survey of 1,170 employees. Millennials and members of Generation Z are even more numerous in this scenario.

In this context, we better understand why some Americans take incognito leave. But the "quiet vacationing" remains a marginal practice. Only 28% of the country's workers have already used it, according to the same Harris Poll. Not surprisingly, young people are more reckless than their elders when it comes to skipping school. 37% of millennials have already taken a vacation behind their boss's back, compared to only 18% of baby boomers.

A practice which may prove legally reprehensible

These disparities between generations can certainly be explained by the fact that young workers strive more than their predecessors to maintain a better balance between their professional and personal lives. But regardless of their age, Americans agree that they would like their employers to encourage them more to take time off. Some already do it. Companies like LinkedIn, Dropbox, Adobe and Netflix offer unlimited time off to their employees so they can recharge whenever they want. According to the survey, 7% of Americans would benefit from this unlimited vacation policy.

For those who have a limited number of vacations per year, be careful not to give in to the sirens of "quiet vacationing". It should be kept in mind that this practice is playing with fire and may prove legally reprehensible. If the employee is caught red-handed, he/she is exposed to heavy disciplinary sanctions, or even dismissal. Be careful then.