‘Quiet vacation’ phenomenon: Analysis of vacation use in workplace culture
Haebom
There is a heated debate among office workers in the United States over the topic of not properly using vacation time. The so-called “quiet vacation” concept refers to the behavior of spending almost a vacation-like time without using vacation time. This kind of thing is usually called sabotage... Well, it seems like a topic that came up in the context of a quiet resignation. Data revealed through the "Out of Office Culture Report" report recently released by research firm harrispoll shows that this problem is more serious than expected.
Out of Office Culture Report.pdf531KB
Surveys show that most workers are satisfied with their vacation policies. However, only a small number of people actually use all of their permitted vacation time. In particular, millennials responded that they were unable to enjoy their vacations properly due to the constant pressure and heavy workload of work. What's interesting is that even if the workplace maintains an "unlimited vacation" policy, there are many people who don't actually go on vacation. But that really just means you don't take any official "vacation".
The emergence of ‘quiet vacation’
Faced with these challenges, millennials are responding in a unique way: ‘quiet vacations.’ This refers to the act of informally taking time off without formally requesting leave. For example, some employees use methods such as making it look like they are active on work messengers or scheduling messages outside of regular business hours to make it look like they are working overtime.
Cultural factors hindering vacation use
Research shows that many workers fear being judged negatively when they request time off. This culture discourages workers from openly expressing their need for rest, which in turn has a negative impact on the quality of work and personal well-being.
Future plans?
The report highlights the need for a workplace culture that encourages leave use. It is important to regularly encourage vacation use within the workplace and create an environment where employees can completely disconnect from work while on vacation. Additionally, it is necessary to ensure that workers can sufficiently rest and recharge through vacation.
How is it different from sabotage?
‘Quiet vacation’ refers to the act of office workers taking a break unnoticed without going through formal vacation procedures. This is usually done by passively taking breaks during work hours, or by pretending to stay on task while actually taking breaks. These behaviors occur due to a strict work environment, heavy workload, pressure or fear of using vacation, and are often self-protective as employees seek to relieve stress or seek personal well-being.
On the other hand, ‘Sabotage’ refers to an intentional act that intentionally disrupts or causes damage to work within the workplace. This may be due to dissatisfaction, revenge, or other negative feelings toward the company or co-workers, and may result in intentionally reducing work efficiency or causing losses to the organization. Sabotage is an act that causes clear harm to an organization and is a serious problem that may be punishable by law.
In the end, the problem arises from not being busy.
From a legal perspective, it may be due to intention, but in the end, it can be seen as a result of a survey that if there is no 'atmosphere where one can relax to their heart's content,' people rest vaguely and engage in behaviors that actually reduce productivity. The so-called "work hard and rest properly" behavior is occurring in startups that do not divide work as properly as expected, mid-sized companies that have too many people, and large companies that have severe silos. Although this is a story about American office workers, I think Korea is actually no different.
In the past, while talking with CEO Han, I talked about an employee who disrupts the work atmosphere by using blinds, communities, DM, etc. The conclusion was ‘I’m not busy’. If you're really busy, you can't do politics or do nonsense. Rather, these things are much more likely to occur when there is nothing to do and you are looking at other things, so it is important at the company and organizational leader level to work hard and rest well with clear goals and schedules.
