How to get away with quiet vacationing - and sneakily enjoy a secret vacation while convincing your boss that you're hard at work

A new workplace trend is sweeping social media which promises to teach employees how to take a vacation without the need for any PTO.

Quiet vacationing is the latest craze in corporate culture, particularly beloved among Millennials and Gen Z.

The trend follows on from the likes of 'quiet quitting' and 'bare minimum Mondays' as disgruntled workers find ever more creative ways to seize back control of their work life balance.

It involves employees convincing their bosses they are hard at work despite the fact they are relaxing poolside, hitting the beach or even just indulging in their hobbies.

Tactics include blocking out diaries with fake meetings or sending a few strategically timed emails.

Quiet vacationing is the latest craze in corporate culture, particularly beloved among Millennials and Gen Z

'If I can get my work done quicker than the average person, why can't I indulge in my free time?' One worker, who chose to remain anonymous, told the Boston Globe.

According to The Harris Poll, 37 percent of millennial workers admitted to taking time off without notifying their boss. 

Among them is one 39-year-old lawyer who said she blacked out hours on her calendar to take a trip to see family in California after her new management axed the number of vacation days available.

'We have such a work-driven culture that employers think the only thing you should care about is work,' she said. 'That doesn't align with people's actual value systems.

'Employees are often the best judge of what's required of them to do their job effectively.'

Proponents say the scheme is a work around for offices which have stingy PTO policies or who otherwise undervalue their workers.

'Employees will stop 'quiet vacationing', when you 'loud' start paying them a living wage,' Recruiter Emily Durham said in a TikTok examining the trend.

The trend involves employees convincing their bosses they are hard at work despite the fact they are relaxing poolside, hitting the beach or even just indulging in their hobbies. A similar concept was explored in a Simpsons' episode

Tactics include blocking out diaries with fake meetings or sending a few strategically timed emails

The nature of 'quiet vacationing' means that it is only accessible to remote workers who are not overseen by micromanagers.

But HR professionals warn that the trend could come with serious consequences for those who get found out.

'Do I think it's ethical? I do not,' management consultant Gina Abudi told the Globe. 'But someone else might say they have no problem with it.

She explained one of her clients diligently tracks all activity on company computers and terminates those who are not working during set hours.

However, another client is more flexible and only seeks to ensure the work is completed.

'The younger generation works differently,' she acknowledged. 'I think it is preferable to attract and keep good talent that organizations find a middle ground.'

Others have pointed out that many quiet vacationers continue to get their work done while taking time off - whether that is by working fully remotely or sneaking in meetings and calls from an airport lounge.

Recruiter Emily Durham said quiet vacationing can be avoided if employers properly compensate and value workers

Still, the phenomenon has been described as a 'CEO's worst nightmare' by recruiter Deepali Vyas, who cited statistics which showed 67 percent of executives do not support quiet vacationing.

'This is going to get so messy,' Vyas said in a TikTok. 'I don't know how I feel about it.' 

While some quiet vacationers admitted feeling guilt for overburdening their coworkers with the practice, there are no signs they are giving it up any time soon.

'I feel bad when I know my coworkers are really grinding,' one 29-year-old Boston hospital administrator said. 'But I continue to get positive feedback, and I'm not trying to move up the ladder.'