The arrival of Covid-19 has changed the way we work, particularly with an increased use of teleworking. The advent of teleworking, which has enabled many workers to effectively combine professional and personal life, could also have a perverse effect: quiet vacationing.
Similar to quiet quitting, a practice which consists of “ to do the bare minimum at work with the minimum effort and enthusiasm and spending the least amount of time » as Psychologies magazine reminds us, quiet vacationing corresponds to take vacation during working time without telling anyone.
A fairly widespread practice in the United States. A Harris Poll survey of more than 1,000 American workers found that 28% of respondents took time off by pretending to work remotely. To do this, several tactics are used. Thus, 30% of respondents admit to scheduling messages outside of working hours to make it appear that they are working overtime and 31% connect to company messaging to show that they are working.
“Heavy disciplinary sanctions”
These figures can also be explained by the little leave granted to American workers. Indeed, while the average is only 15 days of leave per year, 78% of workers surveyed admit to not taking all of the leave that could be allocated to them. A choice which is mainly explained by the pressure to meet deadlines as well as a desire to remain productive as revealed by 63% of respondents.
If you want to try quiet vacationing, be careful. “ This practice is playing with fire and can be legally reprehensible. If the employee is caught red-handed, he or she is exposed to heavy disciplinary sanctions. », warns Midi Libre.
