'Secretly blending work and holidays can damage trust and lead to friction in the workplace'
A third of employees in New Zealand are considering working remotely from a holiday destination without informing their employer, according to a new report from Robert Half.
The report, which surveyed 501 full-time office workers across New Zealand, identified the prevalence of the "quiet vacationing" trend in workplaces.
The trend refers to a practice where employees take advantage of their job's flexibility to work from a holiday destination without notifying their boss of their whereabouts.
In New Zealand, 11% of employees admitted to having already committed this, with Gen Z (13%) and Millennial (13%) staff members leading this practice.
Another 34% of the respondents confessed that they would consider it in the future, with Millennials (43%) and Gen X (40%) employees more likely to be open to the thought.
More than half of employees (55%), however, believe that quiet vacationing is taking their remote work privileges a step too far and would not consider it in the future.
Source: Robert Half
Potential friction at work
Megan Alexander, managing director at Robert Half, believe that "secretly blending" work and holidays can have consequences on workplace relationships.
"While everyone deserves a break to fully recharge, secretly blending work and holidays can damage trust and lead to friction in the workplace," Alexander said in a statement.
Employees seem to share similar sentiments, as 32% believe their employer would feel betrayed if they found out that staff were working from a holiday destination. However, they don't believe of further consequences because of this.
But others are expecting sanctions from their bosses, including receiving a formal warning or disciplinary action (28%), with some even thinking they could get fired (7%).
Meanwhile, another 32% of the survey's respondents believe their employer would do nothing about quiet vacationing for as long as their work was done.
Reasons for quiet vacationing
Maximising remote work benefits has emerged as the top reason on why employees would or would consider working while on a holiday elsewhere, with 55% of the respondents citing this.
"This trend highlights the evolving nature of work-life boundaries in the modern workplace, as employees seek greater balance between their personal and professional lives," Alexander said.
Other reasons that emerged for quiet vacationing include:
- To save money rather than take unpaid leave (41%)
- Working from a holiday location would boost productivity (34%)
- Extend their holiday (31%)
- Fear that their employer will not approve their holidays (21%)
Alexander said employers should analyse the motivations behind quiet vacationing, so employees won't feel the need to practice it.
"By acknowledging the drivers behind this trend, employers can foster a more supportive and adaptable workplace culture while establishing clear guidelines to prevent potential misuse of flexible work arrangements," the managing director said.
