Be honest, holidays on the quiet from work may not be the best option

Think working from a holiday destination is a win-win? The experts aren’t so sure. Photo / 123RF
By Isra’a Emhail of RNZ
Working from a holiday destination, drink in hand, sounds like a dream, right? What could be more relaxing than soaking up some sun while you answer work emails and meet deadlines?
This kind of remote working – being away from home, but not telling your boss – has become known as ‘quiet vacationing’. 45% of New Zealand workers – in a recent survey of about 500 office workers – said they would consider doing it or had done it.
“Employers are horrified by this, right? Because ‘are you on holiday or are you at work?’ And so, from an employer’s perspective, they – the majority – want their staff to be on holiday when they’re on holiday,” says Megan Alexander, managing director at recruitment agency Robert Half, which undertook the survey.
The idea also poses a challenge for Australian-based Debbie Bailey, who is head of growth at 4 Day Week Global – a New Zealand-born initiative.
“I think we’re kidding ourselves if we think that the quiet vacationing is actually going to lead to increased rest and recharging,” Bailey says.
“I’ve held leadership roles and CEO roles, and even as a worker, I’m challenged by this ‘quiet’ aspect. If someone is quiet vacationing, that speaks volumes to me about something not quite being right from a culture perspective or a relationship perspective.”
Some of the main reasons for “quiet vacationing” given in the RobertHalf survey are about taking advantage of remote work privileges, saving money by avoiding the need to take unpaid leave, and the belief it would increase productivity.
Shannon Barlow, of Frog Recruitment agency, doesn’t believe it will be as big of a trend here as in other countries – for example the US where paid time off is not mandated like in New Zealand – because most companies here have got onboard with flexible working.
“But I guess there’s always exceptions to that. So obviously not everyone has moved with the times and there are some old-school employers who’re stuck in the 9 to 5 and feel that the office is best for productivity.
“So you can see why employees working for those types of companies, who are perhaps less flexible, would be tempted to stretch those limits and ‘quiet vacation’, so they don’t miss out on benefits that others are enjoying.”
The trend’s visibility on social media may inspire other people to do the same, Barlow says.
“You go on LinkedIn and see other people, you know, ‘this is my view for the day’ and they’re on the beach or wherever, you know, it definitely increases the FOMO and feeling of ‘oh everybody else seems to be getting that chance, so why can’t I?’ Or ‘maybe I should just do it on the fly?’”
Bailey says the lines between work and rest get blurred on a “work-cation”, and you could be exposing yourself to more stress about balancing your commitments.
“Our family had a holiday in the UK, and because it was over an extended period of time, I still had to make certain things happen from a work perspective.
“There were times that the family were out doing things that I couldn’t join them because I had deadlines and I needed to keep the work flowing through and maintaining my output.”
You also don’t get to fully “disconnect” – something which New Zealanders and Australians are bad at because they often banked up their entitled leave days, she says.
“Quiet vacationing, I think, is a bit of a misnomer.
“I don’t think that’s enough to boost our productivity and maintain the creativity that we need in our roles. We really actually need that full disconnect. We need to take our annual leave and we need to stop and not work 24/7 and we need our culture and our businesses to be reflective of that and not expect that from our workforces as well.”
Similarly, Barlow says you could also be risking burnout by trying to do it all at once.
“Quiet vacationing could send a mixed message about the need for proper downtime or working through your holiday,” she says.
“It’s better to be able to take that time, put the phone away, and really disconnect from work so that you can recharge your batteries.”
“There seems to be that perception that ‘well, as long as the work gets done, maybe my employer’s not going to mind’, but if that’s the case, why do it on the quiet?” Barlow says.
“Employers might be likely to allow a work-cation if it doesn’t impact productivity, but transparency goes a long way towards getting a green light for that option… especially if it doesn’t disrupt the workflow or team dynamics.”
Bailey adds just because you work remotely, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are entitled to do whatever you want to do. The lack of honest communication may spell out a trust or cultural problem at work.
A breach of trust may affect your future opportunities for flexibility as well as your work relationships, Barlow says.
“Other co-workers may feel like that they’re less committed or that they’re being treated differently or taking up opportunities that aren’t offered to them. So it can be another impact if you’re doing it on the sly.
“There could be serious repercussions as well. Depending on the company policies, it could lead to a formal warning or even termination for breach of contract in some cases.”
Quiet vacationing is a risk which is best avoided, Barlow says, so it’s best to be honest and transparent with your boss about your circumstances and reasons.
“We know that sometimes we’ve got to flex up and flex down. So if that means that we need to work as part of a planned vacation, then that’s the agreement that you might have with your organisation,” Bailey says.
“From an employer perspective, I think if you have the systems, the processes, the accountability and the expectations all in place, it should be very easy for your staff to be able to do remote work and to ensure that they can get the outcomes.”
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– RNZ