There’s a bit in The Office (US version) where Dwight, terrified of being labelled a ‘time thief’ by Jim, refuses to engage in anything that isn’t work-related activity.

In Dwight’s case, the reason for this is his ego; he can’t allow himself to even take a toilet break without simultaneously working for fear of being seen as a slacker.

While this is clearly an exaggerated, throwaway bit from a sitcom, it’s also the end conclusion of the current HR trend dominating headlines about worker productivity – quiet vacationing.

For the uninitiated, quiet vacationing is simply taking time off or working from another location (the beach, for example) without express approval.

Research from The Harris Poll among 1,170 US employees found that 28% of those surveyed admitted to quiet vacationing, rising to 37% among millennials (compared to 24% of Gen Z and 18% of boomers).

Let me say up-front that I am not condoning employees downing tools and pretending to work.

But perhaps instead, it’s worth looking at the reasons why this is happening instead of simply saying it’s another case of millennials rebelling against their employers.

Cause One: A Lack of Trust

One of the first articles I wrote for UNLEASH was about the impact of more and more bosses enforcing return-to-office policies on the social contract between employers and employees.

As I wrote in that article, trust is the keystone to any social contract.

Quiet vacationing is, at heart, a symptom of a toxic workplace culture where employees feel that the only way they can get a break is through deceptive means.

The Harris Poll’s research also found 78% of workers don’t use the maximum amount of paid time off available to them, rising to 89% for Gen Z and 83% among millennials.

The primary reason for this was either a ‘pressure to always be available and responsive to work demands’ (31%) or ‘heavy workload’ (30%).

In addition, half of those surveyed (50%) said they “get nervous when taking time off”.

In other words, trust between employer and employee has broken down.

Trust is also a key part of the hybrid working model, whereby workers are trusted to complete their assignments and fulfill responsibilities whilst in another location.

Detractors of this way of working will no doubt use these research findings to further push for employees to return to the office full-time.

With trust established between both parties, what does it matter where the employee is physically if they are both responsive and delivering on their responsibilities?

Cause Two: A Poor Workplace Culture

Even during my relatively short time at UNLEASH, I’ve heard time and again from HR leaders and practitioners that establishing and maintaining a positive workplace culture is crucial.

Employee experience relies on a positive culture as one of a number of contributing factors.

A worker that feels part of a successful group that is rewarded and recognized for their efforts is less likely to feel they either can’t take time off or resort to surreptitious methods.

Anecdotally, I once worked for a boss who refused to even consider allowing his staff to work from home because he didn’t trust them to not take advantage of the situation.

Now, you may think given the research into quiet vacationing that he had a point.

To me, it was simply evidence that he was oblivious to the fact his company had the most toxic environment and work culture I have ever experienced.

According to The Harris Poll, US workers want their employers to focus on a culture of taking time off, rather than HR policies around PTO.

More than three quarters (76%) of workers said they wished their workplace culture placed “a stronger emphasis on the value of taking regular breaks and utilizing paid time off.”

Even worse, 85% said “America has a culture that glorifies being busy.”

Cause Three: A Disregard for Mental Health

A big part of why people need to take time away from work – not just to enjoy the opportunities that life offers generally – is to recuperate both physically and mentally.

Historically employers have not provided adequate mental wellbeing support for staff, if any at all, and while the needle is moving on this dial, it’s far from a finished article.

Indeed, workers are still scared to disclose their wellbeing challenges with their employers, according to new research into 12,000 individuals across the world by the Global Business Collaboration for Better Workplace Mental Health (GBC).

Employees with poor mental health are more likely to resort to escapist tactics from work than go through official channels to either take time off or ask for assistance.

But wellbeing and mental health seem to have fallen down the priority list for HR, particularly over the past few years when technology and economic factors have taken center stage.

Increased levels of stress and pressure at work will only exacerbate the feeling that workers shouldn’t be taking time off. Half of those surveyed said they see time off as a “luxury that they cannot afford”.

When taking the time off work that employees are contractually and legally entitled to is considered a luxury, something is seriously wrong.

Because what’s the alternative? Peeing in a bottle at your desk like Dwight so you don’t waste a single second of work? Let’s hope not.