Some employees are taking time away from work without letting their managers know.
In the post-pandemic workplace, hybrid schedules have become routine for many businesses worldwide, with staff expected to come in only on set days.
By last year, roughly 68 percent of US employers offered at least some flexibility around where people work, Forbes reported, while only about a third anticipated a complete return to full-time office attendance.
That balance could shift again soon, especially after Donald Trump’s executive order ending remote work for federal employees and directing a return to in-person work, even as some reports suggest offices aren’t fully prepared.
Still, for those who can remain off-site, a trend known as a “quiet vacation” is circulating.
It overlaps with the idea of a “workation,” where someone travels but continues working from a different location instead of formally taking leave.
The appeal is straightforward: you get a change of scenery without using up annual leave.
That said, it’s far easier to do if your job is fully remote and you’re not expected to be on frequent calls or in constant meetings.
Alongside that, another approach has been gaining attention: people appearing “online” and active while actually using the day for personal errands—like appointments, meeting friends, or simply taking it slow at home.
So what’s the method?
One tactic is to schedule emails ahead of time and send occasional messages during the day, creating the impression that work is happening continuously.
On social media, some users rave about scheduled-send tools.
One person penned on Twitter: “Thank God for GMail’s ‘schedule send’ feature because most of the time I do my task ahead of their deadlines and just schedule send them a day before so my boss or the clients think I’m taking my time when I’m just really just chilling.”
Another said: “Scheduling the emails an hour after work starts so it looks like I’m locked in but I’m still in bed.”
Is it worth it? Probably not—if a manager discovers what’s going on, it could seriously damage trust and may even put someone’s job at risk.
There’s also another downside: this kind of half-time-off often doesn’t deliver the real rest and recovery people need.
Commenting on the trend, Karyn Rhodes, VP of HR Services at isolved, told Forbes: “These ‘hush trips’ are just a temporary solution. Without truly unplugging from work and establishing work-life boundaries, employees are more likely to burn out over time, negatively impacting their well-being and productivity.”
In the end, taking official time off is usually the safer option—allowing you to fully disconnect without worrying about consequences.