CEO Reveals Simple Way He Stops Employees From ‘Going on a Peaceful Vacation’

A boss has a simple way to prevent his employees from taking part in a new workplace phenomenon.

“Quiet resignation” has been a common practice for some time. In toxic work cultures where you are expected to constantly outdo yourself without any real reward, silently resigning simply means doing the tasks set out in your employment contract – and nothing more.

More recently, a new phenomenon has emerged in the workplace and it is quite similar to its predecessor.

It’s called a “quiet vacation” and it involves taking time off from work or working on the other side of the world without telling your boss.

And it’s proving quite popular, especially among Gen Z and millennials.

In the United States, 78% of employees say they do not take all their paid vacation days. Despite this, they continue to take their breaks, just not officially.

As many as four in ten millennials admitted to taking unofficial time off without telling their manager.

Speaking about the phenomenon, Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer at The Harris Poll, told CNBC: “There’s a huge culture of circumvention at play.

“They will find a work-life balance, but it’s happening behind the scenes. It’s not really a silent resignation, but more of a quiet vacation.”

But one CEO thinks he’s found a simple way to stop his employees from leaving the office without his back.

David Barkoe, CEO and founder of Florida-based public relations agency Carve Communications, says it’s all about trust.

Speaking to Business Insider, he said: “Live your life, but do the work. I’m going to trust you from minute one, from the moment I hire you, to just do the job, the way you think is best to do it.”

Carve went fully remote during the pandemic in 2020 and has remained that way ever since.

“It just worked,” he said. “People were more motivated.”

But while it can be harder to keep track of everyone in a company with thousands of employees, he said, “As a small organization, if you’re not doing your job, it’s pretty hard to hide it.”

Barkoe believes that many people end up “going on a quiet vacation” because they don’t feel their employer trusts or respects them.

He says his company’s open and flexible culture means employees don’t feel like they have to slip away just to take a break.

“It’s absolutely a cultural issue,” he said.