Secret Picnic

They quietly take vacations while continuing to work on poolside lounge chairs or camping in the mountains.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Residents swim in an apartment in the Tanah Abang area, Central Jakarta, Sunday (30/4/2023).

A phenomenon called a secret picnic or secret picnic (hush cation) is occurring in several countries. The freedom to work, not having to go to the office, has been used by a number of employees to travel without office permission, but still complete their work. How should companies respond to the trend that will rise towards this summer?

This issue has actually been discussed since the middle of 2023, but in the past few days it has resurfaced. Several media outlets have discussed the trend of employees increasingly choosing to take secret vacations. The cause of this phenomenon is still debated and not yet known for certain. This trend may also have already occurred in Indonesia.

Several studies show this trend. According to RVshare, a platform for tourist rental services, 56 percent of all working adults say they are very likely to take part in a sneak tour. By 2023, 36 percent of Gen

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A survey conducted by ResumeBuilder on 918 Generation Z employees who currently work outside of the office or in a hybrid model stated that 44 percent of surveyed workers have secretly traveled. Fifty-seven percent of them also said that secret travel gives the impression that they are still working during normal hours. Other data shows that 65 percent use virtual backgrounds during virtual office meetings. The majority are not caught and do not face any consequences from their employer for their actions.

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

Monitor broadcasted members of parliament participating in a virtual plenary session at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta on Tuesday (1/11/2022). A total of 91 individuals attended the plenary session in person, 218 attended virtually, and 45 had permission to be absent.

Hence, secret picnics have become a trend for remote workers. Forbes suggests that this goes against the old saying, "Never mix business with pleasure." Young workers sneak on vacation without canceling work or revealing their location to their company. Secret vacations or "stealth trips" are becoming more common among remote workers. They take secret vacations while continuing to work on a lounge chair by the pool or at a campsite in the mountains.

A lie remains a lie. Of course, it is not ideal that almost half of Gen-Z employees lie to their bosses about their location, but this reality raises the question: why do they feel the need to be dishonest? Most people who secretly travel are never caught because it is certain that their productivity and work results remain high, so many leaders are unaware. This situation creates a dilemma.

Why do they feel they have to be dishonest?

One of the articles on the Inc website presents one perspective on this issue. Some people in the company do not see it as a problem as long as the job can be completed. They argue that working quietly is more likely an effort to deal with boredom by "avoiding" superiors rather than slacking off. One survey states that non-office workers claim they have to spend more than an hour a day "serving" their bosses' demands.

The desire, among other things, is to attend meetings that are sometimes useless, update schedules, or respond to electronic mail, or reply to messages via the Slack platform that may only be used by bosses to prove that you are at your desk. They argue that working quietly is not evidence of Gen-Z laziness. The old-fashioned work style desired by bosses is simply a useless productivity show demanded by bosses of the past, but is still being continued today.

RATNA SRI WIDYASTUTI

Employees are working on Sribu, a platform that connects companies with various services, ranging from graphic design, digital curiosity, website creation, to social media on Thursday (26/3/2024).

Looking at these various arguments, it seems like the big problem right now is continuing the debate some time ago about the ideal post-pandemic workplace. On the one hand, they want to maintain the old way of working, on the other hand, people are starting to see that the new way of working must be changed. The secret picnic is just one of the attitudes against old habits and ways of working in addition to the actions of several previous employees, namely leaving work without clear reasons (great resignation)and working accordingly. just the workload(quit quitting).

One expert said that the dramatic shift in the world of work caused by the pandemic has given us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the way we work permanently. The old way of working is no longer suitable for the current situation. Even if we can restructure jobs to allow us to build careers that suit our lives, it still fails. The situation has indeed changed. What can companies do?

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Other experts argue, whether they are in favor or against secret picnics, one thing that is almost agreed upon by all is that rest time is important. Companies must create clear opportunities for employees to rest. Being in a different place can trigger new ideas, increase productivity, boost morale, produce higher quality work, and improve the balance between work and personal life.

Companies should stop the desire for employees to work all the time and avoid involving employees after work hours. Communication outside of work hours should also be stopped as it greatly disturbs employees. This approach may prevent employees from having secret outings.