Workers are exploring ways to sneak in more downtime. The findings also showed a blurring line between work life and personal time, with many employees staying plugged in to work during vacations. According to new research*.

Summertime Sneaking 

The survey revealed that roughly four-in-five (79%) employees say the ability to achieve work-life balance during the summer would improve their overall well-being, but the same (79%) proportion of respondents said they feel at least some pressure from their employer or manager to maintain the same level of productivity in the summer as the rest of the year. However, previous Dayforce research has found that employees are less productive as the weather turns warmer.

Key findings in this year’s research shows employees are finding ways to sneak in some extra time away to make the most of the summer months:

• 47% say they tend to log off or leave work earlier during the summer.
• 45% say they often extend lunches to take advantage of the warm weather.
• 40% say they sometimes call in sick when they’re not really sick to take an extra-long weekend or attend social events.
• 34% say they sometimes use company messaging apps to make it look like they’re working, even when they’re not.
• 34% say they sometimes or often leave work early on a Friday without telling their manager.

Work-life blending 

With the increasing flexibility in how and when people work, the survey has found a further blurring of the lines between work and personal time. The number of employees who say they disconnect from work completely while on vacation declined again, from 47% in 2023, to 39% in 2024, to just 37% this year.

The survey also found that employees are sneaking in work when they’re supposed to be enjoying time away:

• 16% say they’ve missed out on time with family or friends because they needed to work while on vacation.
• 15% say they’ve worked secretly while on vacation without anyone noticing.
• 11% say they’ve pretended they were sick while on vacation so they could work instead.
• 19% of employees say they don’t even try to hide it – their travel companions know they’ll be working on vacation and are never far from their work phone.

Prioritizing rest and recharging 

Time away from work helps employees be more productive and creative. However, more than seven-in-ten (71%) employees say something might prevent them from taking a vacation this summer, including not being able to afford it (28%), being too busy to take time off (20%), or not having enough vacation days remaining (18%).

For organizations looking to minimize summertime sneaking and create a culture where people feel empowered to take the time off they need, employers can consider several strategies:

1. Plan for vacations: create team coverage plans so employees can disconnect without worrying that important work will go unfinished (39% of employees said this would help them feel more comfortable taking time off during the summer).
2. Set an example: managers should encourage employees to use vacation time and fully disconnect and model that behaviour themselves to help eliminate any stigma around time off (39%).
3. Financial Perks: offer travel stipends or other financial incentives to help with vacation costs (31%).
4. Communicate clearly: ensure vacation policies are easy to understand and make them easy to find in a central resource hub (29%).

*Research conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Dayforce, the survey of 2,005 full-time employees in the U.S., Canada, and UK.