Half of employees secretly slow down during the summer, Glassdoor reports

During the summer season, 49% of workers “dial it down” at work and draw firmer boundaries around their time, according to a June 18 report from Glassdoor.

Younger workers are leading the way, with 64% of those between ages 21 and 25 taking a step back at work during the summer, compared to 56% of ages 26-29 and 39% of those over 45.

“The people most likely to ‘dial it back’ in the summer are the ones with growing responsibilities at home,” said Adam Grant, chief worklife expert at Glassdoor. “New love and young kids place a greater premium on family time.”

Pulling back on work doesn’t necessarily mean employees are slacking off, Glassdoor noted; they could simply be adjusting their schedules and reducing their packed workloads. When asked in a separate poll what was “crushing your summer vibe work-wise,” more than a third of workers complained about “too many meetings.”

To address this, Grant suggested defining the purpose of meetings upfront and focusing on decisions, creation, bonding or action. Otherwise, meetings should be canceled, he noted.

With ongoing economic uncertainty, return-to-office mandates and quiet vacationing, workers are trying to reclaim their time, Grant said. Workers who secretly pull back may be experiencing burnout, boredom and distrust.

“Many people are tired of letting their jobs dictate their time,” he said. “They don’t want to squeeze family, friends, health and hobbies into the margins around work — they want to find work that fits into their lives. There’s a growing sentiment that work shouldn’t define our identities.”

In Glassdoor reviews, mentions of “burnout” have reached the highest rate in nearly a decade, according to another Glassdoor report. Reviewers who mentioned burnout also characterized their work environment as “high-pressure” with “last-minute” changes or “after-hour” work, indicating that HR pros can work to change the workplace culture and policies, Glassdoor said.

About 1 in 10 U.S. workers plan to take a “micro-retirement,” such as an unpaid sabbatical or extended paid time off, sometime this year, according to a report by SideHustles.com. Millennials and Generation Z workers, in particular, said they intend to take time away from their jobs to rest, travel or focus on personal projects, which can reduce burnout and improve well-being, the company said.

On the other hand, some U.S. employees are increasingly working while on vacation, with only 37% saying they disconnect completely while away, according to a Dayforce report. Employers can help workers achieve better work-life balance by creating team coverage plans for vacation days and having managers lead by example, the report found.