‘Hush trips’ are the new trend taking over the workplace – but are they worth it?

Written by Lauren Geall

As Stylist’s digital writer, Lauren Geall writes on topics including mental health, wellbeing and women’s issues. She’s also a big fan of houseplants and likes to dabble in film and TV from time-to-time. You can find her on Twitter at @laurenjanegeall.

‘Hush trips’ are the new trend taking over the workplace – but are they worth it?

The shift towards remote working that took place at the start of the pandemic has changed the way we work forever. While some industries are more intent at getting employees back to the office, many have embraced a new hybrid approach that allows for greater flexibility.

With that being said, however, not all ‘hybrid’ companies have embraced the flexibility that comes with remote working – leading to the latest workplace trend, the ‘hush trip’.

A term that refers to an employee working remotely from somewhere other than where their employer expects them to be (and actively hiding it), a hush trip usually refers to a trip to another country or holiday location, so that an employee can reap the benefits of being away from home without having to take annual leave. 

They’re still doing their work – logging on to Zoom calls, answering emails, etc – but they’re just doing it away from home, often obscuring their location through a combination of blurred backgrounds, unusual working hours and overcompensating on Slack. 

This, of course, has its benefits. The fun of being away from home aside, working from a new environment can benefit both employer and employee. 

“Switching up how and where you work can be a great way of keeping a job fresh and exciting,” explains Jill Cotton, career trends expert at Glassdoor. “It can also be a great way to keep your mental health in check.”

With that being said, hiding where you’re working from your employer can (obviously) be risky, too – and the rise of the hush trips trend points to a bigger issue organisations and employees are facing as we navigate work post-pandemic: trust and transparency.

While it’s all well and good that employees are finding ways to make the most of their new working arrangements, they shouldn’t feel like they have to hide these things from their employer. Organisations should be able to trust their employees and create an environment in which people are allowed to take advantage of hybrid working.

This not only has the power to make employees feel more valued and respected – as well as allowing them to reap the benefits of time away from their usual WFH set-up – it can also offer benefits to employers in the long run too, Cotton explains.

“Workplace transparency is a hallmark of a great company,” she says. “Embracing openness is proven to breed long-term success as trust between employees and employers is established, morale is kept high and employee happiness and productivity is increased.”

Because of this, Cotton doesn’t recommend taking a hush trip, no matter how tempting it may be. “If you are considering a hush trip, ask yourself why you need to keep what you are doing quiet,” she recommends. “Will the hush trip go against company guidelines or do you fear that your boss won’t trust you to work from a different location?”

She continues: “Being transparent isn’t always easy but often it’s the right thing to do. If your company allows flexible working and being somewhere other than home doesn’t impact your output or have financial implications [such as tax and visa restrictions] for the company, bring up the conversation with your line manager. If the workplace is steeped in respect and trust, you might just get an answer you are happy with.” 

Images: Getty

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