What is a micro-retirement? Inside the latest Gen Z trend

[1srelluc]

https://www.fastcompany.com/91357784/what-is-a-micro-retirement-inside-the-latest-gen-z-trend

The thought of one day retiring and no longer having to punch a clock, answer required emails, work long hours, and the other responsibilities of employment is a dream that can get you through the hard moments of work.

While retirement typically occurs, after completing a career and saving and investing for it, a new trend is emerging among Gen Z career professionals called “micro-retirement.” Micro-retirements involve taking a one to two-week break from work every 12 to 18 months.

Gen Z is using micro-retirement to avoid burnout, find greater fulfillment in their work, and enhance their overall well-being. However, it’s not just Gen-Z: according to a survey from Side Hustles, 10% of workers are considering taking a micro-retirement and 75% thought employers should offer micro-retirement policies such as unpaid sabbaticals.

Damn, I must be really getting old....We used to call them, gasp, vacations.

The way my schedule was I took two 21-day "micro retirements" every year and was still maxxed-out on hours to carry-over.

 

[DGS49]

When the American steel mills were in their glory, the steelworkers' contract included a paid 13-week vacation once every five years (in addition to 2-3 week vacations annually).

This is one reason among many why, when global competition broke out, those integrated steel mills basically all failed. Those compensation packages were simply unsustainable.

 

[1srelluc]

When the American steel mills were in their glory, the steelworkers' contract included a paid 13-week vacation once every five years (in addition to 2-3 week vacations annually).

This is one reason among many why, when global competition broke out, those integrated steel mills basically all failed. Those compensation packages were simply unsustainable.

What does that have to do with the subject at hand.

I find it hard to believe that the companies the Zs work for don't have a bennies package that included at least earned vacation time.

 

[Cassandro]

"Micro-retirement" seems to be nothing more than a new name for the old concept of vacations, which were designed to refresh employees while having someone else check their work while they were away for 1-2 weeks. Modernly, this concept has broken down into being able to take individual days off at the employee's discretion. This tends to defeat the very purposes for which vacations were intended. It seems that every generation needs to reinvent this wheel.

 

[MarathonMike]

What does that have to do with the subject at hand.

I find it hard to believe that the companies the Zs work for don't have a bennies package that included at least earned vacation time.

You'd be surprised how little paid vacation young workers get these days. My daughter is an aerospace engineer and gets 10 days of PTO per year.

 

[1srelluc]

You'd be surprised how little paid vacation young workers get these days. My daughter is an aerospace engineer and gets 10 days of PTO per year.

That's not uncommon at all....Most places let you roll it over till you get a certain amount of hours built up.

If that is not the case then find a company that will.

 

[MarathonMike]

That's not uncommon at all....Most places let you roll it over till you get a certain amount of hours built up.

If that is not the case then find a company that will.

Roll over 10 days of PTO? She burns most of it when she comes home for Christmas. Great job great pay, but they want their engineers working.

 

[1srelluc]

Roll over 10 days of PTO? She burns most of it when she comes home for Christmas. Great job great pay, but they want their engineers working.

Both VDOC and DuPont let you roll-over your earned vacation time. If memory serves you earned 8 hours a month. You could keep 240 hrs on the books.

Comp time (if any) you had to use by the end of the calendar year.

At both places I never took a vacation my first year and just let it roll-over. I banked any earned comp time to use for vacation, usually around deer season/Thanksgiving.

After two years I could take two vacations and still maintain 240 hours on the books.

LOL....When I left the state (retired) I had so much sick time built up I did not have to go in for near two months with the exception of the last half day to turn my stuff in, exit interview, and final sign-out.

DuPont was a bit odd as far as sick leave went.....If you were sick you stayed home and got paid. No sick leave was earned or accumulated.

 

[Winston]

You'd be surprised how little paid vacation young workers get these days. My daughter is an aerospace engineer and gets 10 days of PTO per year.

My son is a mechanical engineer, actually a research scientist and project leader. He gets unlimited vacations per year. Can take time off whenever he wants, as much as he wants. He just has to get the job done.

 

[MarathonMike]

Both VDOC and DuPont let you roll-over your earned vacation time. If memory serves you earned 8 hours a month. You could keep 240 hrs on the books.

Comp time (if any) you had to use by the end of the calendar year.

At both places I never took a vacation my first year and just let it roll-over. I banked any earned comp time to use for vacation, usually around deer season/Thanksgiving.

After two years I could take two vacations and still maintain 240 hours on the books.

LOL....When I left the state (retired) I had so much sick time built up I did not have to go in for near two months with the exception of the last half day to turn my stuff in, exit interview, and final sign-out.

DuPont was a bit odd as far as sick leave went.....If you were sick you stayed home and got paid. No sick leave was earned or accumulated.

Good for you. My daughter works for a small aerospace company that does not offer much time off. But like I said everything else about it is great for her at this early point in her career.

 

[MarathonMike]

My son is a mechanical engineer, actually a research scientist and project leader. He gets unlimited vacations per year. Can take time off whenever he wants, as much as he wants. He just has to get the job done.

That is great. All jobs and benefits are different.

 

[Winston]

That is great. All jobs and benefits are different.

Oh, he got really lucky. He works for a firm that normally doesn't hire college graduates. They usually hire engineers that have twenty to thirty years experience in the field. He interned for them in college, and they flat out told him they don't hire interns. He made himself so valuable that when he graduated they told him, look for jobs, but accept no offers until you give us an opportunity to match it.

Their entire benefit package is geared to someone in the middle of their career. Retirement benefits are off the chain. Matching, not only 401k contributions, but also ROTH contributions. Every year, he contributes the maximum to the 401k, the maximum to his Roth, and the maximum to his HSA.

 

[odanny]

I knew a guy who worked for the same company I did, but as a contractor, hired thru a third party, and he was there 7 years and got 5 paid vacation days per year. I couldn't believe it when he told me that. I started with 3 weeks paid vacation, as well as a week of personal time, and before I retired I had 5 weeks vacation time and my week of personal time, and it still was barely enough for me.

I don't know how employers can keep employees when they barely get any time off. Must be a lot of turnover out there. If I had of had an option to take unpaid time off I would have done it, the only option for that was the federal law that gave time off for family emergencies you could request, but you needed cause for that.