It’s summer. Our imaginations drift toward vacations. Once upon a time (a/k/a when I was a kid), vacations were a stressed filled week at the shore or incessant sightseeing in our nation’s capital. Employees nervous about taking leave, employers begrudgingly granting them leave. The passage of time though doesn’t equate automatically with progress—including how vacations are viewed, taken and defined by society at large and law firms in particular.
We believed the work force arrival of Millennials and Gen Z would change this sad dynamic. It didn’t. A 2024 Gallup poll reveals that 61% of Millennials and 58% of Gen Zs feel anxious about asking for time off, let alone taking it. Each of these generations (to say nothing of Baby Boomers) feel compelled to be on call 24/7 for workplace responses; experience guilt about leaving work for non-vacationing colleagues; undergo vertigo if out of the endless loop of emails, meetings, memos.
