Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Our Story
    • Partner with us
    • Reach Us
    • Career
    Subscribe Newsletter
    HR KathaHR Katha
    • Exclusive
      • Exclusive Features
      • Research
      • Point Of View
      • Case In Point
      • Dialogue
      • Movement
      • Profile
      • Beyond Work
      • Rising Star
      • By Invitation
    • News
      • Global HR News
      • Compensation & Benefits
      • Diversity
      • Events
      • Gen Y
      • Hiring & Firing
      • HR & Labour Laws
      • Learning & Development
      • Merger & Acquisition
      • Performance Management & Productivity
      • Talent Management
      • Tools & Technology
      • Work-Life Balance
    • Special
      • Cover Story
      • Editorial
      • HR Forecast 2024
      • HR Forecast 2023
      • HR Forecast 2022
      • HR Forecast 2021
      • HR Forecast 2020
      • HR Forecast 2019
      • New Age Learning
      • Coaching and Training
      • Learn-Engage-Transform
    • Magazine
    • Reports
      • Whitepaper
        • HR Forecast 2024 e-mag
        • Future-proofing Manufacturing Through Digital Transformation
        • Employee Healthcare & Wellness Benefits: A Guide for Indian MSMEs
        • Build a Future Ready Organisation For The Road Ahead
        • Employee Experience Strategy
        • HRKatha 2019 Forecast
        • Decoding and Driving Employee Engagement
        • One Platform, Infinite Possibilities
      • Survey Reports
        • Happiness at Work
        • Upskilling for Jobs of the Future
        • The Labour Code 2020
    • Conferences
      • HRKatha Futurecast
      • Automation.NXT
      • The Great HR Debate
    • HR Jobs
    WhatsApp LinkedIn X (Twitter) Facebook Instagram
    HR KathaHR Katha
    Home»Exclusive Features»Hush trips — a menace for HR?
    Exclusive Features

    Hush trips — a menace for HR?

    Saheba Khatun | HRKathaBy Saheba Khatun | HRKathaMay 30, 2023Updated:May 30, 20236 Mins Read6825 Views
    Share LinkedIn Twitter Facebook
    Share
    LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

    Recently, a concerning trend has emerged in the corporate world — the rise of hush trips. These secret, unauthorised vacations taken by employees have become a growing concern for the human resources (HR) departments. Hush trips not only disrupt workplace dynamics but also pose significant challenges for HR professionals who strive to maintain transparency, fairness and employee engagement within the organisations.

    Expressing her concerns, Uma Rao, CHRO, Granules India, says that unannounced trips may indicate a lack of trust within the team or organisation, which is a major issue. Instead of resorting to hush trips, if employees communicate their needs upfront — such as requesting to work from a different location for a specific period — they would come across as transparent and more trustworthy.

    How do hush trips damage the work environment?

    Hush trips affect the workplace adversely, as they do the following:

    Undermine workplace culture & team dynamics 

    Hush trips can disrupt the established workplace culture and team dynamics within an organisation. When a group of employees embarks on a secret vacation without involving their colleagues, it creates a divide between those included and those left out. This exclusionary behaviour can lead to decreased morale, a breakdown in trust, and the formation of cliques within the workplace. Such divisions hinder effective teamwork, collaboration and the overall productivity of the organisation.

    “Such behaviour directly impacts the organisation and contributes to a toxic culture of mistrust. It can even lead to excessive monitoring and mistrust on the part of the managers, which upsets team morale and dynamics”

    Uma Rao, CHRO, Granules India

    As Rao rightly puts it, “Such behaviour directly impacts the organisation and contributes to a toxic culture of mistrust. It can even lead to excessive monitoring and mistrust on the part of the managers, which upsets team morale and dynamics.”

    Violate policies

    Hush trips often involve employees taking unauthorised leaves of absence, thereby violating company policies and procedures. These policies exist to ensure fair treatment and proper management of employee schedules. When employees go on undisclosed vacations, workflow is disrupted, gaps emerge in work coverage and other team members end up bearing the burden of additional work. Human resource departments are tasked with maintaining attendance records, enforcing policies and handling disciplinary actions. Hush trips only complicate these responsibilities and require HR professionals to address the issues proactively.

    Affect employee engagement & trust

    Employee engagement is crucial for a thriving and productive workplace. Trust is the foundation of engagement, and hush trips can erode this trust among employees. When some individuals are aware of and participate in secret vacations while others remain uninformed, it creates a sense of inequality and unfairness. This can lead to feelings of resentment, demotivation and disengagement among employees.

    Raise legal concerns

    From a legal standpoint, hush trips can raise various concerns for the HR departments. These trips may lead to a violation of labour laws and work-hour regulations —  such as excessive leaves, unauthorised absences and so on. Additionally, if an accident or injury occurs during a hush trip, employers may face legal liabilities if the trip was not officially sanctioned or insured. Therefore, it becomes a challenge for HR professionals whose responsibility is to ensure compliance with labour laws, mitigate risks and protect the organisation’s interests.

    “As long as the employees are fulfilling their responsibilities and communicating any issues that may affect their work, their opting to work remotely should be acceptable. However, it is essential to take security measures to ensure that company assets are protected.”

    Atul Mathur, executive VP, Aditya Birla Capital

    Tarnish reputation & image of the organisation

    Hush trips can damage the reputation and image of an organisation, both internally and externally. Internally, it creates a perception of favouritism, exclusivity and lack of transparency, which can lead to disgruntled employees and increased turnover. Externally, if news or rumours of these hush trips spread, it can negatively impact the organisation’s reputation among potential recruits, clients and stakeholders.

    According to Atul Mathur, executive VP, Aditya Birla Capital, even employees working remotely should be expected to attend meetings and fulfil their responsibilities, unless there is a genuine emergency.

    Anil Mohanty, senior HR leader, believes that in all organisations there exists a mix of highly engaged, productive individuals as well disengaged / unproductive individuals. This situation can occur anywhere, be it a work-from-home setting or elsewhere. However, what truly matters is the overall productivity and successful completion of tasks and deadlines.

    According to him, it doesn’t make a difference whether employees are working from home, enjoying a movie at a cinema, or collaborating with others. The key lies in delivering the work on time and maintaining integrity.

    Mohanty goes on to  emphasise the importance of meeting deadlines and completing tasks while acknowledging that individuals have the freedom to enjoy their own lives. “It is important to value productivity, adhere to schedules and engagements, and take responsibility for one’s own output,” he asserts. 

    “As long as the work is being done and deadlines are met, individuals should have the flexibility to enjoy their personal time, whether they are at a pub or at home. The main point is to maintain a balance between work and personal life while ensuring tasks are completed satisfactorily”

    Anil Mohanty, senior HR leader

    “As long as the work is being done and deadlines are met, individuals should have the flexibility to enjoy their personal time, whether they are at a pub or at home. The main point is to maintain a balance between work and personal life while ensuring tasks are completed satisfactorily,”opines mohanty.

    On the same lines, Mathur adds, “As long as the employees are fulfilling their responsibilities and communicating any issues that may affect their work, their opting to work remotely should be acceptable. However, it is essential to take security measures to ensure that company assets are protected.”

    “It is crucial to maintain professionalism during work hours and ensure that dedicated work time is not used for personal activities,” advises Rao.

    Not all employees have the same level of sincerity and transparency. The notorious ones can easily influence the sincere performers. It is not difficult for the honest and diligent workers to get dragged into being part of activities such as hush trips either. And of course, in the long run, these do spoil the workplace culture, unsettle the dynamics of the team, eventually leading to disengagement of employees. Add to this the issues of trust, legal compliance and the overall reputation of the organisation! It can be quite a nightmare for the HR to maintain unity and bonding amongst the employees while keeping productivity high. 

    Therefore, it is imperative for HR professionals to nip hush trips in the bud. They can start by establishing clear policies, promoting transparency and fostering a culture of open communication and fairness.

    Anil Mohanty Atul Mathur HR Hush Trips menace Uma Rao
    Share. LinkedIn Twitter Facebook
    Saheba Khatun | HRKatha
    • Website

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    6 − 1 =

    Related Posts

    Westpac gears up for major rehaul & 1500 job cuts

    May 22, 2025

    Practo gets new global chief strategy & marketing officer in Shoumyan Biswas

    May 22, 2025

    Olive Sen takes on the role of chief business officer- horizontal business unit, OLX India

    May 22, 2025

    How ‘snowplow managers’ can stunt your growth

    May 21, 2025

    QUICK HR INSIGHTS

    EDITOR'S PICKS

    The culture that’s quietly killing us

    May 21, 2025

    How ‘snowplow managers’ can stunt your growth

    May 21, 2025

    Three transformative HR roles of the future

    May 20, 2025

    How a German furniture giant in India is building tomorrow’s leaders from within

    May 19, 2025
    Latest Post

    Westpac gears up for major rehaul & 1500 job cuts

    Global HR News May 22, 2025

    Westpac, the Australian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Sydney, is preparing to…

    Practo gets new global chief strategy & marketing officer in Shoumyan Biswas

    Movement May 22, 2025

    Practo, the Indian health services platform has appointed Shoumyan Biswas as its new global chief…

    Olive Sen takes on the role of chief business officer- horizontal business unit, OLX India

    Movement May 22, 2025

    OLX India, the online classifieds platform, has appointed Olive Sen as chief business officer –…

    Accenture to promote 50,000 employees globally, including 15,000 in India

    News May 21, 2025

    Accenture is set to promote about 50,000 employees worldwide, by the end of June 2025.…

    Asia's No.1 HR Platform

    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram LinkedIn WhatsApp Bluesky
    • Our Story
    • Partner with us
    • Career
    • Reach Us
    • Exclusive Features
    • Cover Story
    • Editorial
    • Dive into the Future of Work: Download HRForecast 2024 Now!
    © 2025 HRKatha.com
    • Disclaimer
    • Refunds & Cancellation Policy
    • Terms of Service

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.