It’s July, and many Midwesterners are flocking to the lake, driving south to go to the beach, or simply sticking around to enjoy the fleeting hot weather at their local pool.

Even Pope Leo XIV, arguably one of the busiest and most important people in the world, is taking a summer vacation. (True, his break includes six weeks off, something most of us can only dream of.)

That’s why we were intrigued to see a new Gen Z term crop up.

A “micro-retirement” refers to the growing trend of taking unpaid time off when younger workers haven’t yet accrued sufficient paid vacation days. According to the Fast Company article that catapulted the trend to the national spotlight, this can take a few different forms. You might quit a job and re-enter the workforce only when you’re ready, or you might arrange with your employer to take regular, unpaid breaks from work. If you’re an entrepreneur, it might mean stepping away from your business periodically and letting others do the work.

It’s so popular that 1 in 10 Americans are doing it, if you believe a recent study from Sidehustles.com, a gig and part-time job board.

Hustlers reading this may be perplexed, scratching their heads, unable to fathom how someone can be a successful entrepreneur while walking away and unplugging. People without sufficient savings or financial support likely aren’t so comfy with quitting a job without knowing there might be another role waiting when they are ready to go back to work.

All of this is to say, the need for new branding is confusing to many of us. A vacation is temporary rest from work. Retirement is a permanent exit from it. Gen Z’s “micro-retirements” land somewhere in between — and that’s part of the confusion.

Rather than roll our eyes, we ask: Why do Gen Zers feel the need to rebrand vacation? Are they uncomfortable taking time off? Are they even getting enough of it? Or is something deeper going on?

Younger generations are less likely to use their vacation time even when they have it. Research shows Gen Z and millennials take about one week less vacation each year than workers 55 and older. And instead of using vacation to recharge, many Gen Z workers are taking paid time off to care for loved ones.

This paints members of Gen Z in a more nuanced light than they’re often given credit for. While older generations tend to see these younger Americans as the TikTok generation, it may be that technology and our country’s increasing tendency to saddle younger generations with economic uncertainty may be taking its toll.

It’s possible the micro-retirement trend is actually a cry for help.

For a long time, there’s been a nagging sense among younger American generations that they won’t be able to retire the same way their parents did, or will sometime soon. That’s especially true for Gen Z. A 2024 report from the TIAA Institute and UTA’s NextGen Practice found that many adults under 27 don’t expect to retire in the traditional sense — echoing earlier data showing nearly half either don’t want to retire, can’t afford to or haven’t thought about it.

In Illinois, many of today’s retirees were able to quit working at age 55, living for decades on public pensions and making as much as they did during their career if they were, say, public school teachers. That will not be normal in 20 or 30 years when millennials and Gen Z are in their 50s. Still, both generations are saving for retirement, with Gen Z doing so at a surprising clip. Which leads us to believe they understand what “retirement” means.

Please, let’s preserve the discreet meanings of both terms: Vacations are a necessary and useful break that keep us invigorated, able to be in our careers for the long haul, and leave us happier and more productive. Retirement is the last big adventure, a respite and release before, well … you know.

We stand with Merriam-Webster, which had this to say about “micro-retirement” on the social platform X:

“‘Vacations.’ The word is ‘vacations.’”

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