It's no great secret that the way we work isn't really working. We know that everyone is burnt out; that we all spend our weekends bed rotting or staring at a blank wall; that we return from our little holidays feeling just as stressed out and drained as when we left; that no matter how ambitious and driven we are, no matter much we devote ourselves to our beloved career ladders, if we're really, really honest with ourselves, our jobs simply don't love us back.
In fact, according to one recent study, more than 35% of employees in the UK regularly arrive at work early or stay late, with younger people being more likely to work longer hours than their older colleagues. Some young people (almost a quarter, according to one study) are even taking on multiple jobs to make ends meet. Because, for the most part, jobs that would have once been considered well paid now no longer provide enough stability — a 2023 report found that cost-of-living crisis caused 84% of UK workers stress and anxiety. It's no great surprise that 29% of workers aged 25-34 reported feeling burnt out in 2024 — that's up from 23% the previous year.
Simply put, young people feel that they are working too hard for too little reward — and it's taking both a physical and a mental toll. So what's it all for? Well, we are told that it will one day all pay off. Retirement. The time when we are finally allowed to reap the benefits of decades of work and actually enjoy ourselves.
It's all rather depressing when you put it like that, isn't it? So depressing, that some young people have begun to question the system altogether: why are we working while we're young anyway? Why can't we take time off now rather than later? Why don't we create a new system that offers just a little bit more balance? Why don't we, take a micro-retirement?
The basic idea is that instead of working flat out until you reach retirement age, instead, you take mini retirements every few years. You work and you save for a few years, then you quit your job and you simply live for a year or so. Then the cycle repeats.
“This growing trend seems to be, in part, a reaction to hustle culture, which has long glorified constant productivity and burnout,” explains Auria Heanley, co-founder of Oriel Partners, a London based PA recruitment agency. “Instead of deferring enjoyment and rest until traditional retirement age, younger generations are rethinking what a balanced, fulfilling life looks like.”
Liz Wizdom, a 30-year-old from Naples, Florida, is one example.
“I think I might have been underestimating unemployment,” she says in one video, before explaining that she went on a micro-retirement by accident after getting laid off. “I heard this term called micro-retirement which is where instead of waiting until the end of your career to do all your retirement, you take breaks throughout your career instead and just, like, micro-retire for a year or two and I think I might rebrand my unemployment as micro-retirement,” she went on.
In another video, Wizdom explains that she went on to fully embrace the micro-retirement lifestyle. “Because this is what life is about,” she says in the video, before adding, “micro-retirement is about looking at unemployment differently and taking advantage to do the things I love most, whether that is travelling, getting into the best shape of my life, playing a heck of a lot of pickleball, and embracing every new opportunity that comes my way.”
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“For me, micro-retirement is a temporary, intentional break from traditional full-time work to invest in myself,” Wizdom tells us. “When I came across the idea of micro-retirement, I knew immediately that I had to try it. My former company had been doing layoffs for a while and I’d always had a backup plan for what I would do if it happened to me, which always included taking time off and traveling. I’ve heard stories of people waiting to retire and then being unable to do the things they’ve always dreamed of doing, mostly due to physical limitations. Life isn’t guaranteed, and I want to take the time now, while I’m young and healthy and adventurous, to make the most of this break from work!"
Anais Felt is another young woman who has tried the micro-retirment trend for herself, leaving behind her corporate job for an extended mini retirement.
“Taking a leap of faith and betting on myself has been transformative,” she wrote in the caption of one video about her experience. “And I’m just getting started! This time off has clarified my goals and what I want this next chapter of my life to look like. When I was in Seattle a year ago I had just left my job and was so nervous about what was to come….it all worked out!”
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And Felt and Wizdom aren't the only young people searching for new ways of working — although not everyone is going as far as to “micro-retire.” The trend falls in the same category as countless other recent career trends that aim to work against hustle culture and the burn out that inevitably ensues. Take the quiet quitting trend, which sees young workers quietly stepping back from their work addictions to, effectively, do the bare minimum at their jobs. Then there's the soft girl trend, which prizes cosiness and comfort rather than the severe pro-office culture of the girlboss era. See also resenteeism, the trend that sees people openly resenting their toxic jobs.
“We are hearing more and more about how Gen-Z’s are re-writing the workplace rules to prioritise their mental health and work-life balance, truly, and micro-retirement is just another example of this," says workplace author and expert Kirsty Hulse.
According to Hulse, this latest trend certainly has its benefits, such as “the opportunity to work, travel or explore hobbies.” Plus, it can, when done properly, fend off the endless cycle of burn out.
But… can it really be done properly? Is it really possible to leave it all behind for a year and then re-enter the job market? Just like that?
“Whether or not micro-retirement works depends on how it’s planned,” warns Heanley. “For some, it offers a much-needed reset and can even lead to greater clarity and creativity in their careers. However, it does require financial foresight, a flexible mindset, and a willingness to step off the traditional career ladder, at least temporarily. As workplace norms continue to evolve, this approach could become a more accepted and sustainable part of modern working life.”
Adds Hulse, “Depending on the company you are returning to, the gaps on your CV and lack of experience may raise questions from alternative employers. Although taking time away from work can help develop many skills that aren’t workplace-based and contribute to personal growth, you naturally fall slightly behind in professional experience.”
While micro-retirement may not be a practical solution for everyone, the trend is another sign that work is not working for young people. We are all reaching breaking point — and the search for the elusive work-life balance continues.
Whether the trend really works probably depends on a number of factors — from the person to the job to the employer. It's certainly working for Wizdom. “My life feels so free right now,” she says. “I've been able to invest in things I really care about — mostly time with friends and family — without being bogged down by a 9-5 schedule.” Honestly, it does sound pretty good.
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