“I can see from your Out of Office that you’re on holiday, but...”

[NotoriousREV]

I usually bring my phone and check it once a day for the first few days or so. If people are stepping in and doing the cover as per arranged then I tend to check it less/not at all for the rest of the time.

Pretty much this.

[mik]

I have tried both approaches.

15-20mins per evening checking for fires that need put out. Means I dont properly switch off, but return to work is much easier.

Switch off completely. Great holiday. Hell when you return.... holiday forgotten within hours.

I think the best option is early retirement.....

[NotoriousREV]

I have tried both approaches.

15-20mins per evening checking for fires that need put out. Means I dont properly switch off, but return to work is much easier.

Switch off completely. Great holiday. Hell when you return.... holiday forgotten within hours.

I think the best option is early retirement.....

Also this.

[Swervin_Mervin]

I usually bring my phone and check it once a day for the first few days or so. If people are stepping in and doing the cover as per arranged then I tend to check it less/not at all for the rest of the time.

Pretty much this.

Same.

Well, for now!

[JLv3.0]

I should probably point out that right now I'm 99% unemployed and on permanent vacation which I thought would be fun but it isn't

[Broccers]

I can tell you that without Broccers even seeing this thread, he's deeply unimpressed

Haha - unforts too busy driving around doing last minute bailouts for my very demanding customer who pays my wages. But I work for me so its totally different. Previous to this week I had f a to do as most people are away but when they come back you end up sorting the mess they didn't sort while on holiday.

Its easier for me to do things on holiday but then my job is very much 'we need this today' these days.

On a car related note - first time Ive used 'e' in the golf and its quite good - av 38 mpg - not bad for sitting at 80

[Simon]

I'd suggest that you've got a structural problem then.

House of cards. And I'm in the middle, on the bottom row.

I can't be the only one who doesn't trust others to do their job right? As that's the real reason I can never have a proper holiday.

I have a few people I trust to get it done right (whether I'm there or not), but I've made the conscious decision that if things go wrong when I'm on leave it is the company's issue not mine. Might be that I have to pick up the pieces, but so be it. Helps that I'm not in any kind of operational role.

Edit: I do a detailed handover and put on hold what I can to manage the risk of things going wrong

DJIC. Everyone else is DIW.

Seriously, ALL companies around the world must plan for the fact that, just sometimes, through illness, annual leave, maternity leave or whatever, all people aren't going to be working at some time of the year. You need a system in place that deals with that. It's not a surprise that people will be absent.

As long as there's a proper handover and everything is communicated correctly then IF it all falls apart when you're away then your company has a problem. Why expend effort on a holiday 'staying on top of things' (and therefore not properly switching off) just to cover for a company that doesn't function correctly?

And yes, I return to hundreds of emails too. Luckily, Outlook threads the conversations and I can usually jump to the last email in a conversation and pick it up there. And those around me know that for the first couple of days back after leave I'll be catching up on emails etc. That's also part of having a properly functioning company.

Or do you all love work so much that reply to work emails in an evening is more important than spending time with a loved one on the beach or whatever?

[JLv3.0]

Yes, you are right. There is no middle ground.

[Marv]

I found some satisfaction on uninstalling the outlook app from my phone and using AD on a colleagues computers to disable my account, before I went on my sabbatical

[Simon]

Yes, you are right. There is no middle ground.

Good, glad we agree.

[JLv3.0]

Rev, you can lock this one now.

[Orange Cola]

The company is legally obliged to specifically pay you to not work X days a year, you're either in work or not and with the technology these days being physically present in work is no longer a necessity to be "at" work. One of the people I work with will do work during their holiday, in a weeks holiday they spend between 1.5-2 days working, which is time they don't get back.

The more you earn, the more the company expects you to give up your free time in return for that higher income, so I see that the balance is if you want to earn more you have to be prepared to make your job your hobby too and give that time up, because that's essentially what the company is buying in return for a smooth ride. It's not for everyone and that level of sacrifice does vary company to company and industry to industry.

In large companies at senior levels it's pretty much par for the course that you will only take holiday if the company is in a suitable position for you to be able to do so. Should you get a large or difficult project you might be lucky to get a couple of days off in 18 months but you'll be expected to be contactable, cancel, return early from or move those days that you do book off. But that's what a six or seven figure salary demands, or a small/failing company.

[PreacherCain]

Funny one, this. I used to be a “check in daily” person, on the basis that by doing so I’d avoid coming back to a firestorm.

Then at the start of this year I found myself having three months of sick leave, by definition unplanned and unexpected - and you know what? The world didn’t end. My teams kept the lights on and the engines running, and it was an object lesson in the fact that however indispensable you think you are, the water closes over your head awfully fast when you can’t be in the office.

This summer my out of office said “I’m away on leave till date x. I am not monitoring email. My underlings are A, B and C so contact them if it’s urgent”. I found it worked well, and I actually got to switch off. It was lovely. And I came back to work refreshed.

[Broccers]

Can't have that a vital job then.

[JLv3.0]

You've Been Broccers'ed

[Broccers]

[V8Granite]

If you’re important enough, people will wait for you.

Dave!

[Mito Man]

If you’re important enough, the company will go in the red and self destruct the second you don’t reply to an email.

[PreacherCain]

Can't have that a vital job then.

Evidently not as vital as yours, you cretin.

[Orange Cola]

Can't have that a vital job then.

Evidently not as vital as yours, you cretin.

No one is indispensable in a company. The higher you are the more quickly and easily replaced folk get.