Should work email be banned during vacations?
- Thread starter probyn
- Start date
My team knows their jobs. We coordinate vacation time so that at least a couple of us are working and don't plan time off around when big things are going on.
Fuck work! I never check my work emails when on vacations. Setup out of office on email: Hello, I'm out of the office until DATE, if you want assistant email this person and fuck off as I won't be checking or responding to emails while away. So simple eh?
I think it's ridiculous. I actually like to work at home, alone. I find it hard to concentrate when surrounded by bunch of water cooler gossipers. I also tend to take naps in the later afternoon, and evenings are the most productive time for me.
I refuse to work for a company that has "core hours".
I think companies should not treat all employees like equal soldiers, and push some kind of "policy" onto them. it's best to adapt to their individual strengths for the most productive results.
I refuse to work for a company that has "core hours".
I think companies should not treat all employees like equal soldiers, and push some kind of "policy" onto them. it's best to adapt to their individual strengths for the most productive results.
In my case, running a successful business requires me to keep tabs on thing while I'm away. If there's a problem I want to be on top of it, not wait 2 weeks until I'm back. For me it's no big deal as I can usually take care of things in less than 10 minutes a day, from wherever I am in the world. I want my customers to be happy.
However, I don't expect my expect my employees to have to check email while they're away.
However, I don't expect my expect my employees to have to check email while they're away.
Then are you really on vacation if you have an electronic leash on?
Yep. It's not really a vacation if I need to worry about what's going on back at the office while I'm supposed to be away.
If you're in sales, upper management, or self-employed it is understandably a different story.
I would be happy with no texts, calls or emails while not on the clock. Basically if your not gonna die I don't care.
Isn't this a problem with your work? Take it up with your boss, or your manager if you are the boss. Who do you want to do the banning? The government? People already complain about this being a nanny state.
When I'm on leave, I'm on leave. But then, when I go home at the end of the day I don't take my work with me either.
When I'm on leave, I'm on leave. But then, when I go home at the end of the day I don't take my work with me either.
One size does not fit all. Some jobs make it easier to do this than others. Last week on CBC Metro Morning, Matt Galloway raised this same question - to unplug or not to unplug outside of work?
One guest was a senior guy at a cell phone company. He said he likes to stay plugged in, and he gets stressed if he goes too long without checking his email. For him unplugging would not make him more relaxed. On the other side was a lawyer at a small firm who said she used stay plugged in but she realized it was impacting her life outside work. Her solution, which became her company's policy was to let others cover for her. The only time to interrupt her outside of work was in the case of a real emergency. The test for 'real emergency' was taking it old school- If something happened and it was so urgent that it would be acceptable to phone her at midnight to break the news, that was a real emergency. Otherwise it could wait until work tomorrow, or Monday, or after vacay.
Many years ago I read about a large U.S. company that would shut down their servers during the weekend. Their employees were unable to plug in, leaving them forced to be with their families. Enlightened management or cruel and unusual punishment? You decide.
Several years ago one of columnists in either the G&M or National Post wrote on the same issue. Her take was that a good many people who insisted on interrupting their time with others at restaurants, etc were really being self important and disrespectful to the others in the group by implicitly saying 'I must check this text or email the moment it arrives because it will always have higher priority.' How many emails are so time sensitive that they demand a reply within the hour or day?
Also in her column she pointed out, correctly I think, that you could probably count on one hand, two max, the number of people in this country who really truly have to be reachable 24/7.
One guest was a senior guy at a cell phone company. He said he likes to stay plugged in, and he gets stressed if he goes too long without checking his email. For him unplugging would not make him more relaxed. On the other side was a lawyer at a small firm who said she used stay plugged in but she realized it was impacting her life outside work. Her solution, which became her company's policy was to let others cover for her. The only time to interrupt her outside of work was in the case of a real emergency. The test for 'real emergency' was taking it old school- If something happened and it was so urgent that it would be acceptable to phone her at midnight to break the news, that was a real emergency. Otherwise it could wait until work tomorrow, or Monday, or after vacay.
Many years ago I read about a large U.S. company that would shut down their servers during the weekend. Their employees were unable to plug in, leaving them forced to be with their families. Enlightened management or cruel and unusual punishment? You decide.
Several years ago one of columnists in either the G&M or National Post wrote on the same issue. Her take was that a good many people who insisted on interrupting their time with others at restaurants, etc were really being self important and disrespectful to the others in the group by implicitly saying 'I must check this text or email the moment it arrives because it will always have higher priority.' How many emails are so time sensitive that they demand a reply within the hour or day?
Also in her column she pointed out, correctly I think, that you could probably count on one hand, two max, the number of people in this country who really truly have to be reachable 24/7.
This is the same question as whether you should take work home, work overtime or sacrifice personal life for work.
It's your own decision. Some people love their work. Some people are self-important. Some people are defined by their work. Whatever.
I prefer to stay plugged in. I also take 8-10 weeks vacation a year (not including long and extra kong weekends I take here and there). Staying connected means I can stay away longer, and docket time so I don't feel so bad for that new watch I bought while on some shore excursion. Lol.
It's your own decision. Some people love their work. Some people are self-important. Some people are defined by their work. Whatever.
I prefer to stay plugged in. I also take 8-10 weeks vacation a year (not including long and extra kong weekends I take here and there). Staying connected means I can stay away longer, and docket time so I don't feel so bad for that new watch I bought while on some shore excursion. Lol.
Yes. Exactly. I think this is as much a problem of corporate policy as it is various individuals not knowing when to stay connected and when to not.
Again, for anyone involved in senior positions, sales etc, it is simply not realistic or feasible to unplug.
For most everyone else, it is often a problem of not realizing their presence isn't needed all of the time, that business can continue without them. Some simply like to believe their job is so important that they are required to be in contact at all times.
For many of those, I can only say 'get a life'; what is sad, however, is that many of those who do have family lives etc, would rather be impulsively checking their Blackberries then enjoying the time off with their families or SO.
LOL. According to the poll, I'm the only guy who voted Not Sure at this time.
To me, it depends on the situation. Anyone who works in any office and gets a smartphone will get the usual emails during vacation, and even after work some people will still do some emails after dinner.
Whether someone needs to respond or not, or is expected to respond or not depends on the emails. 99% of the emails I get during vacation or after hours isn't important. I can either ignore completely or I'll get to it when I'm back.
But for that 1% of urgent emails, I respond. To help out the company, boss or coworkers who need urgent help I'll do it.
People shouldn't be so black and white. I'm sure many of us on vacation have asked coworkers to cover for them, or even during vacation sent an email to a colleague to do something while they are gone because they couldn't do it in time. It's a two way street. For anyone who doesn't want to be bothered during vacation, but asks coworkers to do their work for them while they are gone is a double standard.
To me, it depends on the situation. Anyone who works in any office and gets a smartphone will get the usual emails during vacation, and even after work some people will still do some emails after dinner.
Whether someone needs to respond or not, or is expected to respond or not depends on the emails. 99% of the emails I get during vacation or after hours isn't important. I can either ignore completely or I'll get to it when I'm back.
But for that 1% of urgent emails, I respond. To help out the company, boss or coworkers who need urgent help I'll do it.
People shouldn't be so black and white. I'm sure many of us on vacation have asked coworkers to cover for them, or even during vacation sent an email to a colleague to do something while they are gone because they couldn't do it in time. It's a two way street. For anyone who doesn't want to be bothered during vacation, but asks coworkers to do their work for them while they are gone is a double standard.
The smartphones and remote access technologies are also convenience for the employee, to enable balance between work and life. It used to be that if we needed to do something out of office hours, we had to go in to the office. Long hours meant being at the desk, same with weekend work. Technology has changed how on-call work takes place; instead of shifts at a desk, you are expected to be reachable. As long as there is compensation, okay.
For vacation, people should switch off, except for rare exceptions. People need time to recharge, get out, smell the flowers. The company benefits from that too - new energy, new thinking. In addition, in some jobs, it's actually good for a company to demonstrate they don't overly rely on a single person. Don't want to find that out the hard way that someone is the only one with the passwords or keys, knows where crap is, etc.
In fact, some jobs have a mandatory block leave for regulatory purposes. Ie securities trading, etc. Staff need to be off for a continuous one or two week period, and companies often yank their access in that period, to show that one person does not have undue control.
For vacation, people should switch off, except for rare exceptions. People need time to recharge, get out, smell the flowers. The company benefits from that too - new energy, new thinking. In addition, in some jobs, it's actually good for a company to demonstrate they don't overly rely on a single person. Don't want to find that out the hard way that someone is the only one with the passwords or keys, knows where crap is, etc.
In fact, some jobs have a mandatory block leave for regulatory purposes. Ie securities trading, etc. Staff need to be off for a continuous one or two week period, and companies often yank their access in that period, to show that one person does not have undue control.
