Working While On Vacation

[flipstah]

Hey all,

So I'm set for an approved vacation mid-December and our team was just informed that we have a big project starting early December. This was just thrown into us and our resources are scarce so every single person counts.

Now they're just poking fun of me leaving when this massive task just came (vacation was planned first), but have you ever had to work during vacation?

I haven't been asked to do so but I feel like I should because it's integral for our success....

[rage2]

I don't think I've ever NOT worked during vacation.

[Perfect Dark]

Originally posted by rage2
I don't think I've ever NOT worked during vacation.

Haha yep, my phone rings no matter where I am or what I'm doing.

[lint]

Nope, never. But I'm a contractor and not that important.

[darthVWader]

Just set aside one hour of your day to check and respond to emails and calls. Stick to that one hour. The one hour should be poolside with a great view and a tall drink

[Disoblige]

Whatever.

The vacation was approved and usually you have primary and alternative delegate to cover your responsibilities when you are away.

Sure you could have a phone line available so they could ask you questions or have you guide them to do something but that's the most I would do.

And yes, check your e-mails.

[Euro_Trash]

Originally posted by darthVWader
Just set aside one hour of your day to check and respond to emails and calls. Stick to that one hour. The one hour should be poolside with a great view and a tall drink

Exactly! When I come home from a 2 week vacation with hundreds of emails, I don't feel like the vacation was worth it. I usually try to hammer through emails throughout my vacation. I am not very good at relaxing.

[BokCh0y]

Same boat as Rage2 here. Always working, I am.

[sabad66]

Work email on personal iPhone = never really on vacation

Sure I can turn it off temporarily but I'd rather not have any big surprises when I come back. Plus it's easier than wasting time training your cover person for something they will only need to know for a week or two.

If I were you I wouldn't try to get too involved in it since its starting up while you're gone... Once u come back just catch up and go on with it.

[A790]

Sorry, but I don't buy that.

I tell my employees when they go on vacation to turn their phones off, not check their e-mails, etc. It isn't much of a vacation if your brain doesn't have down-time.

Go on vacation and feel good about it. The vacation was approved, you booked it before. Feel good about it.

[FullFledgedYYC]

Work doesn't pay for my phone... so my phone is turned off while I am on vacation.

They also don't pay for my iPad, thefore my work email is not setup on it.

In conclusion, no. If they need you that bad they should approach you and ask if you can move your vacation.

I find the people that work on vacation seem to think they are more important than they really are.

[chibwack]

I don't work on vacation, but I'm just a lowly junior so not very important. But still, I make a point of not giving anybody at the office my personal number or email address. If they need to reach me when I'm on a beach in mexico, they can give me a blackberry goddammit.

But they won't, cause I'm just not important enough

[2Legit2Quit]

My phone is paid for by work but I turn off email and will check it at my leisure. I let people know to only contact me via phone only if it's a work emergency. Hard to properly de-stress if thinking about working and getting work updates all the time.

[CanmoreOrLess]

On your death bed you will have many regrets, going on this scheduled vacation will not be one of them.

Work will always have some pressing matter no matter the day or week, without this you would be out of work. Enjoy the vacation, check in once a day if you wish but really they will get along without you like they always do. If your office cannot function without you, you are currently underpaid and need to hit them up for a massive pay raise. Or you simply overvalue your importance, some do out of a sense of guilt. I cannot say one way or the other.

[vtec4life]

When you go on vacation all it will mean is your co-workers might actually have to do more than half an hour of work each day.

[Swank]

If I'm not getting paid then I'm not doing work. If they ask you to work while you're away make damn sure you're compensated for it.

[FullFledgedYYC]

Originally posted by CanmoreOrLess
If your office cannot function without you, you are currently underpaid and need to hit them up for a massive pay raise. Or you simply overvalue your importance, some do out of a sense of guilt. I cannot say one way or the other.

Originally posted by vtec4life
When you go on vacation all it will mean is your co-workers might actually have to do more than half an hour of work each day.

Poetry. So true, both of you.

[Paul]

Too hard to not be constantly connected to the office in some form, unless you leave your phone behind. Pisses the wife off, but I'm checking emails , texts, etc once a day or anytime I happen to walk thru a wifi hotspot.

Perhaps it's time to leave the phone at home.

[lilmira]

Yeah, no way unless I'm in the emergency response type of work.

If I notify the employer in advance of my time off, they should be able to schedule the work. If you only need a quick answer sure, anything longer than a few minutes phone call is way too long. If you phone me more than a few times a day, you'll be talking to a machine.

[Jlude]

Originally posted by A790
Sorry, but I don't buy that.

I tell my employees when they go on vacation to turn their phones off, not check their e-mails, etc. It isn't much of a vacation if your brain doesn't have down-time.

Go on vacation and feel good about it. The vacation was approved, you booked it before. Feel good about it.

This applies if you work for the company, but if the companies bottom line affects your bank account, you likely are unable to shut work off completely.

No matter what vacation I'm on, I spend an hour or two a day answering emails, reviewing drawings, etc. Depending on how things are going, I might have to spend more... but I also own the company, so I'm heavily invested in it's success.

At the end of the day, everyone needs a vacation and Cam is right, it's not going to be good for you to be focused on work when you should be enjoying yourself.