1

The CIO article Why you shouldn’t completely unplug on vacation is a good read.

I keep tabs on e-mail though generally avoid actively doing work when I am on vacation (or at home in the evenings for that matter) unless it is a critical emergency.

How about other Spiceheads?

Do you unplug from work when on vacation?
  • Heck yes, when I’m away, I’m away.
  • I might check email, but I try to avoid real work.
  • I like to stay connected even when I’m on vacation. It means less to do when I return.
0 voters
65 Spice ups
2

Hell no.

It’s holiday, vacation, etc for a reason. If you’re reading emails then you’re still keeping tabs on what is going on. You’re on HOLIDAY. Get away from all that. Leave the god damned laptop/mobile/whatever AT HOME. Take a break from the tech.

If a company cannot afford you to be away for a week or two then it says more about the company.

43 Spice ups
3

I think integration is the way of the future and the way I currently try to run my life as well. I can’t completely disconnect because I’m a one man shop. So I check email on my phone often, but try to make sure it’s during family downtime so it doesn’t distract from whatever activity we’re doing together. That being said, I also take care of some family related tasks at work. If you have kids, there are phone calls and meetings that have to be done during normal business hours. The balance is exactly that, sometimes I work from home, sometimes I home from work…

26 Spice ups
4

I pretty much forget that work is a thing in my life while I’m on holiday. I never fully disconnect during the evening/weekends anymore but I don’t think work has even crossed my mind while I’m on vacation. I’ll have a read of the article and check back in later - maybe my opinion will change! (unlikely…)

2 Spice ups
5

I haven’t had a vacation in like 10 years, i have no idea what you’re talking about.

11 Spice ups
6

I TELL myself that I’m going to disconnect…but that little voice inside my head just won’t let me!!! I find I’m more stressed out when I try to let go…

4 Spice ups
7

That’s pretty sweet. I keep tabs open, too. My users know better than to call me unless it’s detrimental to my employer’s production, but I ask that they email me so I can have everything on record and organized. I’m hourly, and they pay me for vacation and any hours I work while on vacation so why not.

8

This is exactly how I feel but sometimes it just can’t be done. For one, I HATE coming back to hundreds of unread emails so I find myself looking at and deleting the unimportant ones while not doing anything during my vacation.

4 Spice ups
9

My employer tries very hard to not contact me when I am away so that I can have real downtime, however, as a one person shop, I am technically on-call 24/7 and that includes holiday time. So far all of my “vacations” have been long weekends at home. When I head for Japan in a few months, they won’t be able to get a hold of me by phone and I’ll be asleep during most of their daylight hours because of the time difference.

We also have a rule that when I am on vacation, my boss handles all help calls and no one is allowed to call me but him which cuts way down on the random help calls. We also hire an outside contractor to be on-call for the serious stuff while I am away. They were awesome a few years ago while I was recovering from surgery.

6 Spice ups
10

Not only no, but Hell NO. Being on vacation is just that. If you insist on staying in the loop, why did you bother going in the first place.

Me, I leave the phone home, go someplace the Verizon guy has never gone to, and do my utmost to forget there’s anything outside that experience.

Besides, it’s nice to know the Universe can run just fine without you, and if there’s a mess when you get back, oh well . . .

14 Spice ups
11

For the most part, I like to focus on where I’m at and what I’m doing. If I’m on a golf course I’m not on the phone. But if I’m unwinding at the end of the day, in my hotel room, watching Sportscenter, I may clean up some email and get an idea of what I’m walking into when I get back.

12

I know I have a difficult time pulling away from work on vacation…However, I do see the benefit of “unplugging” while on a break! I say go for it!

1 Spice up
13

Oh, FFS.

That article is ridiculous. If you cannot completely step away from your job for a week, and you’re not the President of the US, you’re flatly Doing It Wrong™. Your OOO notice should direct all incoming email to a delegated authority, who should be able to handle at least 90% of what comes to you while you’re out - if only to schedule meetings after your return. Polices and procedures should be in place to allow for proper workflow when one person isn’t available.

Keep in mind, kids, that article was written by someone claiming “CIO” as a title. She clearly has a slightly different perspective on things - but I’ll stand by my assertion. Individual mileage may vary, but her advice is straight-up bullshit for anyone not in a C-level position. Those who are C-levels should view it with a healthy bit of skepticism and weigh the few good points she makes against one’s personal work patterns.

12 Spice ups
14

I’m split on this one:

  • I think if you’re hourly, then absolutely don’t do anything while away…Even after work. Let it go! :stuck_out_tongue:
  • If you’re salaried, then you really do work 24/7. Maybe only 7-10 hours out of the day, but it could be 2AM - 6AM, and then Noon - 5PM…That’s part of the deal. If you’re salaried, you’re most likely in a position of more responsibility. This also means you may have to include work time in with other things. Also part of the deal.

Me personally? I will log into work sometimes just to catch up on E-Mails, especially if I’ve been out for a bit. I also provide my cell number for those that I’m working with, for emergencies. I work the occasional evening and weekend, especially if I’m pushing a milestone or requirement date. I also try not to schedule vacations around current project end dates, so launches can go as smoothly as possible.

15

My vacations involve being far, far away from anywhere that has electricity, forget cell coverage.

“Keeping tabs” is a cute idea but ultimately self defeating. If the company is SO dependent on you that they can’t survive a week or so without you what’s going to happen if you are incapacitated, or dead? No one should be that indispensable. Use the opportunity to make sure the documentation and hand off procedures are adequate. The company will still be there (and so will the work) when you get back.

1 Spice up
16

It’s all about redundancy of your position. Not everyone has it, and it’s a double edged sword. If you’re the only person that can do your job, they “need” you so badly you can never have time off. Some people want that trade off. But I took last week off and left all my outbound messages to say I’m not in the office, submit a ticket. For me, it doesn’t matter if I’m out. Everything I know is documented, everyone else on my team can do what I do. That might make me more easily replaceable than some, but I’d rather take that.

3 Spice ups
17

Vacation? What is this?

Seriously now, I tend to unplug. Unless the server’s on fire or the entire company has been held hostage by a group of armed baddies, vacation is vacation.

Otherwise? Forget that I exist until my vacation is over. I’m too busy healing my mind and body from years and years of stress.

18

Huh. I’m a one-man shop for a nonprofit, and my boss has emphatically said that he does not want to make an arrangement with a local MSP or another IT guy for “backup” while I’m on vacation. He also says that he does NOT want me to be on call for anything except critical emergencies.

I don’t exactly unplug, though. I feel that part of the value I give to the organization as a full-time, single-employer IT guy is that I am available if they really need me.

2 Spice ups
19

This. I won’t check my e-mail constantly like normal. I’ll check it once or twice a day on my phone while on vacation, if for no other reason than to keep it kinda clean so I don’t have a billion e-mails when I get back.

20

Totally disconnect. As a matter of fact as an avid camper, hiker, etc I do my best on purpose to find locations that will have the least chance of having connectivity.

Even when connectivity is available I am not checking in with work.

When I am on vacation…im OUT! Been doing it this way for 25 years.

2 Spice ups