The whole family recently went on vacation to (where else?) the beach! The weather was perfect, and we really had a great time. Aside from the intra-family touch football scrimmage (our three on three game ended up in a tie, of course), we did absolutely nothing, which is how we would define the perfect vacation. Neither my wife nor I brought work with us, though I have to confess that I did check e-mails at least once a day.
I may have committed one of the most common faux pas, at least according to a recent article in the journal, Harvard Business Review. According to the article, e-mailing while you are on vacation is one of the sure-fire ways of ruining company culture. Did I send out any e-mails to anyone on my team? Nope. Did I answer any e-mails? I don't remember for certain, but I don't think that I did. So what is the problem here?
The problem with checking in via e-mail (or worse yet, by telephone) while you are away on vacation, especially when you are in a management position, is that you send two really bad messages. First, you are basically telling your direct reports that you don't trust them enough to be able to do a good job without your direct oversight. Second, even if unintentional (and even if untrue), you are sending the message that you expect the members on your team to be available, all the time, every day. Even when they are on vacation!
Vacations are meant to get away! With all of the technology available today, workers are never truly disconnected from work. There is no "off hours" in today's busy work environment. Vacation time should be sacred in this regard, if for the very reason that evenings and weekends are not. Unfortunately, according to a recent study referenced in the Harvard Business Review article, approximately one-fourth of all employees check in with work at least once a day during vacation. Importantly, employees who check in with the office while they are on vacation are less likely to actually take vacation. These are the same employees who need the time-off the most - they are the most stressed and the most likely to feel less valued at work.
As I have said a number of times, leaders lead. Managers and leaders should model the correct behavior. Unfortunately, only about 14% of managers "unplug" when they are on vacation. Even at the most senior levels of leadership, the vast majority check in with work at least once per day. We, as leaders, need to send the right message. Don't send e-mails or call the office when you are on vacation. Don't reply to e-mails either. Better yet - don't even check e-mail! Vacation time is "me time". Vacation time is family time.
If leaders can model the right behavior, they send two messages. First, they let their teams know that they trust them and that they can hold down the fort while the manager is away. Second, they let their teams know that vacation time is important to disengage from work. Send the right message!
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