On Working on Vacation
Published on Jun聽15, 2023 (updated Jun聽23, 2023), filed under management, misc. (Share this post, e.g., on Mastodon or on聽Bluesky.)
Working while on vacation can be a sign of extraordinary commitment and initiative.
But鈥攊t can also be a sign of disorganization and poor prioritization.
Working on vacation should be discouraged, because vacation is explicitly there to disconnect and recharge from work. Clearly, work on vacation is still work.
Working on vacation also sends the signal it was normal or even expected to work while on vacation. (The strength of this signal depends on role and responsibilities.)
Still, if not prohibited by law, it may be acceptable鈥攅veryone is an adult and manages their own time.
Working on vacation may be noted, then, to protect and guide the peer in question; but it should not be especially recognized or rewarded, so as not to provide an incentive not to take time off. That would be unhealthy, defeating the whole point of vacation.
And still!鈥攊f working on vacation is required, say, to help during an emergency, it may be recognized and rewarded by having the respective vacation days refunded, converting the time into work time, and allowing the peer to take off at a different time.
_ I do light work on vacation, because I love my work, because work doesn鈥檛 feel like work to me. But as a manager, my thinking around it has long changed, at least in terms of the signals it sends. This is my current thinking; it may change again; and I鈥檓 curious about other perspectives.
I drafted this one and a half years ago, my thinking didn鈥檛 change much, I鈥檓 publishing this鈥攐n vacation.
About Me
I鈥檓 Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I鈥檓 an engineering lead, guerrilla philosopher, and indie publisher. I鈥檝e worked as a technical lead and engineering manager for companies you use every day (like Google) and companies you鈥檝e never heard of, I鈥檓 an occasional contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and I write and review books for O鈥橰eilly and Frontend Dogma.
I love trying things, not only in web development and engineering management, but also with respect to politics and philosophy. Here on meiert.com I talk about some of my experiences and perspectives. (Please share feedback: Interpret charitably, but do be critical.)