To be fair, I would expect people to 'check in' on vacation as well.
Not every day - but if you have real responsibilities - others may depend on you.
I know it's not ideal ... but in a 'week off' I'll glance at my emails every few days, and maybe once or twice fire off a little note. That little note can make a huge difference to the machine.
Unless I plan to be 'in Rome' or whatever, in which case I would plan ahead, confer and make sure there was no reason anyone needed me and they knew I could not be reached.
> To be fair, I would expect people to 'check in' on vacation as well.
Your expectation is unwarranted. If your company can't let employees off for a week or two without checking in, I suggest the management style and staffing levels be checked. Your employees need these breaks to attend to mental stress, and adding to their stress by expecting availability during their time off should be re-evaluated.
Responsibility is not a magic switch you can turn on and off.
You can't 'exit a system' if you have responsibilities, in a situation wherein that machine could break down in your absence.
If 'reading a few e-mails' is 'stressful' - then the person has issues working in a professional environment. 'Checking in' should not be stressful. It's just that - popping your head in to see what's up.
In reality - there is absolutely no escaping this for those who have responsibility unless there is a lot of planning, especially the further 'up the chain' you get.
That's why you have teams, I was on the senior level team. We shared the responsibility; thus, I shouldn't have to check-in. Other senior engineers went on vacation during my tenure there without looking at a single email or picking up the phone, so why should I have to be held to a different standard?
Not every day - but if you have real responsibilities - others may depend on you.
I know it's not ideal ... but in a 'week off' I'll glance at my emails every few days, and maybe once or twice fire off a little note. That little note can make a huge difference to the machine.
Unless I plan to be 'in Rome' or whatever, in which case I would plan ahead, confer and make sure there was no reason anyone needed me and they knew I could not be reached.
But those expectations should be set.