Ask HN: My boss ask I take my emails while on vacation

There is both opportunity and threat hidden here.

Threat - if the program/project genuinely requires that the manager needs to on emails regularly and if you don't give what it takes to a manager of those programs/projects, they might replace you with someone who does.

Opportunity - if you check your emails in vacation and take proper action, then you will gain trust from management and they don't even bother whether you are in office or in vacation. they might even give more responsibilities.

Because business never goes on vacation, you cannot tell customers that key person is in vacation. You can find someone to act as a manager when you are on vacation. But that person might replace you, if you are not very careful.

In a larger company, you have people who can realistically take on your duties. In a company that small, it doesn't seem like anyone can fully. You are a small enough company that you're almost in that realm of nobody really gets a vacation, you just take time off and hope there's not any emergencies that require you jumping back into work.

I'd come at this from the point of view that no, holiday means no contact.

It is not "normal" for managers to be available to be called while they're on holiday. When I've been in management roles the rules have been the same as non-management rules. Holiday is holiday: you're not there.

What that means is, if your manager needs support while you're away, you and he need to have a discussion about what cover looks like such that you personally don't need to be there. What can you delegate up or down? Is there a peer you can hand some responsibilities off to temporarily?

If he's not willing to have that discussion at all, that's a real problem, but I'd approach it as a problem to be mutually solved.

For a startup with only 6 people and you are one of the managers/leaders of managing others, there could be exceptions the team needs your decision while you are out on vacation.

This depends on the work culture at your company and in the country you are in as the labor law and norms varies. My own experience has been that it's entirely possible (imaging your 2 direct reports are roadblocked waiting for you to make a decision) and your role is so crucial that your boss depends on your to make an informed decision, your attendance on email responses could be important. Obviously, if it's a short vacation and everything is planned out and prepared for, your response on emails would probably not needed.

Again, I don't think there is a common scene here you can find on HN.

It is unreasonable. It’s just been normalized in certain settings. I’ve been in teams like that, and having to check in while on vacation makes it hard to take your mind off of work. Its one thing if my manager asks for my cell phone in case there’s a true emergency. But having me check my email every weekday? No. Boundaries are healthy.

I’m never again working in an environment like that if I can help it unless the company really makes it worth it, and let’s be frank most small companies can’t afford to do that.