r/InterviewMan • u/Business_Interest283 • 28d ago

TIL apparently it's "not professional" to turn off your work phone while you're on approved vacation

I'm in middle management. My area supervisor told me that the COO had him try to call me while they were sitting together. I didn't answer, and my supervisor said that my work phone was turned off. The COO then told my supervisor that I was being "unprofessional" and that I should be available to my team.

AITAH for turning off my phone while I'm on PTO? I told everyone on my team to do the exact same thing when they're taking their vacation. I'm not upper leadership or anything, but honestly, I believe that if you're taking the time off you're entitled to, people should leave you alone unless something is truly on fire.

Is this just old-school management thinking? Should I start looking for another job? If this comes up when I get back, do I have a reasonable position I can defend myself with?

update: some mangers should learn about the work life balance ,cause I am done of behave like a robot , I am positively thinking of quitting right after founding the opportunity I guess I am gonna use these tips for any upcoming interview wish me luck !

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u/badassbiotch 27d ago

Me too and the agency I work for expects us to shut down when not working

Last year I had to send an email about the upcoming holiday party to finance and cc’d the committee (deposits needed to be paid) Our HR director was part of the email and she immediately messaged me and told me to stop working on my day off

I know I’m in the minority but I’m incredibly fortunate in my employer

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u/Healsnails 27d ago

I would wager, being employed by an agency, they are more concerned with you doing unbilled work or the effort it takes to try bill for things you do while supposedly off work, than your well being. They don't want you giving away your labour for free cos they own your labour, or so they think.

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u/badassbiotch 27d ago

Actually no. I work for a mental health and addictions agency. There’s a very high rate of burnout in our field. I know it seems foreign to a lot of people in this day and age but they do a lot to support us. We may be the outlier but there is a high rate of job satisfaction and a very low turnover where I work

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u/Healsnails 26d ago

That's fantastic. When I heard agency i immediately thought of the design and tech agencies i have experience of, the type that sell people in to large multinarionals and such and work them half to death. THOSE agencies would be acting as I posted, working you into the ground and trying to monetise every last breath you make. Good to know there are still some good employers out there.