Managers Working During Vacation Creates a Culture of Overwork and Blurs Boundaries

Summary

In fully remote companies, top-level managers often continue working during their PTO—checking emails, sending Slack messages, and joining calls—which sets a toxic example and pressures others to do the same. This erodes work-life balance, makes employees feel guilty for truly disconnecting, and creates a culture where overwork is normalized. Existing policies around PTO are often not enforced, and there is no effective way to enforce boundaries for leadership without broader cultural change. This leads to burnout and resentment among remote teams.