Before I went on vacation
(to attend the Consumer Electronics Show),
I asked about my coverage for the week.
I was told by my female boss
“Don’t worry about it.
Enjoy your time off.”
It was a flippant statement.
She is a nice lady
and wants to be liked.
She thought the nice thing
was to give me a worry-free vacation.
It sent the wrong message.
We worry about tasks
we’re responsible for.
By telling me not to worry,
she took that responsibility away.
For a couple of minutes,
I felt free and easy.
Why was I working until midnight
to finish up the year end?
It wasn’t my responsibility!
…Then I remembered
I was a professional.
If your employee is responsible
for a task,
don’t tell her not to worry about it.
This is really a personal issue and depends on the relationship between the two people.
Some people who work really hard and are super professional, need to be told by their boss that when they go on vacation it is ok to be on vacation and not check in or worry about the office all the time. Others would see this as condescending by their boss. Sounds like your situation is something different. But, I don’t think this can be a rule.