In some circles, it seems that managers consider it a good idea to be a role model, spending time working during vacation periods like the upcoming Christmas holidays. Apparently with the purpose to give the people they manage a good example to follow, spending some time themselves, thus increasing the overall productivity.
However, I'm afraid it's just not a good idea at all - on the contrary, it might rather be a bad idea. Vacations are not intended for work. Vacations are meant to be days off for the vacationing person. Time to spend to recover - recharge oneself physically and mentally to be able to once again perform optimally when returning to work and the daily life. And often, it will prove to be a better investment to let employees keep a clean conscience while doing nothing productive at all during vacations, rather than pushing them to squeeze some extra hours out of them, thereby only achieving a lower overall performance.
But this of course demands the ability to see the bigger picture.
(Translated from: Ferie med ren samvittighed)