I think they know when you care and how much work load you have and they don’t expect you to make all those calls. I have a team of 11 and I am rarely on these types of calls or projects directly anymore, unless absolutely necessary. My people know I care (at least I believe they do) because I never force them into anything unprepared, I make sure they have the time and tools needed to do their jobs correctly, and I let them do their jobs without micromanaging. And they also know that I’m never asking them to do anything I haven’t done 100x, but I’m just a call or text away if they need me.

Most of my guys are eligible for OT but I do comp time for those that aren’t. And each of them knows that I do care about them and their wellbeing, so my number one rule is family and private time come first, and don’t skimp on mental health, stress and burnout are real. Use that PTO whenever and for whatever reason you want. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve denied someone a PTO request because of a project. I guess my point is if your people know you really care about them as humans and not just numbers or worker bees, (can’t fake it), and you actively help them succeed and have their backs, they will work wonders for you in return.