As a developer, I don't see why I need to be constantly alerted to emails. I check about once or twice per day for items that need to put on calendar but every/anything urgent is for the pager.
Unfortunately, middle managers gotta middle manage. And they don't get the adrenaline rush of having people under them unless they can tabulate those people.
Which is why a lowly web dev like myself is expected to carry around a company-issued phone even in my off hours. In four years I've never needed it.
