Can’t turn it off!
Most people would agree the progress of technology in the last decade as being a great advantage to employees and employers. The development of smartphones and the Blackberry has had a huge impact on employee productivity. They make it easier to keep on top of our work right? Lets us leave our laptops/PCs in the office – handy – so that we can ‘check in’ on emails when we’re out of the office. They let us multi-task.
But they are also impacting negatively on the workplace; we can’t switch off! For many business folk, the BBM is not a useful gadget anymore; it’s essential. Hence the rise of the phrase ‘crackberry’. On the plus side, smartphone technology enables employees to respond to emails immediately, which is inevitably great for the company. They can also give a sense of importance within the company, of empowerment and control over your work. Companies benefit in two ways here; you feel more connected and valued by your employer, and you probably spend more time working for them. The trick is; you don’t think you’re working. Most people would say that being able to check emails while stuck in traffic, en route to work, waiting in car parks to pick up kids, or watching tv late at night, makes the next day’s work easier by breaking down the mass of emails that we dread seeing. But the trouble here is we can’t manage to switch off! It makes us feel a little less stressed the next day right? But it is also extending our working day; it encroaches the morning and night, and lunchtime of our out of office time.
Technology is seductive; it can trick us into thinking we are independent, in control of our time. By virtue of being held in our hand, BBMs give the impression of being easy to control. We need a greater sense of self-discipline. We have to recognise that choice does exist. We can choose to always be tuned into our blackberry and constantly checking email. And no-one will tell us to stop. It is up to ourselves. So we have the responsibility to consciously choose the times that we are happy to look at it and the times we have to put it away.
But they are also impacting negatively on the workplace; we can’t switch off! For many business folk, the BBM is not a useful gadget anymore; it’s essential. Hence the rise of the phrase ‘crackberry’. On the plus side, smartphone technology enables employees to respond to emails immediately, which is inevitably great for the company. They can also give a sense of importance within the company, of empowerment and control over your work. Companies benefit in two ways here; you feel more connected and valued by your employer, and you probably spend more time working for them. The trick is; you don’t think you’re working. Most people would say that being able to check emails while stuck in traffic, en route to work, waiting in car parks to pick up kids, or watching tv late at night, makes the next day’s work easier by breaking down the mass of emails that we dread seeing. But the trouble here is we can’t manage to switch off! It makes us feel a little less stressed the next day right? But it is also extending our working day; it encroaches the morning and night, and lunchtime of our out of office time.
Technology is seductive; it can trick us into thinking we are independent, in control of our time. By virtue of being held in our hand, BBMs give the impression of being easy to control. We need a greater sense of self-discipline. We have to recognise that choice does exist. We can choose to always be tuned into our blackberry and constantly checking email. And no-one will tell us to stop. It is up to ourselves. So we have the responsibility to consciously choose the times that we are happy to look at it and the times we have to put it away.
The need for more restraint with mobile technology isn’t just for personal wellbeing, but also necessary to re-set workplace expectations. The ‘always on’ culture which pervades many organisations today is a vicious circle. Higher expectations of work turnaround filter down from the behaviour of senior workers, fuelling expectations for more junior employees who feel obliged to reply to emails out of office hours. It becomes a competition; if you are seen replying to emails late at night, it gives the impression you’re utterly dedicated and working all the time. And therefore all the more need for a blackberry/smartphone!
So, how do you feel your blackberry or iphone impacts on your worklife balance? Are you waiting for someone else to say stop!?
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