October 6, 2008

Is technology making your job more flexible or just increasing your workload?

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This summer, I wrote a post called Is work/life balance dead, or is it just being redefined by technology? Many of you had a lot to say on the topic.

But a recent study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project makes me think that the real question might be, Is technology making your job easier or harder?

It's no surprise that 62 percent of U.S. employees with full-time or part-time jobs use the Internet or e-mail on the job, as the Pew study reports.

Nor will it come as a shock that 58 percent of these employees said that, thanks to webmail and mobile devices, they have more flexibility in the hours they work. While the study doesn't say as much, we all know employees who trim their commuting time by working from home at least a few hours a week (a morning here, an afternoon -- or even a Friday -- there).

I'm also guessing you won't be surprised to hear Pew found that, "One in five employed e-mail users and half of Blackberry and PDA owners say they are required to read and respond to work-related emails when they are not at work." And that the higher a person's salary, the greater the expectation that they'll stay connected after hours and on weekends.

What's disheartening -- though again, not much of a shocker -- is that nearly half the workers Pew surveyed said that due to the convenience of the Internet, e-mail, instant messaging, and mobile devices, the demands of their job have "intensified." And 16 percent of workers polled held technology responsible for increasing the demands of their job "a lot."

I've certainly noticed the changes over the years in my own work life. I won't even bat an eye now when a client or colleague sends me an e-mail with a matter they'd like addressed first thing Monday morning -- with a timestamp of 11 p.m. on Sunday night. Nor did it seem strange to me last week when a friend who left for ten vacation days in Europe brought his bulky laptop with him, just so he could "check in on how things were going back at the office," even though it wasn't expected of him. (I'm sure I would have done the same thing.) 

So where do you stand on the tech continuum? Is being wired 24/7 making your work life easier (perhaps with added telecommuting privileges), or is it making it a living hell (thanks to the incessant chiming of your inbox after hours)?

Michelle Goodman is the author of "My So-Called Freelance Life" and "The Anti 9-to-5 Guide." E-mail Michelle at mgoodman@nwjobs.com

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1 Comments

Ray Sotkiewicz on October 10, 2008 1:26 PM | Reply

For me, the pendulum has swung in the other direction. I focus on making my career a strictly 9-ish to 5-ish job. If I do check email off hours, it's because I want to and only because I want to. Setting the expectation with your employer at the beginning is crucial to managing those expectations further into your employment.

I've worked at companies where I've devoted my heart and soul, and subsequently ended up losing both. I no longer dilute my salary due to high demands and off-hours expectations.

No one on their deathbed will ever say "I'm really happy I worked all that overtime..."

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