I like technology, not love, but like.
I like technology because it has afforded me the flexability to work remotely. But at the same time technology can tie you to your work. A great site with ideas on work + lifestyle with technology is digitalnomads (disclaimer, while I was at Dell, I was involved in the design and operation of digitalnomads).
What I struggled with for years was how to put down the technology that tied me to the office – at Dell it was my blackberry, aka crackberry. First is was my friend, it enabled me to read and reply the hundreds of emails I received every day. It was never stated being issued a blackberry meant you work 24/7, but when you work for a global organization, someone around the world was awake and working. And having a blackberry in your hand kept you wired to the world – mostly email.
Now that I have left Dell and working at Ants Eye View, I work remotely, 2 time zones apart from majority of the team. We connect via Yammer, texting, email and some phone calls. We have not formally estabished “working hours”, but are aligned about taking time for our families, and are comfortable raising a concern if family is getting sacraficed.
My recommendation for those still on the crackberry with your jobs is to talk with your manager about expectations when you are on call and need to be reached. The technology is not the problem. The problem is human behaviour and the unspoken expectations at work. At Dell, I was pretty direct with my team about email and checking email late at night, on weekends. My philosophy was if you receive an email after 6pm local time, then respond the next business day working hours. All because I might be on email at 10pm, should not dictate you read and answer immediatly.
In a recent survey of 627 employees across multiple industries, 42% said they believe being given an electronic device means they need to be available to the company 24/7, while 57% said they prefer clear boundaries between work and non work. Additional thoughts from survey conducted by Human Resource Executive Online
Wether you use a Blackberry, iphone, or any technology device, know your boundaries. I am a recovering crackberry user, now chained to an i phone, so I don’t always practice what I preach, but always hopeful to make improvements in this area. If you have suggestions, please share them with me.