Can an overworked nation blame technology?—Posted on April 22, 2008
Recent reports suggest that as a nation, Brits are overworked, regularly spending well over 40 hours a week in the office. Dr Cary Cooper, a professor at Lancaster University believes that the explosion of technology, which has lead to a ‘long working hours epidemic’ is at the heart of the problem. He believes that technology stresses instead of supports, as businesses increasingly demand an immediacy of response.
There is no doubt that a wider range of technology is much more readily available for companies, and that a higher proportion of the workforce is mobile. But is it fair that technology has to take the wrap for this ‘overworked’ phenomenon?
Technology – since the launch of the mobile phone in the eighties, has allowed us to work on the move – to clinch that all important business deal while on the train, or to ‘buy buy buy!’ while queuing for a lunchtime sandwich. Fast forward twenty years and technology is much more advanced. People now use technology as an extension to the office; BlackBerrys and laptops give people the choice of working where and when they want - as more and more people can replicate the same working conditions found in the office, on the move.
Mobile technology has a number of benefits – staff are retained if office locations change as they can work from home - and performance increases as employees work in their most productive environment. If your company employs a remote or flexible working policy and you work on your commute to the office, you have actually already completed a portion of your day before you hit the office – allowing you to leave earlier. If used properly it actually saves you time.
The real problem to be tackled here is that people believe that their company expects them to carry on working once they have completed their hours – they don’t, or at least they shouldn’t! For technology to be recognised for the help that it is, policy and implementation needs to be effectively managed. Employers must accept that once the workforce has completed their hours, they should not be expected to work long into the night, just because their BlackBerry continues to flash. It has an off button for a reason.
While it is true that there will always be a proportion of people glued to their mobile, or chained to their laptop, they are the people who would have worked long into the night anyway – and it doesn’t mean that normal people should follow their example, as this method of working doesn’t suit everyone.
In the fast paced world that we live, people sometimes do require an immediacy of response – technology enables this. However, mobile technology is about more than immediacy. It is all about flexibility, efficiency and working smart. It allows you to make your own hours, work where you want and puts you in control. After all, who did win that race, the rabbit or the tortoise? Of course it was the tortoise (in a close finish) but you can’t fault the rabbit for its flexible approach to the task.