Technology

Volkswagen regularly organises digital blackouts by stopping the email server for some employees who use Blackberry 30 minutes after their shift ends and restores it 30 minutes before work the next day! Boston Consulting Group has tied up with a research centre, and high-powered consultants are required to switch off their gadgets after work once a week. Intel Technologies has initiated humorous enforcement of temporary moratoriums with ‘Quiet Time’ and ‘Zero E-mail Friday’. Deloitte too imposes a ‘No E-mail Friday’ rule for its staff. Tech fasts and tech cleansing is quickly taking root in several thoughtful and progressive organisations. In fact, a ‘No E-mail Day’ was organised online urging people to log out of their e-mail accounts for a day. Doesn’t this sound ironic and downright weird' After all, the very purpose of emerging technologies is to impart flexibility and mobility to the traditional offices. And internet, email, social networking sites, smartphones, tablets, cloud computing etc. have definitely revolutionised the workplace with telecommuting, virtual offices, outsourced call centres, cloud meetings and the like. It’s the era of instant communication as, armed with Blackberry and Ipads, employees can literally work from anywhere anytime, reaching out to people/data around the world, that too in real time. Emerging technology, therefore, is the answer to all troubles as it saves time, lightens workloads, facilitates easy access, imparts freedom and increases efficiency, productivity and business performance. Employees can eliminate monetary waste and deliver top results every time! The digital paradox But the reality is far from expectations. The constant connectivity is breaking barriers and invading employees’ personal life as they carry work home with them, actually every where. There is no personal time or work-life balance anymore as everyone is plugged in 24/7 – working longer and longer hours - on the commute, at home, on weekends, even during vacations or sickness. Nothing is sacred anymore. As Kate Southam, editor, www.careerone.com.au remarks, “People are not saying 'I’m leaving office, it's the end of the business day'. They are saying 'I'll pop in the earpiece and have a few phone calls on the way home, I'll respond to a couple of emails at home.’ People have no way of having a nice neat line in the sand between work and their non-work life”. So much so that a recent survey states that compared to just five years ago, 72 percent employees are working longer hours, with 66 percent saying they work more than 40 hours a week. While 56 percent reveal that email has increased their workload, 72 percent admit that it infringes on their personal lives. A whopping 79 percent revealed that they regularly take job related calls, even when work hours are officially over. The prospect of full-time availability is leading to higher employer expectations as employees are expected to be at the beck and call of the management/customers round the clock. It increases accountability too, given that there is no excuse whatsoever not to check work-related mails or take business calls beyond work hours. People are working all the time; they can never really ‘get away from it all’ in the true sense of the word. Research by Harvard professor, Leslie Perlow, author of Sleeping with your Smartphone reveals that even while on vacation only 2 percent of managers and professionals turn off their devices. The obsessive digital workloads, information overload and relentless technological interaction aggravated by the restless impulse to constantly check mails/calls/texts not just interferes with quality of life but also drains productivity, physical health and mental well-being. Employees rue the constant accessibility as always being ‘on call’ leads to anxiety, burnout and ultimately depression. Another dark side emerges as the internet is a huge distraction with employees constantly browsing the web, checking personal emails, logging into social networking sites and playing online games while supposedly working. The growing addiction supersedes everything with negligible face-to-face human interactions; it wastes time and drains productivity as well. So, where’s the question of improving performance or efficiency' Keeping things in perspective The tools to bolster productivity are right here; but we are not truly becoming productive. Yet, there is no stopping technology and we cannot truly ban it from the workplace. Instead, why not use it smartly and maintain a sense of proper balance. A corporate shift is the need of the hour with organisations firmly committing guidelines about disengaging from technology and discouraging incessant internet check-ins. Professor Dalton Conley, author of Elsewhere observes, “Companies are increasingly realising that employees need to be disconnected from time to time and giving workers time to chill helps ultimate long-term productivity.” Management should also temper expectations and not expect continuous access to the employees. Encourage them to switch off electronic devices to both lighten workloads and increase face-to-face communication. Employees themselves should establish boundaries and limit connectivity – stop accessing mails during off-hours or turn the mobile off. Unplug - remain electronically unreachable for short periods - to gain control over the increasingly obsessive disruptions. The results will be there for all to see – a more relaxed, empowered and satisfied workforce with work-life balance in tow. Professor Perlow also confirms that disconnecting from the workplace fosters a healthier, happier lifestyle. He reports from his Boston Consulting Group trial, “People initially resisted turning off their gadgets, but eventually responded favourably and actually improved their work performances when allowed one night off from accountability.” Payal Chanania