New report says wireless tech means more work
posted June 17th 2005 3:41AM
Okay, wage slaves. Think all that gear the boss has been giving you — you know, the BlackBerry, the laptop, the smartphone — is actually making your life easier? Well, guess what? According to a new report, "Office of the Future: 2020," those gadgets are actually making you work longer hours than you would if you were just sitting in the office all day. Sure, you get to reply to email on the train, clean up your PowerPoint on the deck over breakfast, and join a conference call from the car. But you're doing those things instead of, say, reading the paper, talking to your spouse, or paying attention to the road. While none of this may come as a surprise to anyone whose boss expects them to be available 24/7, the report, from staffing firm OfficeTeam, basically says things are just going to get worse, so you'd better get used to it: "With the proliferation of wireless technology, staff will be expected to remain in close contact with the office while they're away," it says, in part. "Eighty-six percent of executives surveyed said workers will be more connected to the office while on vacation."
That might suck if you're not self employed. The upside is if you are self-employed. I'm able to travel almost everywhere, as long as I have access. (WiFi,WCDMA,EDGE, etc.) I'm able to goof off in Japan, Europe, USA for several months at a time with zero worries. Voice communication with clients, if needed, is a snap. As is instant messaging.
The answer to this is to let more people work away from the desk and at home. A lot of businesses in the UK are starting to do this, my dad included. Eventually he'll only need to spend about a day a week in his office, the rest will be at home/on the move on various hotspots with his Powerbook. If the employers treat this technology correctly, then employees can have a lot more time with family whilst working much more efficiently.
or....just turn off your phone while not in the office etc....i mean, you dont HAVE to clean up your PP over breakfast......learn to say no!!
As usual, your boss is looking to get you to make more money for the company. The problem is that while inventors see these things as "convenience items" or "labor saving devices", employers always - ALWAYS - see them as "productivity increasers". What does this mean to you? Your boss expects you to get more work done in the same amount of time; and because we can do more with fewer people, people start losing jobs.
I'm not a Luddite, but sometimes their point of view seems like it might be halfway sane.
People need to start saying 'no'. I will not work anywhere that expect me to be available 24 x 7 x 365. What good is a vacation if people from work can just call/email/page and bug you?
Duh.. No shit.. why do you think this technology was developed...?
Wake up.. the majority of PC's running are BUSINESS PCS..they're not meant for gaming or downloading music.. they're meant for really boring customer dissecting, cost cutting shit.
Okay? Wireless tech means you can be DOING WORK anytime, anywhere. It means pregnant women can stay working from home etc etc.. THAT IS THE POINT..
is this guy wearing a neck brace?