Remote or mobile working has proven to successfully increase productivity of organisations. Today’s businesses require face-to-face contact with customers and prospective customers, suppliers, and partners. Mobile devices allow an employee on the way to a meeting to research the background of... |
Remote or mobile working has proven to successfully increase productivity of organisations. Today’s businesses require face-to-face contact with customers and prospective customers, suppliers, and partners. Mobile devices allow an employee on the way to a meeting to research the background of a prospective client, thus saving time and increasing productivity of the employee.
The mobile technology has been able to keep workers connected 24x7 but a recent study by a researcher, Gayle Porter, finds that the fast and relentless pace of technology-enhanced work environments creates a source of stimulation that may become addictive.
Tech Addicts May Sue Employers
Gayle Porter, an associate professor of management at the Rutgers University School of Business at Camden suggest that while addiction to work has been a widespread phenomenon for some time, employers may face legal liability for these addictions.
"It may be unfeasible to regulate how much people use technology," says Porter. "However, it is reasonable to imagine a time when policy-makers recognize the powerful influence of employers that sometimes results in harmful excess among the workforce. The pressure for using technology to stay connected 24/7 may carry employer responsibility for detrimental outcomes to the employees," said Porter.
Addiction to Tech as Harmful as Chemicals
"There are costs attached to excessive work due to technology," says Porter. "Information and communication technology (ICT) addiction has been treated by policy makers as a kind of elephant in the room -- everyone sees it, but no one wants to acknowledge it directly. Owing to vested interests of the employers and the ICT industry, signs of possible addiction -- excess use of ICT and related stress illnesses -- are often ignored."
The results can be devastating for both the individual worker and the entire employing organization. "Addiction to technology can be equally damaging to the mental health of the worker," noted Porter.
Business Executives Admits Mobile Devices have Improve Life
Blackberry and other wireless devices are addictive but most business executives admit that the technology has improved the balance between their work and home, according to another study by recruitment Korn/Ferry International.
According to a the study by, the 81 percent of more than 2,300 global executives surveyed say they are connected to work through mobile devices -- cell phone, PDA, laptop or pager -- all of the time. 38 percent of the respondents strongly agreed that they spend too much time connected. However, more than three-quarters (77 percent) of respondents believe that mobile communications devices primarily enhance work/life balance rather than impede it.
"Communications devices have become an increasingly ubiquitous part of our daily lives," said Richard Spitz, global managing director of Korn/Ferry’s Technology Market. "They serve as a conduit for communicating with colleagues, business associates, family and friends around the world, allowing us to interact instantaneously.
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