commentary Contrary to popular
opinion, always-on connectivity isn't eliminating our social
lives. In fact, it's giving us more time to do the things we've
missed whilst stuck in the 9-to-5 grind, writes Asher
Moses.
There are two dominant schools of thought surrounding the impact that ubiquitous wireless networking and always-on connectivity will have on our working and personal lives. The first is that it'll totally eliminate any semblance of a social life we once had, since we'll be able to cart the office around with us wherever we go and, as a result, the demands on our productivity will increase exponentially.
The second -- and this is the one that I happen to favour -- is that rather than obliterate our social lives, always-on connectivity and the increased flexibility it brings will allow us to break free from the office and actually socialise more. Sure, you'll be on call at unusual hours of the day, but think about how much more efficient you'll be -- particularly if your most productive hours aren't between 9am and 5:30pm! And besides, all newfangled technology comes with an "off" switch should you find yourself needing some down time.
Picture this. It's 10am on Monday morning. You've just woken up and are perched in your home office, downloading the plethora of weekend e-mails that await your response. You took the liberty of sleeping in this morning, since you spent an hour or so finishing off some work in your idle time on Saturday and Sunday.
You're in the process of bashing out an e-mail when your mobile rings. It's your mate from across the street, wondering if you're able to take an hour or two out from your day to catch up for breakfast. A plate of bacon and eggs would go down nicely after the booze-infested weekend you've just had, and your stomach rumbles in agreement.
You agree to meet with your friend, save a draft of the e-mail you're currently working on, grab your PDA and head out the door. You're not worried about getting behind on your work, since you know you'll be able to pick up from where you left off wherever you are. All of your important files and applications -- including e-mail -- are stored online, so there's no need to sync your PDA with your desktop each time your leave the office. Further, the wireless network that blankets your city ensures constant access to these files, so you can continue responding to your messages whilst waiting for your food at the café.
Are you starting to see past the Luddite cries of the naysayers yet? Are the social benefits of always-on connectivity becoming more apparent? What's more, we've just touched on one of the many scenarios where a seamless, completely mobile home office could benefit you.
Ubiquitous wireless networking isn't as far away as you may think. It's already close to becoming a reality in the UK, while a number of US cities have city-wide Wi-Fi plans including San Francisco, Manhattan, New Orleans and Philadelphia. It's just a matter of time before similar ventures hit Australia.
The only other ingredient necessary for a fully mobile workforce is the storing of our most-used files and applications online, and as we've noted previously, this is also a concept that is rapidly gaining followers in both tech savvy and mainstream circles.
Ultimately, rather than working for one solid eight-hour (or longer) slog each day, your work and social lives will be mixed. This may sound scary at first, but it'll undoubtedly result in increased leisure time and greater productivity. The implications of this are truly astounding, as basic economic theory has long seen leisure time and productivity as opportunity costs of one another.
Will always-on connectivity and ubiquitous wireless networks kill or enhance our social lives? Have your say below!
gziegler
04/03/2006 09:36 PM
errrr...how social is it to actually continue working on answering your e-mails while your friend sits besides you ? The problem of always-on connectivity is when stress sets in (that is: you get more to do than you can handle), you have bad conscience _constantly_, as you could work _wherever you are_. Travelling, for example, has been a safe haven for relaxation and contemplation - by now, you could easily be productive during that time, too - and to refrain from doing that requires quite some self-discipline if you are already under time pressure.
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Flajann Marcus
04/03/2006 11:22 PM
Wow, this describes my life to a 't'. With my PDA Smart Phone and laptop, I am always connected and spend lots of time hanging out at Internet Cafes and bookstores with WiFi connectivity, where I've actually met lots of really interesting people and made new business contacts! I love this life and I would have it no other way. I no longer measure my productivity in terms of hours spent working, but what I've accomplished for the day or week. This notion of being tethered to a boring cubicle for 10 hours is a thing of the past for me.
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Varis
04/03/2006 11:25 PM
I agree that ubiquitous wireless connectivity is always here. Wlan will be very widespread in 1-2 years. On top of that you have cellular data connectivity. We already have devices that are full-blown PCs, which you can hold with one hand and which go into your pocket just nicely. Nokia recently introduced a similar device as well, the Nokia 770, it is an excellent light-weight web browser which costs only $350. Microsoft is doing its own part in making these kind of devices a reality - you may have heard of the Microsoft Origami, something which you _might_ see in stores a few years from now. Even with communicators and smart phones, you maybe be able to do some remote work like answering e-mail and administering servers. However I think it's very difficult to make the utopia of mobile, flexible work to happen for everyone. For example, consider that it has been quite feasible to work at home for many people, because of DSL. However, few people yet do this and you have to ask why. I think reasons are many: if you concentrate your employees in the same location and the same time of the day, there is much more opportunity for important face-to-face communication. Also, I bet the huge majority of people prefer separating work and leisure in clear-cut slots, because that means you can concentrate on work better or you can relax better because you know you don't have any work pressures on you. There is also cultural lag as institutions and people's desires adjust to technology. It will likely take 10-20 years before we can even say for any certainty whether the vision above holds any water. You can read more on all of the above in my blog, http://icct.blogspot.com/
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Flajann Marcus
04/03/2006 11:26 PM
Wow, this describes my life to a 't'. With my PDA Smart Phone and laptop, I am always connected and spend lots of time hanging out at Internet Cafes and bookstores with WiFi connectivity, where I've actually met lots of really interesting people and made new business contacts! I love this life and I would have it no other way. I no longer measure my productivity in terms of hours spent working, but what I've accomplished for the day or week. This notion of being tethered to a boring cubicle for 10 hours is a thing of the past for me.
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h@aol.com
05/03/2006 06:13 AM
The rest of the world works 9-5 as normal business hours. Work those hours. Feel free to be where ever you want outside of those hours.
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NotALuddite
05/03/2006 08:55 AM
The key thing most detractors miss is the OFF switch. Sure you *CAN* be productive at any time, in any place, but it doesn't mean you *HAVE* to be productive all the time. It just gives you more options. For example, call my cell phone. I won't answer. See how easy that is?
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markus
05/03/2006 10:44 PM
I agree with your view of the opportunities inherent in this type of lifestyle but what's the point of advocating it when you're quite likely to loose the battle against dickheaded execs (being only a mirror to the conservative part of society) who will even question the -proven- reality of people having a productivity-curve quite deviant from the "norm" ? What's the point when there's not even the choice to argue those execs -even those well within the tech-sector- into letting you do your work from 9 to 5 at your home office ? And it's the same execs that will _expect_ you to _not_ turn off your switch while at home _and_ be 9 to 5 at the office. IMHO that's the point that those people you call "luddites" are trying to make. If public perception of effectivity in the workplace doesn't change -and with it the stance of the forementioned execs- always-on _IS_ a loss of social life.
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anonymous
06/03/2006 02:52 AM
I don't want to have my job and my social life mix. Neither would I want work and home to mix. They should stay seperate.
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James
06/03/2006 05:16 AM
"You took the liberty of sleeping in this morning, since you spent an hour or so finishing off some work in your idle time on Saturday and Sunday." What company allows work done "off-hours" to count towards hours put in during the traditional work day (9-5)? If that were the case, I wouldn't be back in the office until Tuedsay. No, no, no. Any time you put in outside the typical workday is considered "just part of the job" - the prevailing take is your time outside of work belongs to the company, not deserving of compensation in any form. Your compensation - the privilege of coming back to work the next day.
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Personal Time
06/03/2006 08:14 AM
Good points in your article, and that sounds great in Utopia. Fact is, employers already have trouble decerning personal time from their time. Supposedly, I get paid a salary to perform a job function for a 40 hour work week. Already employers believe they 'own' your time. So now that I'm on call via cell phone, I get calls during the weekend and my personal time (that technically, I'm not paid for). So what happens when always-on connectivity comes into play? The owner is now working 16 hour days, and exects me to? Eventually there will be no concept of company and personal time. Everything will blend, but the company will continue to use existing resources as much as possible to minimize costs and expenses. That means they will be eating up my social life, not helping to expand it. I will end up going to the office, then going home and working, then going out to eat and working, etc. That mentality was great in the dot-com days when people were making six figures, but would you do it for a measly salary? I doubt it.
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Fenn007
06/03/2006 10:18 AM
I would rather work for an eight-hour (or longer) day, my work is work and my social life shouldn't overlap. I was given a Blackberyy device and they where mixed. This was scary at first, it resulted in some increased leisure time and greater productivity. But the implications of this astounded me, as my wife could see that work was being on "our" home time and this was effecting our relationship. So once it was handed back (I changed jobs) our lives came back to normal. I can see where bosses use basic economic theory to increase productivity as opportunity to save costs to the company, but take the employees time and damage "the off hours" as the effect.
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Karynr
10/03/2006 09:25 PM
I'm astonished at anonymous's assertion that the rest of the world works 9-5. What world is that? If you work for a multinational organisation 9-5 becomes somewhat moot, since 9-5 in London doesn't co-incide with 9-5 in New York and Hong Kong. If your job requires person-to-person contact with someone based in one of these offices, you can hardly stick to the 9-5 rule, now, can you? If you're in California, you may have to field calls at 3am because something needs urgent resolution in the London office, where they are within their 9-5 window. The advent of the global village put paid to the practicability of clock-watching.
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