#116: Workers want to be plugged in

Are you one of those people who worry that your work is not staying at work, where it belongs, but following you into your private life? Yes, it is true that you no longer need to be at your desk to get work done. And, yes again, you can blame it on improvements in communications systems and the wide-spread use of mobile communications devices.

But it seems as if the opposite is actually happening. Managers should worry more about private communications invading the workplace. Today, workers expect to be plugged into their social networks while at work, whether by e-mail, instant messaging or mobile phone.

According to the Economist magazine, workers at a food-processing factory near Geneva revolted last year when the director tried to ban mobile phones from the factory floor. The workers argued that they wanted to be reachable during the day, just as people are who sit at desks. The director was forced to relent.


I’m james@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2007 James Henry McIntosh

James can be heard on Public Radio, 88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA.
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