Blackberry's and PDA's Bad For Work/Life Balance?

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/jasonlan/archive/2007/07/23/blackberrys-and-pdas-bad-for-work-life-balance.aspx">http://blogs.msdn.com/jasonlan/archive/2007/07/23/blackberrys-and-pdas-bad-for-work-life-balance.aspx</a><br /><i>"On Silicon.com in the past week there was an interesting article about the impact of Blackberry and PDA devices on Work/Life Balance. All of silicon.com's 12-strong CIO Jury IT user panel agreed BlackBerrys and smart phones have improved their productivity but warned it can have a negative impact on work/life balance without judicious use of the off-switch."</i><br /><br />Jason Langridge has a new blog post on some observations about how mobile device connectivity can encroach on personal lives. What about you? Have you found this to be a problem, and if so, have you found a solution, or is your significant other going to find a solution for you? :bangin: :wink:

[daS]

I think it just takes a little common sense to use these tools outside the office. If you are constantly distracted from your "significant other" checking email and taking phone calls, then you need to learn to set proper priorities.

On the other hand, if having a PDA allows you to get away from the desk and not have to worry about waiting for that important email to arrive, then these modern devices can enhance your personal life.

I take my Pocket PC almost everywhere, but I leave it in the car when it's not appropriate. For example, we recently had a nice romantic get-away in Monterey that would not have been quite so romantic if I was more focused on my Pocket PC than the wonderful lady by my side.

Actually, the Pocket PC is a source of good-natured ribbing. Like when we were trying to find a restaurant and by the time I got the GPS software working and entered the destination, we were right in front of the place! It wasn't the best display of technology :oops: but it was good for a few laughs.

On the other hand, the fact that we could get away and I could still make sure that things were running smoothly back at the office was impressive enough for the Pocket PC to be tolerated.

You just have to know when to put the toys away and focus on your life away from the office. And most importantly, learn to ignore the "inbox" alarm when she's talking to you! 8O

[that_kid]

Exactly it's all about balance and learning to detach yourself away from from. It's nice to be able to get a few things done during some otherwise idle downtime but if you are out with your significant other then that should be a high priority especially if this was something planned. I have my device set to stop getting e-mails right around the time I leave the office and usually I won't look at that device until the next morning.

[bkerrins]

Generally, I have more control over when I will or will not work, but I think depending on the corporate culture that may drive this type of behavior. I was specifically asked to monitor my emails this weekend (although I had taken a holiday to visit a friend out of state.) I was also asked to start providing 24/7 coverage to the operation. While as manager I may have signed up for being available, that is not true of my staff and I don't think the corporation should start imposing 24/7 on them.

[fresh-popcorn]

Its all about choices.
If you choose to work during off hours/weekends then its your own fault and not of the device(s) you carry.
There is a reason why all phones has a silent mode.

[Mark Larson]

Its all about choices.
If you choose to work during off hours/weekends then its your own fault and not of the device(s) you carry.
There is a reason why all phones has a silent mode.
People are not accepting the flip side of this coin.

This is work we are talking about, not an idle pursuit or a mistress. Work is what pays the bills, and if I need to be on-call when I'm out with my wife, she should be able to accept it since if I was out of a job I wouldn't even need the cellphone.

Some of us earn our salary by being on-call, some of us want to be there when the company needs us so we can get promoted and earn more.

Hardly anybody is a workaholic just for the sake of being a workaholic.

It would be like calling a mother evil for attending to the kids when they want attention. You wouldn't do that would you? You would rightly chastise the man for wanting his wife's attention when the kids need it.

The same goes for the job that puts the food on the table.

[r@dimus]

Rarely does my PDA cause my work life to interfere with my personal life. The interference is usually caused by me tinkering around on the thing for my own amusement.

[packetstorm]

[quote=fresh-popcorn]Its all about choices.
If you choose to work during off hours/weekends then its your own fault and not of the device(s) you carry.
There is a reason why all phones has a silent mode.
People are not accepting the flip side of this coin.

This is work we are talking about, not an idle pursuit or a mistress. Work is what pays the bills, and if I need to be on-call when I'm out with my wife, she should be able to accept it since if I was out of a job I wouldn't even need the cellphone.

Some of us earn our salary by being on-call, some of us want to be there when the company needs us so we can get promoted and earn more.

Sure to a point. My grief with this whole work/life thing is that sure, you may be required at some point to work on the weekend but what are the consequences if you don't answer the phone or respond to an email? Probably you'll be reprimanded and possibly fired. Most places will let you know in advance of hiring you that there is the potential that you will be required to work on the weekends as needed? What the heck does that mean? Are you going to be compensated for that time and how many hours does that include? It is open ended and if you work as a salaried employee the assumption is that you are going to work 60 hours + a week regardless. So I think that one has to realize when they sign on with a company, they need to understand what they are getting into and make sure the compensation for those extra hours is included in any salary negotiations they might have when taking a new position. To me it seems that people are all to ready to accept the fact they when they get a Blackberry, it's ok to check your mail 24/7. IMO, it is not. My commitment is to my family 24/7, not my job. I went into working as a contractor specifically for this reason. I get paid for every minute that I work. If there is an expectation that I am available on the weekend and I do actually put in the hours, I bill for it. Plain and simple.

Regardless, if you are working on the weekends, whether you are paid or not, you will be taking time away from your family that can't be replaced.

[Mark Larson]

Regardless, if you are working on the weekends, whether you are paid or not, you will be taking time away from your family that can't be replaced.
Who is suffering here, you or your family? If both, who is suffering more?

Who will suffer if I don't bring home the amount of bacon that I usually do, such as by accepting a job with lower demands that allows me to spend more time at home? Rising to the top means giving your all to the company, making sacrifices and being there when the company needs you. Young, single are taken advantage of because they don't have family demands (legitimate demands) and employers are much less likely to accept that you need some personal time for yourself than if you say your family needs you.

I myself have been told that my bosses expect me to spend more time here than those with families just because I'm young, single (applies even if you are living with an SO) and childfree. If I don't like it, I can leave. There's no lawsuit for the likes of me.

Many men have been divorced when they take time off, get fired or laid off, or work fewer hours - because they are straying out of their role of provider. Many men have been let go and replaced with women whom employers are much more willing to be flexible with, because a woman who wants to spend time with her family is accepted and is supported.

Such is reality, a bitter pill as it is.

[buzzard]

Some of this increasing involvement ,especially on weekends is caused when you find out that some co-workers are doing it and you're not. When your boss emails you on Saturday and you get back to him/her on Monday but your co-worker gets the same Saturday email and gets back to the boss on Saturday, what is the boss going to do the next time? What are you going to do the next time?

This mobile world we're in today isn't going to go backwards...when I was a kid, most stores weren't open on Sunday let alone 24 hours day and look where we are today. You can try to fight this, but it won't stop. You're going to have to figure out the best balance for work and family that fits your particular work situation and if you don't like it, you can always change it.

[daS]

Who will suffer if I don't bring home the amount of bacon that I usually do, such as by accepting a job with lower demands that allows me to spend more time at home? Rising to the top means giving your all to the company, making sacrifices and being there when the company needs you.
I think there is more to a quality life than just "rising to the top" in the corporate world so you can buy more "stuff".

I see too many people so focused on work, that they forget what they are working to achieve. Certainly I don't advocate ignoring your work or being perceived as a "clock watcher" at work. But I do think you need to set reasonable limits as to what you will do on your off hours.

I don't have any hard rules that say my email doesn't get checked after hours or on weekends. In fact, I do check it often so that if it's an important issue, I can respond quickly. On the other hand, I have told my boss a few times "I'm spending time with my family now and this doesn't appear to be an issue that can't want until tomorrow."

My attitude doesn't seem to have affected my position in the company. In fact, I recently turned down a promotion because I believe that it would have reduced our quality of life rather than increased it.

Many men have been divorced when they take time off, get fired or laid off, or work fewer hours - because they are straying out of their role of provider.
I would say that these men married the wrong women and these women married for the wrong reasons. A husband needs to provide more than just a never empty ATM machine. He needs to be there to spend "quality time" with his family. And if a wife wants someone that is never around but works all the time so she can drive a new SUV and spend her days at the gym while the kids spend all their time in daycare - her priorities are screwed up too.

Many men have been let go and replaced with women whom employers are much more willing to be flexible with, because a woman who wants to spend time with her family is accepted and is supported.
I think that's much more rare than you indicate. More often, companies discriminate against hiring women in the first place because they feel that women take more time off for family issues, maternity leave, etc..

But getting back to our topic...

These new tools of instant email and everyone having cell phones can be a great benefit for business. Problems can now get taken care of during off hours before they turn into full blown emergencies. Also, companies that need to provide 24 hour support, but have rare incidents, can do so fare more cost effectively than in the past when they had to pay someone to sit by a phone to wait for a call that almost never happens.

Cellphones, push email, remote computer access... these are all great tools that allow us to squeeze our work and private lives together. It's up to us to find the balance that makes the most sense.

[fone_fanatic]

I'm 22 and sell cars to people overseas and i'll just tell you guys replying to emails at 1:30 when i'm inebriated at a bar is not good for business :D

but when it comes to times with significant others... I know when to put the phone down and pick up my drink