Why home work can sometimes equal more work

Undoubtedly, technology improves our lives in many ways, from making telephone calls on the move to buying groceries from the comfort of our homes.

Over the past decade daily life has changed beyond recognition, with powerful microprocessors freeing us from many of our mundane chores, and cheap high-speed telecommunications helping us to keep in touch with almost anyone at any time. The world is now a much smaller place thanks to technology, and the workplace hasn’t been bypassed.

For some time, remote working has been on the rise, spurred on by proliferation of low-cost broadband and mobile technology. Nowadays it is commonplace for an office worker to spend at least some time working from home, and this is a trend which is certain to increase in the future. Indeed, the flexibility to fit work around home commitments can be a big attraction to improving work-life balance, not to mention other benefits such as reduced travel and lower office costs for the employer.

These boons are celebrated by HR departments and technology evangelists, but we should be conscious of the sinister side to this flexibility.

In my experience ­ working for a large multinational which has wholeheartedly embraced virtual working ­ stress levels can increase and work-life balance can easily suffer.

With virtual collaboration tools and flexible working capabilities, there is a tacit expectation that staff are always reachable, and globalisation adds to the pressure because of the need to communicate across time zones.

The result is often additional work hours to hold meetings early in the morning or late in the evening, and even when taking holidays many people feel compelled to carry mobile phones or PDAs to ensure they are always connected.

Although technology may allow more physical time to be spent at home, work time and personal time become blurred. With office and living space side by side, there is a tendency to start work earlier in the mornings and to extend workdays into the evenings, and even when not actively working the PC is invariably online receiving emails.

Furthermore, to remove any suspicion that you might be swinging the lead by watching TV or walking the dog, the need to be visible and demonstrate your productivity increases.

Add to this the concern that the adage “out of sight, out of mind” might hold true, and you could be forgiven for worrying that your next performance bonus or promotion might be jeopardised. Avoiding these problems takes self-discipline and confidence, especially since some peers might be happy to sacrifice more personal time than you.

So, despite hopes and claims that we will all be liberated from the shackles of a nine-to-five routine and enjoy endless leisure time, the reality can be very different. Less time at the office does not necessarily mean less time at work.

Andrew James is a BCS member

Like this story? Spread the news by clicking below:

 del.icio.us     Digg this     reddit!