Technology & Work Life Balance

Regardless of industry, location, and level of the corporate ladder an employee works, he or she never stops being an employee. The same can be said about not being at home either. With the same technology of being instantly connected to everyone, an employee’s personal life now constantly has his or her attention during the work day. Text messages, Facebook updates, and phone calls, all come into the work place from the outside in such the same matter as emails from work, reports needing to be done by the next morning, and calls from clients and employers find employees at home.

It is no question that technology is changing people and the way we live. Almost every person depends on technology in some way to get through the day. Weather its smartphones, washing machines, toasters, or refrigerators, all of these common technologies were invented to increase our productivity and make life easier. The underlining question in this essay is to highlight the concerns of technology and prove that people are being blurred in their connections to digital reality and physical reality, work life and family, and our dependency on technology.

In mid-sized companies such as Q-tel, telecommuting is much more frequently used than work in office. According

Even though this concept was proven to work, it is still not widely adopted by the employees. When given the task of not using any technology for work

Everyone uses technology in their daily lives however no one notices that not only technology is being used but it is also taking away or making it easier for individuals not to be hired as an employee. Some of the things that technology is being replaced are Robots, automation and software. For many types of jobs as these powerful new technologies are improving they are also being adopted not only in manufacturing or in retail work but in many professions such as law, financial services, education and medicine. Technology may be advancing, but it is causing a higher unemployment rate, machines are not completely break-proof, and

A revolution is spreading through the world of work because of changes in information, technology and communication. Information and technology has lessened the gaps between individuals and it is no longer necessary for people to be in close geographic location to enhance working capabilities. Telework means working at a distance and technology makes this possible. Teleworkers are defined as employees or contractors who work at least one day per month; they are also referred to as telecommuters. Research shows that teleworkers work nine days per month at home with three hours per week during normal business hours. Teleworkers seek to blend work responsibilities and personal benefits to enable them handle their work better and life responsibilities.

| The ever advancing technology of mobile devices have affected almost every aspect of our everyday lives. Mobile devices have made it easier to communicate. With the way mobile devices right now, people are able to multitask and increase effectiveness of their business. Our devices can search, pay for merchandise and connect you to a business conference on the golf course. In today's business world, people are expected to do more in a lesser amount of time, making devices that can handle this type of behavior more of a necessity. Storage of information can be done on portable (flash) drives and taken with you anywhere you go, making it possible to have information at your fingertips without being tied to an office or home computer. You can send emails from your phone or a tablet making the virtual office a place of regular business. Social media has not only impacted our personal lives, but it has definitely invaded the work environment as well. With the use of Facebook

Desire birthed passion for a utopian society. Desire to no longer be a beast of burden; spending more time pursuing comforts, less time punching a clock. If we continue to become ever more connected what will our professional lives be like in another twenty-five years? Keep in mind that research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project discovered that “49% say ICT’s make it harder for them to disconnect from their work when they are at home and on weekends.” (Madden, Mary; Jones, Sydney iii). In our 2011 society a craving to have needs met

1. Nature of Work: Three statements about what they do—ONE MUST be related to technology

Today with wireless technology you do not need to be at your desk to receive work emails. The smart phones allow us to receive emails wherever we are at anytime. The mobile phone has also made it easier for the employer to find his employee anytime especially in cases of emergency, where initially the employer would have to call the house number and leave a message if no one answered the phone. Today a lawyer may review his case notes on his tablet before sending it to printing. An architect can review a drawing and send the adjustments to the client or engineer via the internet very fast.

Even though one would say technology helps one clear out their schedule, according to Turkle who explains, “Even when we are not “at work”, we experience ourselves as “on call” (274). We do not have enough time because there is always something that needs to be done on a cell phone or smartphone for example people call you asking what they missed at work today, people texting you about the money you owe them, and people emailing you to pick them up from the airport. There is always someone new to create “weak-ties” with as well such as the millions of new users that join Facebook everyday. This is in fact why France is soon to pass a law making it illegal to email workers after working hours. This is lessen the intensity of being “on call”.

Mobile technology devices are used more today in the office for communicating outside the office. These devices provide the office worker the independence to stay in contact during commutes, to work from home, or to participate in meetings when away from the office. According to research, the most valued qualities of using mobile technology are the functions that the devices provide (Gebauer, 2008).

Harry Davis, who is the Human Resource Manager (HRM), is determined to discover what is causing the high turnover rate with the medical billing specialists at MedEx. According to the text, telecommuting is an example of an unconventional work arrangement where employees work from home or another location besides their traditional employer (Martocchio, 2013). Nevertheless, Harry conducts a survey, which reflects, that a vast majority of the employees would prefer to work from home. The possibility of telecommuting being offered at MedEx, for the medical billing specialist, has finally become a reality. However, telecommuting has its disadvantages and challenges.

With the use of technology increasing substantially as well as with the new generation who relies on such technology, telework has become the future of work. Companies embrace and adopt telecommunicating practices, as the benefits are clear. For this reason, telework was chosen as a project to be implemented in the business in order to gain profit and in turn reduce turnover. Berkeley College conducted a comprehensive program that analyzed companies such as AT&T. This study was conducted to discern the percentage of savings that would result from such action. Thus, AT&T initiated 30,000 employees nationally to begin to telecommute from home. Through the next five years, they studied this program and found that AT&T was able to save

Numerous contend technology has smudged the line between expert and private lives. Remote Internet, phones and Blackberries have made it simple to telecommute - or so far as that is concerned, from the sunny shore. The way that its