EMPLOYER REQUIRED SMART PHONES - YEA OR NAY?

Last week a reporter interviewed me for an article he's writing on how employer-supplied "smart phones" affect employees’ work-life balance. My first reaction was that work-life balance is a concept I haven’t heard much about lately. During the recession workers have been more focused on hanging onto their jobs at all costs – even cutting back to part time and reducing their salaries. But work-life balance? I haven’t seen people come out from under their desks and ask for that. Sure, there’s grumbling about long hours, work-related stress, and just-wait-until-this-recession-is-over-when-I’ll-look-for-another-job - but “balance” appears to be a dream right now for the distant future.

That being said, the issue of how smart phones affect work-life balance is an interesting one. When you accept or are assigned a PDA or Blackberry from your boss, how much of your life are you surrendering to your career? I can appreciate that fast-trackers like the idea of being on-call 24/7. An excellent example of how that works can be found in the movie, “The Devil Wears Prada,” where a career ladder-climbing fashion assistant always puts her personal life after the demands of her boss. But what about real life? What happens when you live your life on-call?

What does “on-call” can mean to you? If you categorize yourself as a 24/7 smart phone carrier, work issues will interrupt your movie, vacation, or son’s soccer game. Is this annoying, or do you just accept it as the way it is?

What does your business smart phone mean to those around you? What does your husband say when you leave the table at the restaurant during your anniversary dinner? Or how about your kids – do they “get it” that your work comes before them? Really?

The human mind is complicated. When it’s filled with only one thing (e.g., work), your creativity around that one thing will become stifled. Your brain needs to breathe! Only when you take a break and forget about work for awhile will you become more productive at your work. Really!

So when you interview for your next position, be sure to ask what is expected of you in the after-hours. Will you be assigned a smart phone? Then decide if this is the way you want to live your life before accepting a job offer.

Comments

[Herman Smith]

I think a smart phone is fine as long as its not too intrusive. Life is too short, regardless of how bad a person needs a job. Thus expectations must be clear and agreed upon up front.