As I sit here at 10 pm on a Sunday night writing this blog, I am inclined to agree with the findings of a new study published this week. According to the survey by Yahoo! Hotjobs, 75 percent of respondents said they used their BlackBerries and laptops equally for business and personal use.
The study proved that the line between a person’s professional and personal life is increasingly blurred.
The convenience and flexibility of wireless units have made them significant communication tools, but they have also changed the parameters of the workplace and the expectations of availability. In attempting to free people from the workplace they have also, inadvertently, extended the work day.
The online survey of 900 professionals revealed that 81 percent prefer to stay connected with a mobile phone, 65 percent use a laptop, while 19 percent use smartphones such as the BlackBerry.
The majority of respondents had positive feelings toward their wireless devices, but more than 25 percent believed their Berries and laptops kept them on a relentless corporate leash.
In one strange but entirely believable statistic, 67 percent of those professionals surveyed admitted to having used their BlackBerry or smartphone to connect to work while on vacation. Been there, done that.
In reviewing the survey, the authors emphasized the need for companies to set limits and allow people to disengage and maintain a health work-life balance. It also suggested that employees have an obligation to turn their devices off learn to say ‘no’ if their mobile devices are becoming too much of a burden.
