Technology in the Workplace - Boon or Curse?

Home
>
Careers, Jobs & Employment
>
Technology in the Workplace - Boon or Curse?

Technology in the Workplace - Boon or Curse?

Like all new innovations, technology in the work environment can either work for you or against you. What is good for the employer or is not always the same for the employee.

Is Technology Working FOR You or AGAINST You

When cellphones became available it seemed that they would fill a need for instant communication - any time, any place - that would help people be more efficient and thus save time.

Then email became a mainstream method of business communication. Marvelous - now telephones wouldn't ring off the hook, messages would not have to be stored and retrieved as verbal communications, which took time. Instead, information would be clear and concise and could be retrieved and answered any time, any where - again the promise of more freedom.

With email, internet and cellphones, was it really necessary for workers to be restrained to the office? Maybe shorter work days would ensue. Perhaps parents could collect their children from school and be contacted at home via either of these methods.

The work world was changing.

This truth came about as more workers were able to take their jobs with them. The travel from home to work and back again was no longer a barrier for actually DOING the work.

Telecommunication was making itself an integral part of conducting business. With cellphones and email, distance, time and travel were no longer barriers to conducting business effectively.

For some, this meant that coming to the office every day was an option - not a requirement.

Mothers and fathers found new freedom to take care of their children while still collecting the paycheck they needed to support them. Work could be done at home, at the park, at the grocery store, at night...

Unfortunately, this ability to work anywhere has become a nuisance instead of a luxury for some individuals. The fact that they are ABLE to do business any time, any where, means that they actually ARE doing business all the time.

Rather than free them, they found that they cannot get far enough away from work to really put it away for the day. Illness and emergencies do not stop the phone from ringing or the email from piling up - and because you can access it, there is no excuse for not dealing with it.

So for some, the convenience has become a ball and chain - creating longer work hours and constant stress. For these individuals it is necessary to commit themselves and their work mates to guidelines such as turning the phone off. Not accessing email regularly. Sticking to these rules and telling other work mates your new practices should help.

Remember that you were supposed to be ASSISTED by these devices. It is in the best interest of your health and the well-being of your family if these tools keep their proper place.

Roger Clark is senior editor at Top Career Resumes who provide free information to job seekers on all aspects of finding a new job and Medical Health News where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on many medical, health and lifestyle topics.

In The News:

Health care careers still best bet for job security
Herald Times Reporter
Holte's career change was a sound one. Health care jobs have remained strongest throughout the recession and the recovery, said Denis Winters, chief labor economist with the state Department of Workforce Development. State and federal labor data shows ...
Demand for health care workers persistsWausau Daily Herald

all 11 news articles »

Government of Canada Creates 36 000 Summer Jobs for Students
MarketWatch (press release)
The funding will enable the students to gain the skills and experience they need to be successful, both now and in their future careers. "The Saskatchewan Abilities Council is grateful for the support from Canada Summer Jobs," said Karen Moore, ...

and more »

ABC Action News
Jobs: Time to jump off the career ladder, become a 'supertemp?'
ABC Action News
As with many others who work as an independents, he began his career as an interim when he was made redundant. A recent survey by the IIM showed that 22% of prospective interims cite the end of employment as a trigger for making the move, ...

and more »

Newsday
Paterno's Penn State pension to top $13 million
Chicago Tribune
Paterno's pension payments come on top of a more than $5.5 million package his estate is receiving from the public university under his employment contract, including a $3 million "career bonus" due to him at retirement. As head coach for 46 of his 61 ...
Former PSU coach Joe Paterno's pension valued at $13.4 millionPittsburgh Post Gazette

all 247 news articles »

All Made Up: Cosmetology and Beauty Schools in the US Industry Market Research ...
PR Web (press release)
The minimal time it takes for training and then launching a business lured prospective students looking for a career change. “In addition to benefiting from a wide range of employment opportunities, cosmetology and beauty training also offers the ...

and more »

Jobs fair event a success
Greenock Telegraph
CAREERS ADVICE: Grant Cameron, on the bike, is joined by Debbie Welsh, the council's Getting Ready for Work training officer and his friend Ross Newman. A GROUNDBREAKING jobs, training and education fair has been hailed a huge success by organisers and ...

Jobs for the disabled through careers center
China Daily
BEIJING - Zhang Zheng is grateful for the employment guidance of the Beijing Career Service Center for the Disabled. The 28-year-old IT technician, who suffers paralysis in both legs, recalls being turned down for many jobs on the grounds of his ...

Iowa Experiencing Shortage of Middle Skilled Workers
Iowa Workforce Development
While the majority of career paths in STEM require a four year degree or more, over one-third of the careers require a two year degree or less. The middle skill opportunities in STEM field currently represent fifty-four percent of the employment in the ...

Bleacher Report
UFC 146: Why a Dan Hardy Loss Will Spell the End of His UFC Career
Bleacher Report
His current four-fight losing streak would have cost most fighters their jobs with the promotion. However, because two of those losses were against the current and interim champions in the division—Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit, ...

and more »

Outlook better for college graduates
The Rolla Daily News
Many of those students returned to live with their parents after school and took retail jobs to begin paying off their loans. Many of them were also much more aggressive about looking for work earlier in their college careers. The University of Chicago ...

Google News