Wednesday, 29 December 2010

No escape !

We live in the " information age. " Laptop computers - Blackberries - Smartphones - and of course - emails keep us connected. Information portability has it's rewards, but there is also a downside !

What we do at our jobs earning a living is increasingly intruding into our private time - and in many cases it even follows us when we take our annual holidays.

Some employers take a reasonable attitude and try to insulate us from work when we are on leave. Others expect us to " be available " to deal with important matters, and then there are work colleagues who just carry on as if nothing has changed.

The smart thing to do would be to leave the Smartphone and the laptop at home when we go on leave, but that would offend some employers - who insist in maintaining contact to deal with emergencies. Closing down communications could even have promotion repercussions.

There is also the depressing knowledge that while we are spending time on the beach, back at the office the list of unanswered emails is reaching gigantic proportions - and will need urgent attention on our return.

It seems that communications is a double edged sword in this ever changing world. We have to learn to live with the insistent beep of an incoming email on a 24/7 basis until the day that we finally leave the office on retirement day.

But even then, can we really turn our backs on Facebook and Twitter ?

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