New technology can turn managers and employers into time bullies, always placing pressure on their staff by demanding instant responses or round the clock availability just because they have invested in mobiles or home computers for their staff. Global Positioning Satellite technology (GPS) ensures the location of delivery vans or breakdown patrols are always known. I can see its value, especially in the security industry, but is it necessary in all cases? What happened to trust?
I'm just glad they did not have GPS when I was a salesman for a brewery. Thursday was my day to visit the picturesque Ribble Valley in Lancashire. As a city lad, I enjoyed driving along new roads and discovering the beauty of the area. The job was still done, I believe it helped me do it better, somewhat refreshed and renewed by the experience of the journey itself.
Work is too important for our humanity to allow it to be debased by over-reliance on technology. Remove the ability for people to imprint themselves upon their work, to have some control over their workload or to have space to think, then it enslaves and is devalued. Through our work we should not only have more, but become more rounded people.
Too much technology stresses and enslaves us.
Kevin Flanagan says employees need to have some control over their working life
Is work becoming too dangerous an occupation? One recent headline read "Don't breathe at work"; the issue was smoking and its detrimental impact on employees. A few pages later, another headline read: "Irregular hours make staff ill".
I thought of the process workers I had met recently who were leaving well paid jobs because the shift patterns were destroying their family life and quality time. One had a seven-week shift pattern so complex that he had to give copies to his wife and children just so they would know whether he would be available at any given time. He had to keep one copy in his own wallet so he could let friends know if he could make social occasions.
One survey looked at the impact of new communications technology in the workplace and concluded it was adding to stress. Employees felt it was not appropriate to answer a mobile phone during a meeting or for people to read text messages while they are in discussion with others. This angered and stressed other employees. It also frustrated some to know colleagues had mobiles and could not be reached.
We can, if we want, allow technology to take over our lives or to raise false expectations about instant access for everything. Time and time again research has shown that stress is reduced and work is enjoyed when employees have some control over their work and its implementation.
