Is tech good or bad for work-life balance?
Is technology beneficial in attaining the right work-life balance? Regus director for Asia Pacific John Henderson weighs in with the pros and cons.
The number of mobile internet devices is set to outnumber humans by the end of this year.[1] There’ll be more smartphones and internet-connected tablets and monitors than there are people on the planet. The prediction is especially amazing when you think that 3G is only just over a decade old.
テクノロジーは仕事と私生活の適切なバランスを取るのに役立っているのだろうか？Regusアジア太平洋地域のディレクターJohn Henderson氏が良い点と悪い点を比較検討する。
モバイルインターネットのデバイスの数が今年末までに世界の人口を上回る見込みだ[1]。つまり、スマートフォンやインターネットに接続可能なタブレットそしてモニターの数がこの地球上に住む人の数よりも多くなるということだ。3Gが世の中に出てまだわずか10年ほどであることを考えると、これは実に驚くべき予測だ。
The variety of devices that can access the internet is also set to grow. Sergey Brin of Google and other early adopters have been seen wearing the Google Glass – spectacles which allow wearers to use the internet. And it’s widely expected that Apple will launch a smartwatch. If we don’t even have to reach into our pockets for our phone in order to check emails or use the Internet, it’s going to be harder than ever to take ourselves offline.
Positive or negative?
We all know from our daily lives that tablets and smartphones have changed the way people work, but have they helped our work-life balance? In a survey in Hong Kong, respondents were shown positive and negative statements about the impact of technology on work-life balance. Whilst only 15.4 percent agreed with the positive statements, 42.7 percent agreed with the negative ones. The main complaint was that people felt they could never really switch off, even while asleep or on holiday.[2]
タブレットやスマートフォンが仕事のやり方を変えていることは日頃の生活から私達皆が知っていることだ。だが、これらのデバイスは仕事と私生活のバランスを取るのに役立っているのだろうか？香港での調査よると、仕事と私生活のバランスに与えるテクノロジーの影響について、回答者は肯定的そして否定的な意見を示している。肯定的な意見を示したのは回答者のわずか15.4％にすぎない一方で、42.7％の回答者が否定的な意見を示した。主な不満は、就寝時もしくは休日でさえも、完全にオフラインにすることができないと感じていることだ[2]。
![[削除済みユーザ]](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/695023b4efd563721d13716b1457bc73.png?d=identicon&mode=crop&r=PG&s=42)
我々はみんな日常の生活からタブレットやスマートホンが人々の働き方を変えているということを知っているが、それらは我々のワークライフバランスを向上させているであろうか。Hong Kongでの調査において、回答者達はワークライフバランスに及ぼすテクノロジーのインパクトについて肯定的および否定的な意見を示された。肯定的な意見に同意したのはわずか15.4%であったのに対して、否定的な意見に同意したのは42.7%であった。主な不満な事柄は人々が眠っている間や休日でさえ実際にスイッチを切ることができないと考えることであった。
Technology has facilitated the 24/7 working culture, but other things have fed into it, too. Businesses are interacting with customers and colleagues in different time zones, and staff are increasingly expected to be available for late-night or early-morning calls. And the global downturn forced many workers to take on additional duties, which led to them working longer hours.
The positives of work-anywhere technology
Let’s not blame everything on technology. And let’s not forget the very positive changes that technology has brought to work-life balance over the past decade. Think how much easier it is to do your job when the cloud means you no longer have to go to the office to access corporate information or applications. Think how video-conferencing has reduced the need for time-consuming corporate travel.
Both those benefits are possible because technology allows people to work anywhere. It’s no coincidence that the launches of devices such as the BlackBerry in 2003, the iPhone in 2008 and the iPad in 2010 have been accompanied by a steep rise in the number of people using business centres and drop-in business lounges to work. There are now over 1 million customers in 100 countries using Regus flexible workplaces, because people are choosing to work at locations that suit them and their customers, instead of doing the old-fashioned fixed, daily commute.
In the latest edition of the Regus Work-Life Balance Index, 41 percent of respondents globally said their companies were doing more to help employees reduce commuting than two years earlier.[3] In Singapore, the percentage stood slightly lower at 39 percent. While in China and India it was well above 50 percent. Working remotely can save the average employee 79 hours of commuting each year.[4] It also cuts their travel costs and car emissions.
It’s probable that flexible working and measures to cut commuting are some of the reasons why 61 percent of people in the Regus Work-Life Balance Index said their work-life balance was better than two years ago.
Regus社の仕事と私生活のバランス指標に回答した61％の人が2年前よりもそのバランスが向上したと答えたのは、おそらく通勤時間を削減する柔軟な仕事環境とその取組みに拠るところもあるだろう。
柔軟な仕事のあり方と通勤を削減する方策はRegus Work-Life Balance Index において61%の人々が2年前よりも彼らのワークライフバランスが改善したと述べている理由のうちのある部分を占めていることはもっともなことだ。
The negatives of 24/7 management models
The negative aspects of 24/7 mobile technology arise not because of technology, but because of management cultures. In the Hong Kong survey above, almost a quarter of people said they use mobile devices and technology for work outside office hours because their bosses expect them to, and almost a fifth because their clients expect them to.[5] So it’s not their phones that are preventing them from relaxing, it’s other people.
モバイルテクノロジーによる毎日24時間就労というネガティブな側面が浮上したのはテクノロジーのせいではなく、経営文化によるものだ。香港に置ける前述の調査で、終業時間外にモバイルデバイスやテクノロジーを使う理由として、「上司からそうすることを期待している」と答えた人は回答者のほぼ25％、「顧客からそうすることを期待されている」と答えた人は20％近くいた[5]。だから、リラックスすることを妨げているのは携帯電話ではなくて、自分以外の他の人達なのだ。
As new mobile devices are launched, and increased mobile data speeds make it even easier to work anywhere, companies in APAC need to intensify the debate about work-life balance and people’s availability in a 24/7 world. Sure, people may need to do late-night conference calls, but they may be happier to do so if flexible working patterns let them cut their commuting time or juggle home and work commitments.
And office workers may need to think about their own habits too. One reason why colleagues and clients can so easily reach us out of hours nowadays is that we’re already on our tablet or phone – using social media or checking the football scores. We’re more likely to hear the ping of an email arriving, so we’re more likely to deal with it. The sender assumes we’re happy to work out-of-hours, and bombards us even more in future. It’s not just employers who need to learn the lessons about technology, presenteeism (either at the desk or at the end of the phone), and how we can work most productively, it’s also ourselves.
