Communication technology and the 24/7 workforce

Every Friday I work from home. I do this not only to save gas but also because I can spend the time that I would be commuting actually working. This means I usually get two extra hours of work in. Monday through Thursday I work until 5 or 5:30, I sit in traffic to come home, I make dinner and do dishes, and then when all the “evening home activities” are complete I log back onto the network, check and return emails, review and complete items that I feel need to be done before the next day, then go to bed. I can log on anytime, anyplace as long as I have an internet connection – which I can get anytime, anyplace because my company provides a program that helps me find public wireless internet connections then pays for me to log onto them. Why do I do this? Because I can.

What has the availability of new communication technologies such as the internet, voice over IP, and smartphones done to the workplace? I believed it has moved it away from the traditional organization, where employees telecommute more often than not and meetings and interactions are done behind the veil of technology rather than face to face. It has created easier access and therefore longer hours and a 24/7 connected workforce. What does that mean for the organization? Does the ability to always be logged on equal greater productivity or burned out employees? I think that we are all becoming so used to being “on” 24 hours a day that it seems odd to not be connected.