Technology and the Traditional Workplace [Infographic]

Matthew Gates 4m 881

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

In Search of a Better Work-Life Balance with Technology

When we take an office job, our employer expects us to be there at a certain time, usually from 8:00 AM until almost 5:30 PM or 6 PM. For some of us, our mentality is actually there longer and we dedicate ourselves to the workplace because we can — we feel a sense of loyalty to the company, we want to do our best, and show our employers that we do care. Some people do best while working at home and others actually need to be in the office to have the work mentality going for them. Above all, however, whether people work in an office or at home, they highly value a work-life balance. I have written many articles and I have seen many articles written by others on this very topic: Work-life balance.

What does this mean? Half of our lives are spent at work while the other half is spent at home. We want to ensure that work life respects our home life, though we are always willing to take work home with us within reason. For example, if we are working on an important project or we have an important meeting in the evening, we do not mind attending it, but we want work to take into account that we are home — with our families and that we do not want to be at work all day and then go home and continue working all night. We do need some kind of break from our work life to enjoy ourselves at home.

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With technology, however, from work computers to work phones, it is expected that we are almost on-call 24/7 for work-related purposes. There is a way for employers and companies to increase worker satisfaction — it may work for some, but not all — and that is to have a 4-day work week in the office, while the 5th day is a workday at home. Some companies may be unwilling to try it, but they may or may not see an increase or the same amount of productivity. Employees would love to work at home — giving them some time to wind down and relax on a Friday, yet still work. My own job, for example, which used to be a 100% telecommuting job, but changed their policy and now makes me come to the office, gives me half a day on Fridays, where I have to come to the office and then I am allowed to go home after dinner. While I would still love to be telecommuting 100% of the time, this does give me some satisfaction in knowing that I can come home, still be at work so long as I have access to the Internet, and wind down a little for the weekend.

This infographic covers more on flexible workplaces and the use of technology.

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Workplace Flexibility: How Technology Is Changing the Traditional Workplace Environment

What is a flexible workplace? A flexible workplace gives employees the freedom to make decisions on how and when they work with a goal to increase productivity in the workplace.

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1 out of 3 U.S. workers consider work-life balance and flexibility to be the most important factors when considering job offers.

Gen Xers
3x as likely to quit a job due to lack of flexibility than Baby Boomers

Flexible Work Practices Reduces Stress

Stress is the leading cause of unscheduled absences and a factor i nigh turnover, which costed U.S. employers about $300 billion

A study suggests that telecommuting workers find it easier to balance work and family life. Telecommuting alone cuts absenteeism by nearly 60%

In a survey of 150 senior-level corporate executives

90% said that flexible workplace strategies help organizations meet business goals

In a study of 1,400 workers, 70% of managers and 87% of workers reported that workplace flexibility increased productivity

Workplace flexibility aids in attracting talented, experienced, and committed workers. Workers in flexible arrangements are happier, more productive, and more loyal to employers.

Beyond the 9 to 5 traditional work week

1 in 5 people will have checked their emil a before 7 AM.

60% of workers check their email before 8:30 AM and 60% check it after 6:30 PM

Overall, the average person:

7:42 AM Starts checking their work email

8:18 AM Gets into the office

5:48 PM Leaves the office

7:19 PM Stops working fully

This means that even though they aren’t in the office all day, employees are in work mode for 12 hours a day on average

73% of bosses have a relaxed attitude to time keeping, as they trust their staff are working long before they get to the office and after the clock strikes 5 PM.

80% of bosses say that they think it is acceptable to call staff in the evening

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75% of employers now give mobile tools to their teams to empower them to get their work done anywhere

20% of U.S. employers provide their workers with the technology to access everything on the go, including email, network drives, and applications as well as front and back-office cloud services

Technology and Workplace Flexibility Programs Have Redefined How, When, and Where Work Gets Done

The Technology Transformation of The Traditional Office

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