‘Presence bleed’; the connectivity, location and time of one’s labour becomes a secondary consideration to the task of managing the expectation and/or possibility that one is available and willing to work (Mitew, 2011).
The notion of a ‘presence bleed’ is very prevalent through today’s information economy. The mobile workstyle allows work to be undertaken outside the office, and enables us to access, consume and produce information like never before. Seemingly, gone are the days of a well-balanced way of life, in time terms anyhow, with an ‘always-on’ lifestyle ever present. Whether working, playing or sleeping, the majority of us will have some avenue of constant contact available. I am the first to admit sometimes I am a little too accessible, with text messages, Facebook, emails and Twitter all readily available on my phone, which I have with me constantly. Mobile media such as this, paired with flexible work hours and the increasing popularity of working from home has created a perceived freedom and allowed lines to blur between work and leisure. For me personally, the ability to be able to work wherever, whenever is a positive, allowing easy access when the demand or inclination to do work is there. However it is clear I am more easily distracted than ever, and undertaking work in busy public environments such as the beach or cafe’s can detract from the quality of work produced.
The shift from industrial labour to liquid labour has become even more apparent in recent years, and as an implication of this company structure has had to change from hierarchical centralised organisations to flatter decentralised distribution and communication. Until this week I had not considered that ‘the formal structures of companies.. don’t explain how most of their day to day work gets done’, which is a very apt point in today’s organisational climate. As information becomes a viable commodity, employees are constantly undergoing information processing tasks, where consciously or not. Overall, I believe our lives are just busier in general, so I pose the question; in your life, would the ability to work whenever, wherever you want, be a positive or negative thing? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
For most i think the the blending of work and play is positively disturbing. I don’t think this is a new trend; I remember talking about it years ago in school. But I do believe that, as the article points out, as technology becomes more and more advanced, work can really feel like it is following you. Particularly for those of us going into the field of media production, the fact that blogs are updated so frequently means little “off” time if we are to be successful news reporters. The dichotomy of the increasingly networked yet socially isolated society also fascinates me. Is there a way to combat this? I ask this because I feel that it should be combatted, to some extent.
ReplyDeleteVery thought provoking post Emma. It's very clear that there has been a convergence of work and leisure due to advancements in mobile technology and there are arguments for both sides on whether this is a good thing or not. The flexibility technology provides is of course a positive, and can often make what was once wasted time (like train travel), productive. Other the other hand, always being 'wired to work' can detract from our personal lives. In my life I suppose I do enjoy having the option to work, but I hate the idea that you can't just 'switch off' after 5pm as was common in the industrial age. The social shift of being 'busier,' as you put it, should not be happening just because people have access through technology to work.
ReplyDeleteI am a firm believer in balance for everything in life, and the theory of balance applies here too. As long as we don't impact on our personal lives and our out of work relationships, having the option to be connected is a positive.