In the second in a series of work related posts that is also at risk of devolving into images of BBQ sauce and the Flea in a speedo, I noticed this in the Globular the other day:
Dr. Wolkoff added that more employers are taking work home with them, or living their lives on-call, because they are tied to the office by cell phones and computers. Only 17 per cent of those surveyed said the technological ability to work any time, any where made their lives less stressful. "It is clear that many people are becoming compulsive about taking their workload home with them," Dr. Wolkoff said during a webcast today. "This is a frightening finding — the intent of these devices was to help people do their jobs better and give them more leisure time to recover from stress," he said.Essentially, this is a study that shows fear of the robot should include fear of the smiling armless friendly screen right in front of you!!! So not only is Euro-life calling saying we are the twit who stays at work late on Tuesday when no one cares and we all should have six weeks off - but now reality is calling asking what has the last ten years of workplace trinketry really gotten you?
Can we blame futurists for this, too...please? Really, if you had not been sucked in by guru-iffic columnists and the false hope of power-point-ed conferences,* Wired magazine and its Boingy spawn - would anyone really want a lap top, that thing that took your year's beer money, your wrist health and makes you look geeky to girls?* * The Pencil Makers of Ohio need to run with this with a "Pencils For Health" campaign that will soon capture the hearts and minds of the country and the world. We got to get back to the garden...or at least to crayons.
*[Ed.: A link to an archived post which I highly recommend if only for the photos.]* *[Ed.: No. Bad Geeky.]
Comments
cm - June 7, 2006 8:46 am
You're not taking my blackberry away. No way, no how. It's not for work anyway.
Alan - June 7, 2006 8:49 am
It told you to write that.
gr - June 7, 2006 9:18 am
hey cm, I had blackberries for breakfast too! They were tasty.
Mike - June 7, 2006 10:05 am
Perhaps we could redesign Gary's pottery operation for him, get him all WIRED up.
Gordo - June 7, 2006 10:17 am
I have no intention of ever becoming one of those fools who don't take their vacation allotment each year. I heard a CBC report a couple of weeks ago about a survey that found that a disturbing number of Canadians NEVER take any vacation. I think it was something like 10% of the working population. Ugh
I'm definitely a geek, but I flat-out refuse to get a 'berry and I only take work home in two distinct sets of circumstances:
<ol>
<li>I've been slacking off at work or snukc out early
<li>I have some system work that HAS to be done in off-hours: e.g.: I was moving a mail server last night for two hours while sitting in my living room.
</ol>
When we bought our cottage property 5 years ago, all three families agreed that it will NEVER have a landline (cell coverage is good enough) and it's a computer-free zone.
gr - June 7, 2006 10:42 am
I had raspberries for breakfast too. Wegmans had a sale.
Mike, I am unwired and unsophisticated. I am also off topic again, that sound is Alan banging his poor head against the wall. As for vacation, my whole working life is a working vacation, including today: brewery tour! Yippee! Check beer blog later, folks.
Mike - June 7, 2006 11:00 am
No no no, you need some kind of IBM just-in-time inventory sales order thingy.
Gordo - June 7, 2006 11:16 am
I had a great laugh giving my boss my cell phone number yesterday and telling him that it works all over, even at the cottage, but I won't be able to fix anything from there. Sysadmins have to unplug periodically or we'll explode.
Alan - June 7, 2006 11:32 am
Wegmans in Ithaca is fantastic. They have Chimay cheese - cheese by monks who make beer.
cm - June 7, 2006 11:32 am
Slightly off-topic briefly, I did find a local creamery in my wanders yesterday but I didn't sample the wares. Perhaps next time. Oh and gr, did you have real whipping cream with the berries?
Back on topic, my main priority right now is vacation. I'm not so concerned about what they offer me financially* as long as I get my 4 weeks' vacation.
I shudder to think of the roaming charges while I've been down here.
*Well, I am in that it has to be sufficient for my needs, but I'd rather the same salary as before and more vacation than more money and the same vacation. Not that I go anywhere, but still...
gr - June 7, 2006 12:04 pm
cm needs vacation and should be granted as much time as needed or desired. I hope my opinon is worth something.
Yogurt, Alan, and granola. In about a month or so, the real deal off the bush at the parents farm.
And Mike, hunh? Inventory and an IBM thingy? Does that have anything to do with Flea and his size small Speedo?
Flea - June 7, 2006 1:52 pm
You may not think I read all these comments gr but I do. Oh yes, I do.
gr - June 7, 2006 4:19 pm
(gulp...) I have perhaps poked a stick at the hornets nest for the last time....
Alan - June 7, 2006 4:23 pm
Does Speedo make a flag of England style outfit?