I am an avid watcher of the great AMC series Mad Men, which takes place at at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency on New York's Madison Avenue (hence Mad Men) in the early 1960s.
Based on the lives of these Madison Avenue executives, spouses and others, there is a lot not to like about life in the 1960s. But, I do notice that these high powered executives somehow manage without a BlackBerry, cell phone, and laptop. They can actually go home and not read their email! How did they survive?
Yesterday, the Pew Internet and American Life Project released its new 57-page report on Networked Workers. The results show how far we have come (or regressed) since those days. The report talks about "Wired and Ready Workers," the 96% of employed adults who are in some way making use of information and communications technology (ICT) — either by going online, using email or owning a cell phone.
On the upside, a large majority of Wired and Ready Workers note big improvements in their work lives due to the influence of technologies such as the Internet, email, cell phones and instant messaging.
- 80% say these technologies have improved their ability to do their job.
- 73% say these technologies have improved their ability to share ideas with coworkers.
- 58% say these tools have allowed them more flexibility in the hours they work.
At the same time, half of Wired and Ready Workers note various negative impacts of communications technology on their work life:
- 46% say ICTs increase demands that they work more hours.
- 49% say ICTs increase the level of stress in their job.
- 49% say ICTs make it harder for them to disconnect from their work when they are at home and on the weekends.
How much work and stress does it add? Half of those asked confessed they check their work email on weekends, with 22 per cent going so far as to say they did it 'often' on a Saturday and a Sunday. 25 per cent sheepishly say they even do it when they're on vacation.
What would the Mad Men think in 2008?
Joe Soto, who works for an ad agency, told City News in Toronto that he accidentally dropped his BlackBerry overboard during a cruise. He was out of touch for two days and admits he started feeling anxious about it.
"The scariest thing was when I was on vacation a couple of years ago, and my BlackBerry rang. I was in the middle of the Sahara Desert!" he recalls.
Will we ever be able to go without constant communications? Soto says that there are times when he wouldn't mind seeing all the cell phones and BlackBerrys at the bottom of the lake. But, he claims the do-everything technology lets him stay ahead of his competitors. "If everybody also threw their BlackBerrys away, I would too," he acknowledges. "The only problem is, in my industry, it makes me more competitive."
Anyone who works in the email and electronics communications industry should download a copy of the entire PEW report.
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