British Workers Encouraged To "Switch Off" From Work"
British workers have been warned not to allow mobile technology to harm their work-life balance at the launch of a new public-private sector business group, led by Orange. The Orange Future Enterprise Coalition (OFEC) has brought together government, academics and industry to assess the impact of mobile data technology in the workplace.
In its first report, OFEC will argue that mobile technology improves working and personal lives, but that bosses must proactively encourage staff to mentally "switch off" out of hours despite the demands of 'always on' mobile devices. The Coalition's members, including the DTI, Accenture, Siemens and Yorkshire Water, also call on employers to support home workers against the possibility of low morale in tomorrow's virtual workplace where colleagues may never physically meet.
OFEC's "Organisational Lives" report, written by Henley Centre Headlight Vision, also predicts a battle between employers and staff over 'digital rights', with bosses claiming ownership of all information exchanged via company-owned mobile devices and staff demanding privacy when using mobile devices in personal time. The report indicates that new technologies will help individuals protect and control their digital identities when using corporate devices for private purposes.
The launch of the Orange Future Enterprise Coalition will include an analysis of new forms of organisation enabled by mobile technology, such as the Adhocracy, in which teams of disparate individuals are brought together for short term projects. The members will commit to guiding employers on how to best nurture new skills and maintain employee satisfaction in the era of mass mobile data technologies.
The Coalition's report will also demonstrate that UK business is at an early stage of investing in mobile data technology, such as smart phones, mobile email and 3G laptops. 45.7% of decision makers feel workers are already sufficiently mobile today. 41% of businesses do not provide any form of mobile device to their employees.
"There is a difference between helping staff get more out of the workplace and helping staff get more out of their work," said Karen Gill, OFEC member and managing director, Everywoman. "The Coalition encourages employers to do both by investing in new technology and in the new skills required in tomorrow's virtual office."
For its first report OFEC conducted a survey of 550 business decision makers in small, medium and large businesses."
Posted to the site on 13th March 2006
