Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Canada has ordered its employees to stop using their BlackBerry handsets at weekends and evenings, in which it says is designed to improve the work/life balance. Immigration Canada's Deputy Minister, Richard Fadden sent an internal staff memo last week asking that staff refrain from using the ubiquitous devices when not at work - and also asking that they not be taken into meetings.
"Work/life quality is a priority for me and this organization because achieving it benefits us both as individuals and as a department," Fadden wrote in the memo, suggesting that the devices be switched off between 7pm and 7am - and at weekends.
The emailing handset has often been nicknamed the CrackBerry for its addictive nature.
"We're feeling the pressure trying to get a lot of stuff done in a short period of time and the fact that they're recognizing our families are suffering the consequences of it, I think it's a great idea," one employee told local reporters.
There is a mild irony in that it is a Canadian government department which is trying to clamp down on the BlackBerry use out of work hours, considering that Research in Motion - the manufacturer of the devices is itself a Canadian firm.
Posted to the site on 4th February 2008
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/29032.php