work life balance in a digital age

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By:

Flipbook Assignment Film 260: Digital Media Theory Professor Sidney Eve Matrix May 2014

“Welcome to the new world of work, where 5:30 p.m. is far from the end of the day.” Knowledge@Wharton, Time Magazine, 2012

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We now have the means to stay connected to our jobs

via smartphones, tablets and laptop computers  

24/7  

83% of professionals say they

check email after work Time Magazine, 2012

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2/3 professionals say they’ve taken

a work-related device, such as a smartphone or laptop,

with them on vacation

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Time Magazine, 2012

Technology may enable work-a-holism,  but society encourages it

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“Being a successful member of middle class society is showing our

dedication to professional work and being

available at all hours of the day,”

- Carolyn Marvin, professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, 2012

we expect more from our jobs

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As technology allows work to play a more prominent role in our lives,  

“as shown by Net Impact’s survey, they [millennials] are more concerned than their predecessors with finding happiness and

fulfillment in their work lives.”

-Jeanne Meister, Forbes Magazine  

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Jeanne Meister, Forbes Magazine  

Millennials also want more

flexibility from their jobs

and

the option to

telework from home

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“According to research by Future

Workplace,

flexible hours and generous

telework policies are even

more important to younger workers than is salary.”

Jeanne Meister, Forbes Magazine  

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But are we, as humans,

designed to be working

every hour of the day?

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Leslie Perlow found consultants at Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

who had regular downtime, reported greater satisfaction with their jobs  

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Time Magazine, 2012

If digital technology

prompts us to bring work home, perhaps work-life balance in this

digital age requires

bringing downtime to work

Google’s offices have recently installed energy pods within the office for 20 or 30 minute breaks

Time Magazine

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Then again, perhaps work-life balance lies in knowing when to

detach from work

completely

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According to The Washington Post, the only country whose

productivity rivals that of the overworked United States, is

France.  

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“Yes, France. Where workers enjoy 30 days of paid vacation every year… and a leisurely

stroll to the café after leaving work at a decent hour.”

Brigid Schulte, The Washington Post

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Indeed, multiple strains of research show that work-life

balance

increases efficiency among workers

“if you can’t get your work done in the standard

37 hours a week, you’re seen as inefficient.” Brigid Schulte, The Washington Post

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In Denmark,

So before becoming a busy bee, consider this:  

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doesn’t mean we should

just because technology has enabled us to work 24/7,

Works Cited Knowledge@Wharton. "Why Companies Should Force

Employees to Unplug." Time Magazine 16 Feb. 2012, sec. Management & Leadership: http://business.time.com/2012/02/16/should-companies-force-employees-to-unplug/

Meister, Jeanne. "Job Hopping Is the 'New Normal' for

Millennials: Three Ways to Prevent a Human Resource Nightmare." Forbes Magazine 14 Aug. 2012, sec. Leadership: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2012/08/14/job-hopping-is-the-new-normal-for-millennials-three-ways-to-prevent-a-human-resource-nightmare/

Schulte, Brigid . "U.S. productivity: Putting in all those

hours doesn’t matter." The Washington Post 14 May 2014, sec. PostTV: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2014/05/14/u-s-productivity-putting-in-all-those-hours-doesnt-matter/

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