LIFE AT INTERNET SPEED

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Welcome to the world of Internet speed. If one thing increasingly defines the modern workplace and workers' lives, it's that fast is no longer fast enough. The crush of new technology descending on the workplace—designed to provide quantum leaps in productivity and improve communication—is leaving many feeling alienated, disoriented, and burned out. People are bombarded with information, data, and deadlines. And many individuals aren't sure how to cope. Corporations are not much better. As competition escalates and pressure builds, many corporations believe they must respond with increasing speed to stay in the game. Customers, employees, and managers continue to develop expectations about doing business with organizations through the Internet—at Internet speed. For some it is an absolute necessity. Unfortunately, the technology often moves faster than the ability of people, and particularly corporate cultures, to adapt. While it is tempting to blame this problem solely on the technology, the issue is as much about work habits, time management, corporate culture, and human resources practices. Unless people take control of the technology and learn to manage it, they're likely to find themselves managed by it. But at many companies, there are simply too few rules. Human Resources and senior management must take the initiative in solving these problems.

Table 5.1. A Selection of Slogans for a Fast Lifestyle

Name of Company

Slogan

American Egg Board

"Think eggs—think fast"

Anacin

"Fast, fast relief"

Citibank

"The Citi never sleeps"

Coca-Cola

"Three Million a Day" (in 1917)

"Six Million a Day" (in 1925)

Federal Express

"When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight"

GEICO

"Fifteen minutes could save you 15 percent or more on car insurance"

Kentucky Fried Chicken

"There's fast food, and then there's KFC"

Lendingtree.com

"Up to 4 offers in hours"

Panasonic

"Slightly ahead of its time"

Rolls-Royce

"At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in the new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock"

Western Union

"The fastest way to send money"




The dynamic digital workplace wasn't supposed to be like this. In the 1980s, pundits envisioned a society replete with laborsaving technology and an increasingly short work week. It was to be the "golden age of leisure." Yet the road to leisure has encountered more than a few potholes along the way. In Jeremy Rifkin's excellent book and bestseller, The End of Work (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1995), readers glimpse a future where there isn't enough work to go around and large numbers of people are unemployed or underemployed—all as a result of technology. It's not uncommon for most mid-level and senior managers and professionals to find themselves constantly tethered to their jobs. They make calls on their cell phones as they commute. They incessantly check their pagers and voice mail at business meetings, in their kitchens, at the grocery stores, and at restaurants. Our restaurants would all be a lot quieter if cell phones were banned, These "professionals" take their work home and plug into the Internet in the evening, checking and responding to email before going to bed at a late hour—only to rise again at an early hour and start where they left off.

Vacations now suffer because of the need to constantly check email and voice mail, and respond to demands. It may be easier to take an hour each day to respond to emails, rather than face a backlog of over 1,000 emails on return from a week's vacation. For some managers, there could be even more at stake. They cannot be out of the loop while away. They want to know the decisions being made that might affect them. It's unrealistic to ignore a crucial project or a spate of email messages asking for additional information. Many a family vacation has been cut short by the need to "get back to the office."

Some companies are attempting to gain control of technology and exorcise the demons of speed. This includes training in time-management, and work-life programs to help people better manage their lives. Some corporations even provide business-life coaching and one-on-one counseling.

No amount of training can eliminate all the pressures that come with Internet speed. Human resources can, however, define rules and guidelines for communication and interaction. People must have realistic expectations. They have to learn that it is okay not to respond to an email message within two minutes, and that it is occasionally all right to turn the email off when they're busy with an important project or at a meeting. Organizations also have to establish methods and processes that help employees conduct their personal lives, so they can go on vacation without constantly being on call. The secret is to make the technology work in the best interests of individuals, and ultimately the corporations. In the end, there's no one way to succeed. However, companies that devise a well-planned strategy for integrating and adopting technology are far more likely to boost productivity and success. Working smarter with advanced technologies will help provide better quality of life for all concerned with it.

Amazon


Autonomic Computing
Autonomic Computing
ISBN: 013144025X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 254
Authors: Richard Murch

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