Smartphones and Work Life Balance

A couple of days ago in the Making Flexibility Work group on LinkedIn a question was asked
about the positives and negatives of smartphones on work/life balance.

In my experience when it comes to smartphones and work/life balance I think a lot of the pros/cons are about how a person uses a tool such as this. Like any technology you have to know when to turn it off and setup personal guidelines for how to use it.

These communication guidelines should be clearly explained to others you work with as well. Sometimes people think because you have a smartphone that gives you almost instant access to email you should be replying to every message within minutes regardless of what time of day it is.

I am a proponent of “work/life integration” as I believe balance can be difficult to achieve at times – but tools such as smartphones and other new communication tools make it easier to integrate work into your life. So if that means you have to do a bit of work on your vacation – but instead you get to take vacations you couldn’t take before – in my opinion that is a win.

That being said I still think it’s important to block out dedicated time away from work where you can focus on family, friends, relaxation, and personal development without the distractions.

I often joke about our company website being YouCanWorkFromAnywhere.com NOT “You Should Work From Everywhere”. That’s how I weigh in on this issue. Please share your comments below as I am eager to see your thoughts on this topic.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-27

• Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads out there! Wishing you all a wonderful and relaxing day. #
• My little boy Spencer woke me up this morning with a home made card, we made corn muffins for breakfast and will be playing and then BBQ … #
• Raising a glass to our fathers for teaching us through their actions and their words! #
• RT @safetelework: “Why do you care if he walks his dog” if performance objectives are being met, do the details matter? http://bit.ly/puZd3 #
• RT @ManagementTip: Take Responsibility for Your Own Professional Development http://bit.ly/Yx86C << Have you learned anything new lately? #
• Build team-manship, even with a virtual team – by featuring one teammate a week in your team call. (via @DaveChurchville) << Great advice! # Read more

Virtual Workforce: Managing Remote Employees – BusinessWeek

Virtual Workforce: Managing Remote Employees – BusinessWeek.

I came across this collection of special reports on Businessweek.com all relating to aspects of ‘Managing the Virtual Workforce’.  Here is a brief description of the reports included:

• Is There a Virtual Worker Personality?
  It turns out it’s the gregarious types who thrive in virtual work set-ups, since they connect nonetheless. It’s the shy types who feel isolated
• Managing Virtually: First, Get Dressed
  An Ernst & Young executive who has been managing teams virtually for a decade shares her tips and caveats
• A Smart Balance of Staff and Contractors
  How the fast-growing food company integrates its small permanent staff with a sizable contractor workforce
• How to Create E-Mails That Generate Action
  When face-to-face communication isn’t an option, it’s critical that your e-mails get read and are the impetus for getting things done
• Video: Managing in a Wired World
  Technology has made it possible for teams across the globe to collaborate, but it’s still critical to make communication as human and authentic as possible, advises Lorenca Rosal
• Slide Show: Top 10 Tips for Sending E-Mail
  How to write e-mails that grab attention and motivate people to respond and take action

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-20

• RT @ashleyacker: 5 Barriers to Workplace Flexibility: http://short.to/fsg7 [Too bad the same old fears get in the way of all the benefits] #
• RT @KammieK: Awesome list of Virtual Office Tools for all you REMOTE peeps: http://tinyurl.com/n8e8zb [Web tools to run/promote a business] #
• @KammieK Just found you on twitter. Really love your MorningMojo tweets – very inspirational – thanks! in reply to KammieK #
• Moving my websites and blog to a new webhost. Working out the kinks . . . in the words of Captain Kirk – it pays to know how things work! #
• @ashleyacker My pleasure Ashley – Ashame to see the same stumbling blocks still exist. June is going well – already hot here in Florida. in reply to ashleyacker #
• @viralogy really enjoying the great video interviews on your site http://bit.ly/sXH3v How do you record the video for both sides of the chat #
• Fellow entrepreneurs, good video interview with Loic Le Meur – Founder of Seesmic | @Viralogy Blog http://bit.ly/3heiy #
• RT @ashleyacker: 51% of GenX workers say they’d leave their current employer for a chance 2 telework. What r you doing to retain this group? #
• RT @projectshrink: Shared: What Kind of Rock Band is Your Team? http://tinyurl.com/ksxdfu [I love the analogies here – well written!] # Read more

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-15

• @leanneclc being you have been reliving old tv shows check out http://www.retrojunk.com – u can watch old commercials and show promos – fun! in reply to leanneclc #
• RT @ashleyacker: Quiz: Which Person is Working? Can you tell? http://bit.ly/KxJXs – excellent points Ashley makes in this post! #
• @Loriannmac3 My thoughts for finding that type of work would be to search for people conducting teleseminars and contact them. in reply to Loriannmac3 #
• No Such Thing as Failure; Only Feedback http://bit.ly/10tFWc I love the attitude @evelynlim brings to this topic! A gentle reminder. #
• Why telework is tough for small companies http://bit.ly/114OY8. I don’t agree. Sounds like they lacked strategy and proper tools. Thoughts? #
• RT @mrcruce: Virtual teaming / telework WORKS. It just takes work. [There is a shift involved but it improves your team and communication] #
• Can anyone recommend a reliable webhost (especially for wordpress blogs)? 1&1 has been dropping the ball for me lately. Thanks for the help! #
• Great article – how the founder of WordPress works http://bit.ly/qjxm3 Manages employees from home using chat programs they work home too. # Read more

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