Mobile Broadband as a Blessing and a Curse

As the portability of the internet continues to increase and wireless access becomes available in a growing number of locations, it is easier to stay connected than ever before. While better communication provides an obvious benefit to our social lives and allows for work to be handled from outside the office, workers must be careful not to become slaves to this powerful new technology.

None would argue that the ability to work away from the office is a great advantage offered by mobile broadband technology. Holding a teleconference in your living room or corresponding with clients from your favorite café alleviates some of the suffocating monotony of being chained to a desk. Being able to submit projects over the internet and maintain contact from virtually any location means employees have more freedom to roam and multitask without sacrificing the quality of their communication.

Though this greater mobility is certainly welcome, with it becomes the danger that it will be exploited by employers who crave more productivity in less time. With the knowledge that workers can submit reports, contact clients and research files from anywhere, it is more likely that the workload will increase to a point at which employees are on call in all parts of their lives. Like any other concession ceded to employers through time, the compliance of a few employees who are willing to accept the additional work forces the rest of the office to comply in order to stay competitive in the workplace.

The spouses and children of many businesspeople would agree that their time together as a family is precious. While the many hours at the office keep businesspeople away from home during the week, the added accessibility offered by the wireless internet often makes anywhere a mere extension of the office. With new 4G network systems like mobile WiMAX being installed, the reach of signal coverage is being extended to all but the most remote locations, meaning the family vacation is still subject to intrusion from the office, even when miles away from home.

Naturally, the answer to this dilemma is in the hands of the worker. Regardless of the particular profession, employees have a right to their free time and must feel free to demand it from their bosses. Whether through individual communication or collective bargaining, a clear separation of work related duties must be achieved and a clear idea of the amount of hours in a week one is expected to be available.

Should workers fail to achieve this balance, it isn’t difficult to envision a world where people are constantly chained to their handheld devices or laptops wherever they roam. It is vital that the office maintains its relevancy, or else there will be no refuge from the demands placed on employees from above. In today’s economic climate, executives see workers as highly expendable and replaceable resources whose well being is far less important than the company’s increased profit margin.

Like any new technology, mobile broadband must be treated with care to avoid abuses. Making sure that it continues as a tool for making work more efficient, rather than a means to create more work, is a subject each worker must consider and address.

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