The Yahoo Hotjobs job search service has released the results of research into the lives of mobile professionals.
And while most say that wireless office tools are generally positive, presenting workers with more flexibility and a better shot at a healthy work-life balance, it also presents challenges.
Some 75 per cent of respondents to the Yahoo Hotjobs survey said they use their wireless device equally for both work and personal purposes. Only eight per cent said they are completely offline when they’re not at the office, and 27 per cent admitted they were so attached to their devices that they only leave it alone when they’re sleeping.
The report’s major findings were positive: 61 per cent of respondents agreed that their wireless devices made them feel like they had more freedom while 65 per cent said the device gave them greater work flexibility.
Some 70 per cent said their wireless tools made them more productive.
But the news isn’t all good. 26 per cent of respondents said the wireless device kept them on a “corporate leash,” and 23 per cent said they were easily distracted by work-related email during personal time.
And a full third of respondents said they found it more difficult to get their point across through electronic communications than with a live conversation.
Yahoo! HotJobs marketing vice-president Susan Vobejda said wireless devices had an undeniable impact on the workplace and on the lives of office workers – extending the physical parameters of the workplace and extending the work day.
But there is a definite cost to the notion of anywhere, anytime, and workers needed to understand their boundaries. And without care, the end result could be burnout.
“Wireless devices have become a professional reality, so it's important for people to set limits on when and how to disengage in order to maintain work-life balance,” Ms Vobejda said.
“With 67 percent of respondents admitting to having used a wireless device to connect with work while on vacation, signs indicate that the American workforce may be facing burnout.”
Data for the survey was collected from more than 900 office professionals who use wireless devices via an online survey questionnaire across the Yahoo! network. Sixty-five percent of respondents were male and thirty-five percent were female.
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