Video: Mobile Worker Well-Being - Too much of a good thing?
We spotted this interesting video discussion in response to iPass’s excellent Mobile Workforce Report. We posted our takeaways from that report - here’s what we took away from the video, which asks: can mobile worker well-being be too much of a good thing?
Access to social networking websites, like Facebook and Twitter, is generally a good thing for mobile and flexible workers, as it recreates a kind of virtual ‘water cooler’, not available to people who work remotely
The ability to work anywhere on mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets, turns dead time into productive time
However, it can go too far the other way: the ability to work anywhere, can lead to working too much, and encroach on personal time and family time
What do you think?
Is access to social media important to you as a mobile worker? Does it help you overcome the isolation of working alone? Or is it more of a distraction?
Does the ability to work anywhere lead to more stress or less?
In the video, Barbara talks about the dramatic consequences mobile workers face when unable to find a connection. How do you feel when this happens to you?
We recently posted our takeaways from iPass’s Mobile Workforce Report, but just came across these videos that present the highlights in a fun and easy-to-digest way.
Enterprise Mobility Trends: Mobile Workforce Report Highlights
The report, which you can download from iPass’s website, gives a closer look at the behaviours of mobile employees as the mobile device continues to be the tether that creates an on-demand workforce.
Check out this video from iPass HQ in Redwood Shores, California - and find more on the iPass website.
Tell someone that you work from home and you fill their imagination with ideas of pyjamas, ‘duvet days’, and cookie jars. “The easy option,” as it’s often, and mistakenly, referred to.
But you and I know that it’s not always the easy option – and that misconception can contribute to how home workers see themselves and take care of themselves.
So, what are some of the misconceptions of working from home? And where do they come from?
Historically-speaking, flexible working was first requested by mothers and less able people. Nowadays, it’s a choice for many different kinds of workers, and yet there’s still a bit of a prejudice that flexible working is somehow a ‘soft option’ and that flexible workers are less competitive or productive than their office-bound counterparts.
This kind of negative perception can chip away at people’s self esteem, and lead to home workers not properly looking after themselves. Office workers, on the other hand, are very aware of their entitlements to breaks and refreshments, and equally aware of any infringements on their personal health and safety in the office.
San Sharma (@WorkSnugSan) is community manager at WorkSnug.
Home workers, myself included, can start to feel guilty about the way they work, put pressure on themselves to work harder and forget to eat properly, exercise, take breaks or get outside.
For example, a little considered side-effect of working from home is that we move about less. Some days are as long as long haul flights, but I bet you make more effort to get up and move around on a flight, non?
Here’s WorkSnug founder Richard Leyland (@WorkSnugRichard) going out of his mind, working from home…
‘Take care’ tips
Now, I know we’re all adults and can look after ourselves, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded every once in a while. So, here a little print-out-and-keep guide to taking care of yourself when working from home:
Where possible, stand up or walk about while working, like when you’re thinking or on the phone
Don’t stay in the same place for different tasks – use different environments around your home or in a local laptop-friendly workspace to vary your work position throughout the day
Try keeping a log of the hours you work to the nearest half hour to help you identify unhealthy work patterns
Schedule time for food shopping, so that you always have good, healthy food in the house – and don’t skip meals!
Take a break outside of the house at least once a day
If you live on your own, make sure you plan face-to-face meetings with others during the week
Take regular breaks, and move about when you do – go into the garden, do some physical exercise or a domestic task (oh joy)
What do you do to take care of yourself when you work from home? Let us know in the comments below.
Everyday, digital nomads, like us, carry their offices in their bags. But we’re going beyond the zipper to peer into those bags, and ask mobile workers what they need to get stuff done, what they’ve picked up on the way and what they really should throw out!
Kicking us off is digital consultant, photographer and mobile worker Kathryn Corrick (@kcorrick). We asked Kathryn one question: “What’s in your bag?
37signals co-founder Jason Fried has a radical theory about work: the office isn’t a good place to do it. From TEDxMidwest: Why work doesn’t happen at work
Supported by Plantronics. Simply Smarter Communication solutions for the Mobile Professional
