Tuesday, 23rd September 2008

“Is now life/work balance. Is it now about balancing our life – adds an extra level to the “blur” story” 

The 9-5 working day is fast becoming an outdated practice. Statistics from a recent report by Future Laboratories in to mobile working trends in the UK showed that 79% of employees consider remote working to be more convenient than office-based working, with 13% of us work away from the office more than four days a week. For 18% of office workers the head office looks to become a thing of the past.

Despite a traditional widespread belief that presence in the office guarantees the output of quality work, many employees are finding that the office is not necessarily the best place to produce their best work. Tasks that require high concentration are unlikely to be executed well in a busy office. Additionally, different people find that they work best at different times of the day. Whilst plenty work most effectively in the morning, there are equal amounts of night owls that benefit from the flexibility to work on assignments late into the night.

But are we turning into an “always on” culture, unable to switch off from busy jobs? Is work/life balance turning in to “work/life blur” with office workers obliged to respond to work demands throughout the night and weekend?

The findings from the FutureLabs report shows that mobile working will indeed lead to longer working hours * but that people will be happy with this if it means they can work at a time that suits them, even taking time out during the traditional working day of 9-5 to spend with families, hit the gym or socialise and then working in the evening.

So while the lines between work and life are blurring it is actually providing workers with more rather than less control.

Respondents are also making use of “infilling” or working during dead time such as on the daily commute. This provides workers with on average 15 extra working hours every week and shows how mobile working can give time back, certainly a precious commodity in today’s hectic lives.

It is also likely that we will see new breeds of workers evolve to take advantage of the opportunities mobile working provides, according to Future Laboratories over the next 25 years we will see four new breeds of workers develop:

• flexistensalists: Believe that the 21st Century is increasingly about striking a work/life balance, with work and home life being given equal weighting

• 9-to-5ers: Believe that work should be from nine to five and should never overlap with their home life, just as their home life should never overlap with their job.

• Firefighters:Believe that life has increasingly become about reacting to life and work, that they are always fighting to keep up in their work and personal lives and that life is quick, fragmented and ever-changing.

• Combi heads:Believe that there is little or no distinction between work and play.

Interestingly the vast majority (70%) will be flexistensalists for whom work life balance is top priority; looks like office workers will learn how to ensure mobile working remains a positive with only 7% (the firefighters) becoming victims of the “always on culture.” While 3% of us will be Combi Heads, never happier than when on their laptop or mobile phone and fully prepared to embrace the “always on” culture.

According to James McCarthy, Microsoft’s mobile working expert: “As we move towards a new era of mobile working people will naturally adapt and find a working style that suits them, while there will always be “firefighters” who are switched on at all times the majority of us will embrace mobile working while retaining the work/life balance that we desire.”

* - By 2033 working hours are predicted to rise from 42.7 up to 50 hours