Our iPhones and iPads, which enable us to work and be on call virtually anywhere at any time, will lead to more than half of us working while on vacation. That’s the result of a new study that looked at how technology impacts the work/life balance. iOS devices are common players in the bring your own device (BYOD) era. As BYOD programs lead many of us to use our personal iOS devices and other mobile technology for work-related tasks, they also encourage an “always on” attitude from employers and employees alike.
The study, commissioned by enterprise remote access vendor TeamViewer, shows that just over half (52%) of professionals expect to work while on vacation in one capacity or another.
It also comes on the heels of a similar study that we reported last week. That study showed that always-connected devices like the iPhone and iPad lead most of us to work well past the end of the business day. A practice so common, in fact, that many of us will work an extra seven hours outside of normal business hours and outside of the office each week.
Apparently, despite that much extra productivity, we may not be able to have even a few days in which work doesn’t find its way to us.
The TeamViewer report profiled 2,200 Americans across various professions. While half said that they expect to work while on vacation, the type of work varied.
Just under one-third (30%) said that they expect to be reading and responding to work-related emails. Nearly a quarter (23%) expect to be fielding work-related phone calls. Beyond those interruptions, 13% of workers said that they expected to need access to work-related documents, files, or network resources because they anticipated being asked by a supervisor, coworker, or client to accomplish work-related tasks while on vacation
The study also found that these expectations weren’t the same for everyone. Men were more likely to work from an iPhone, iPad, or notebook while on vacation than women. Single people were more likely to work than married couples.
Both studies point to the fact that the ubiquity of iOS devices (and other mobile platforms), Wi-Fi, and high-speed network connections like LTE are re-defining what work is and how it fits into our everyday lives.
Source: CNet
Image: Vagobond
