Discovering The OFF Switch
by Servaas Schrama / Oct 6
I believe that a lot of people tend to forget about an important feature found on almost all electronics available today: the off switch.
I am not an employer, I am a mobile worker. My gear consists of a Macbook Pro, UMTS card with flat-fee highspeed internet and a Blackberry. I can work from anywhere on the planet with this gear. But what is much more important, I can work when I want. I get to choose the times, the hours. Obviously, there are a lot of hours of working, being busy online. But certain moments, I simply go offline and do something fun with the kids, or just relax.
I do carry my Blackberry when I am offline, but there are times where I switch off email, as 80% of my business communication runs over email.
I firmly believe that the key to this problem lies in the people. If they work mobile or from an office building changes nothing. I have met people throughout my career who would stay in the office until the wee hours every day. I have never understood that behavior, although in certain cases I can explain where it comes from.
Me? I am the kind of person that looks at quality and delivery on time. And when I’m done, I’m gone. Until you call me…
Comments (2)
Comment
Join the conversation…
Collaborate with some of the leading minds in technology and define what it means to be a digital nomad. The community will collaborate to answer questions about:
- Security challenges of a mobile workforce
- Connectivity and access for nomad employees everywhere
- Ensuring productivity when employees are on the go
I’ve heard an urban legend that Philo Farnsworth, the inventor of the television, lamented later in life that he hadn’t made the “off” switch easier to use.
by Adam 10/19/08
Nice one - I didn’t know that!
Thanks,
Servaas
by Servaas 10/21/08