Diary of an ex-banker: When did the master become the slave?
I remember when I got my first Blackberry. I was genuinely excited!
In those days you had to prepare a business case before the company would issue you with one and they were only given to employees deemed to be particularly important to the firm. So getting one was a big deal.
In the beginning, I think Blackberries and other similar devices were a genuine marvel. They did save you time and gave you flexibility. More than that. They gave you your life back at a time when work emails had started to enslave us. Over the years I had spent countless evenings in the office waiting for an email that was promised “in the next 30 mins” or “as soon as [insert name of supervisor / senior person] has read/checked it“. With a Blackberry you could go home or out for a drink/dinner and check your email ‘on the go’ and at your convenience. It was liberating.
And then there were the less stressful mornings. At the time I worked for a Japanese investment bank and, with Tokyo 8 or 9 hours ahead, my morning inbox would always be full. And the contents would often set the tone for the day. A Blackberry meant I could check my emails as soon as I got up. Anything urgent could immediately be dealt with (an hour or two earlier than would otherwise be the case and much appreciated by my colleagues in Japan). But more importantly, I would know what awaited me when I arrived in the office. Giving me plenty of time to prepare and generally leading to a less stressful life.
A Blackberry also meant I could keep an eye on things whilst on holiday. The prospect of coming back after a couple of weeks away to a thousand unopened emails could be neutralized.
Then one day it all changed. Rather than checking emails as a choice…it became expected of you.
Clients and colleagues knew that you would check your Blackberry first thing in the morning and last thing at night. At weekends and whilst on holiday. So it became factored into your ‘normal’ work life. You were always available. Suddenly, meetings and conference calls could be arranged at less than an hour’s notice. Of course, you could choose not to play the game and turn your device off or ignore it. But in a world where we all want a promotion, pay rises and bonuses it’s very difficult to step off the merry go round and expect to be rewarded well.
But was my experience the norm? Probably, based on a recent study that showed 72% of Londoners prefer to keep in touch with colleagues when they are on holiday rather than to remain completely “out of office”.
And more than a third would actively avoid booking a holiday that would leave them fully disconnected from work. So perhaps what I went through was fairly typical but I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Please add a comment below or answer our Facebook poll today.
Originally published at jsixq.com on August 7, 2018.
