The New Ways We Work
How Technology Is Impacting the Current Work-Life Landscape
In-house meetings. Video-conferencing. App this. App that. Freelance. Crowdsourcing. User-generated content. Stand-up desks. Treadmill desks. Smart desks. Work-life balance (more like work-life imbalance, right?).
The new workweek is different from yesteryears’ workweek. 9 to 5 is old hat. Today is different. We work more. We work constantly. We’re always connected. Most other developed countries are increasing vacation time and shortening the workweek. In the U.S., presidential hopefuls claim we don’t work enough.
The dichotomy is (un)real.
Between “sad desk lunches,” stand-up meetings, scrums and sprints, nap pods, traffic meetings, pitches and powwows, messaging apps, communication apps, collaboration apps, project management apps, social media apps, fitness apps, productivity apps, list apps and app apps, it’s a wonder we get anything done at all.
Interruptions are a boon to productivity. A big boon. A giant-size pile of boon.
At this point in the history of time, we have the best tools for being productive and creating exceptional work, yet while productivity may be slightly increasing, our workload is as well.
But this isn’t about lamenting the negative. This is about considering the now. The changing tide. The adaptive workplace.
Millennials, AKA Snake People, Are Catalysts of Change
Millennials are snake people, and they are poised to take over the corporate throne. And these snake people have different ideas than the previous throne inhabitants (aka baby boomers).
They want to make the world a better place (64 percent), and they want their boss to be more of a mentor (79 percent). They prefer collaboration before competition (88 percent), and they want, nay, demand, flexible work schedules (74 percent), according to Rob Ashgar from Forbes.
Note: No one asked about Generation X and their impact on the current workplace. *silence and tears*
Many of the things that are contributing to the current workplace (r)evolution come from the value system of the snake people. Let’s look at these:
- What are some of the drivers behind the change in the workplace?
- What are we doing to adapt?
- How much does technology play into the current changes?
- What part does health play in the new workplace?
Well, the mobile device certainly has something to do with it. So does the Internet. Our constant connectedness is probably the biggest culprit. The push for the local marketplace is another. Sustainability and the pursuit of corporate social responsibility are also responsible. EDM’s emergence? Maybe.
9 to 5 has become 9 to 5, pause, 9 to midnight, repeat.
Many different factors are contributing, but let’s focus on three trends that are currently the leaders in changing the workplace and the way we work:
- “Anti-sedentary” workplace movement
- Health / wearables / the Internet of Things
- Constant connectedness / remote work / tools
Sedentary Lifestyle Is No Good. No Good at All
A plethora of recent studies show how our sedentary cubicle-workplace lifestyle is awful. It isn’t good on the body. It’s not natural. It’s killing us.
What’s the alternative? Cue the customizable and personal desk.
The standing desk was the innovator, the early adopter. Then came the treadmill desk. Then the elliptical desk. Today, the sedentary lifestyle is under full assault by smart desks. Desks that will tell you when it’s time to stand up. Desks that will learn your behavior and automate to your preferences. Helpful desks. It seems a bit counterintuitive, but the technological advances seem to make us more productive, and they also seem to help combat our sedentary lifestyle.
Our priorities are becoming more family-oriented, and we’re starting to adapt to this newer work-life balance.
And that is a good thing. But with great power comes great responsibility … and such and such. So make sure you’re making a conscious decision that will benefit you and your life. Don’t give in to fads. Fads are temporary. Like planking. You don’t see anyone planking today.
Healthy Living Now Also in Workplace Flavor
Apps, apps, wonderful apps. They help us track calories. They help us track steps. They remind us to move. They remind us when it’s time to take our meds. You name it and there’s an app for it. Come to think of it, there’s actually an app for that too.
Apps are great. However, they’re only part of the workplace health and fitness revolution. The driver? It’s the hardware. Wearables are becoming more customized, more specialized, more stylish. They are becoming, well, just more. There’s now a wearable for every lifestyle. There’s the Apple Watch for the early adopter and the fashion-conscious hipster. There’s Fitbit’s Surge for the serious distance tracker. There’s the Jawbone UP for the ambitious athlete. There’s a whole slew of Samsung Gear for the one who wants to go against the norm. There are so many different wearables, with so many different functions.
The common thread? They all help us make fitness top of mind. They’re like the impulse buy of our fitness conscious, and they keep nudging and notifying us to keep walking, turn up the pace, log that salad, and more.
The really cool thing about wearables and apps is that they’re making it easier for us to manage other areas of health. Like reproductive health. And mental health. This is just the beginning. Ten years from now, wearables will be so integrated into our accessorizing that they will be in our clothes, in our rings, in our shoes. They’ll be part of us (I guess they already kind of are).
Constant Connected-“YOU HAVE A NOTIFICATION”-ness
9 to 5? Nope. Nope. Nope, nope, nope. Even though studies show that working more hours doesn’t make us more productive, the hours we spend on work each week are increasing.
So even though we have revolutionizing tools at our disposal, making our output faster and more efficient, we’re not really producing more or being more efficient. Constant connectedness means we’re almost always … connected. Being connected 24/7 allows for interruptions. Interruptions are a boon to productivity. A big boon. A giant-size pile of boon.
There’s now a wearable for every lifestyle
We answer email from our bedrooms at odd hours. We open push notifications from our social streams and our communication platforms just so that we can monitor and listen to what’s going on. We strategize in dark rooms with only a pale ale for company. We design decks and presentations while sitting in our PJs. We’re constantly interrupted.
Constant connectedness has lead to an interruption economy that can be tough to negotiate. If you can’t adapt and adjust, your productivity will more than likely decrease. Navigating interruptions has created a new vertical that comprises tools and resources that help you focus and tune out the noise. Apps like Focus and others, as well as different emerging work approaches (like the Pomodoro Technique), are all helping us get focused.
9 to 5 has become 9 to 5, pause, 9 to midnight, repeat.
Constant connectedness allows us access to work from nearly anywhere and at anytime, which has resulted in this new workweek. As many working families try to adapt to their growing family needs, we’re figuring out how to adapt and work around the family. For good and bad.
Work. Life. It’s a Balance.
There’s no base model to go from. We’re all just making it up as we go. Our priorities are becoming more family-oriented, and we’re starting to adapt to this newer work-life balance. Because that’s what it’s all about. It’s about balancing work with life.
Some companies are championing this new family-first priority and attacking the current American way of fostering work-life balance with near to nonexistent support for growing families. Netflix is a catalyst. Let’s hope more companies follow.
After all, happy families make for happier employees. Happier employees lead to productive and vested employees. That’s the ROI of a balanced work-life.
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