It really is an addiction. Getting hit by a car because a person can't take their eyes off the Blackberry screen definitely qualifies as an addiction.
As an employee, I understand why it can be hard to put up the phone. You are worried you might miss an important e-mail and possibly lose your job. Also you might not look as productive as someone else who is constantly connected 24/7/365.
No matter what assurances you get from your company or immediate boss, some employees just can't shake the feeling they need to plugged in or they will lose their jobs.
If a company really wanted to disconnect their employees for a while, they would pay for the phones and demand that the phones be physically collected for some weekends, or for vacations. As part of a corporate vacation strategy, a worker would be required to turn in their company phone for the duration. Same with laptops and other connectivity devices. If every person in the company had to follow this procedure, the anxiety of being disconnected might be a little less.
A company that says to disconnect but then punished employees for missing an e-mail, basically gets the message across, do what I want, not what I say.
Discussion on:
Message 1 of 1
The best of ZDNet, delivered
ZDNet Newsletters
Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox
