Concern technology is making slaves of us

Last week, the chief executive of a fast-growing US IT company hit the eject button and resigned.

Last month, one of the world’s richest billionaires suggested a three-day week should be considered for the future.

An acquaintance of mine recently said he believed the life of a business person now was a lot tougher than he remembered it in the 1970s and 1980s.

All three men were reflecting upon the world of work in different ways and circumstances, but the common denominator was their view that the prevailing order in the corporate world is awry.

I’d argue two intertwined threads are evident in these three circumstances: (1) technology is creating slaves at the top level of the corporate world, and (2) the thorny issue of work-life balance is a matter of concern for even the hardest business leaders.

All of us now know the power of technology in our working lives. It massively increases the productivity of an individual, by doing everything from turbo-charging the flow of data and information, to removing the need for many of the functions previously undertaken by secretaries.

This greatly enhances the value of individuals working for companies — but it also has created a tyranny of its own. Now I, in common with everyone else, can access my work files 24/7. In a globally connected world, I receive emails at all hours of the day.

Senders increasingly expect timely replies, as do those leaving voicemails. This produces a cycle that no longer ends at 6pm on an average working day, but extends across the evenings, weekends and holidays. For high-performing business leaders, this dynamic must be even more pronounced.

You are also an example for those reporting to you, so a full embrace of technology is normally mirrored across the entire business.

My older friend says that in the 1980s, work began at about 8am and finished around 6pm — while weekends were dedicated to families. Now, he finds business colleagues, customers and investors expect instant reactions to emails and messages.

If performance at work is a priority, then the time that used to be available for leisure, friends and family tends to be eaten in to. Max Schireson, the CEO of MongoDB who resigned last week, openly says his work-life balance had become intolerable and the relationship with his children was suffering too much.

Carlos Slim, the Telecoms billionaire, dared suggest we need to adjust the work week to three days for lifestyle reasons, but also as a means of extending the working life in an age when we are all living longer and are more active than ever.

These three gentlemen are no shrinking violets looking for an easy life. All of them are hard-working, driven executives and their views and decisions should be absorbed carefully.

We are at risk of letting technology turn us in to modern-day slaves of life outside our homes and families. That risk will only grow as technology finds new ways to occupy our 24/7 lives. Social media is already turning many in to zombies, glued to their supposed smartphones.

For many — particularly those operating in global companies where time zones merge — the ability to work through the night is becoming all too real.

Finding ways to establish clear lines between work — which is no longer defined by a physical presence in an office — and life doing other things, is today a greater challenge than ever before.

Joe Gill is director of corporate broking with Goodbody Stockbrokers. His views are personal