Mobile phones: the tech we love to hate 

How a healthy work culture encourages balanced use of smartphones  

Summary 

Our recent survey about retro tech brought us some amusing anecdotes but also overwhelming evidence that today, one small device does practically everything for us, at work and at play. How can we make sure, both as employers and as workers, that we are using smartphones in a healthy and productive way to support a good work-life balance? 

Slow tech is no go tech 

In our last survey, we asked respondents to tell us about the technologies they’ve loved and hated in their work and home lives. Looking back at an era when overhead projectors, faxes and pagers ruled the workplace, it seems like another world. Even a couple of decades ago, most of us couldn’t imagine having a tiny device in our pocket for communication, shopping, entertainment and scheduling every aspect of our lives. 

Today, we want answers, products, arrangements, entertainment, information, connections and the latest news and media – fast. In the digital world, even the 24 hours that first class post (allegedly) takes, or the slow spooling of the fax machine, is way too slow for the pace of our business and personal lives. 100% of our survey respondents said that they expected a response from a business or service within a day – or two at the outside. 38% said they would not be happy with a response that took more than 24 hours. Customers, sales and even friends can be lost in less time these days. 

It’s no surprise then that the smartphone was ranked number one in importance for every single respondent, as the device they most rely on today. The functions of our phones make everyday transactions and activities faster and easier. From checking train times and finding routes to shopping and banking online, researching products and services, reminders, conference calls and webinars, reviewing work documents and responding to emails, we can do so much while we’re on the go. We can check facts and access real-time information whenever we need it, filling in downtime and freeing up working and leisure hours for other projects and pursuits. 

The flip side of on-the-go entertainment and social media  

Smartphones are also entertainment centres, providing us with audio and digital content, offering us a rich world of gaming, puzzles and quizzes to divert us whenever and wherever we are. Apps that connect to wearable tech give us a world of information about our health and prompt us to eat, sleep and exercise better. Social media and messaging keep us up to date and in touch with our friends, family and peers. 

Of course, there’s a downside. Every day, we read the headlines (most likely, on our own small screens!) about mobile phone addiction and the darker side of social media. We hear about youngsters obsessed with TikTok and drawn into the orbit of dubious influencers or crushed by the barrage of impossible images and ideals. The anonymity and immediacy of online chat and messaging make bullying and intimidation worryingly easy. It may be ‘only’ on a phone screen, but with the mobile constantly in our possession, it’s not surprising that the impact can be magnified, causing distress and damage to mental health.  

Much of this alarm is around children’s use of phones, but as adults, most of us must acknowledge that our behaviour is affected by having a mobile phone constantly to hand. How well do we control our own phone usage, and how much do our digital habits and content consumption affect our attitudes, priorities and actions and even alter our personalities? Our productivity and knowledge may be greatly improved, but as our survey showed, almost everyone is highly dependent on these devices. 

Mobiles at work can create balance and efficiency 

Most employers don’t interfere with employees’ use of mobiles phones, beyond stipulating that company networks and devices must not be used to access harmful content (such as pornography.) Employees may be asked to put their personal phones away while at work, particularly in customer-facing roles. There’s evidence that allowing workers to use their mobiles to keep up with personal admin (such as online appointments, paying bills and communicating with family members) during working hours can reduce stress and help to improve work-life balance. In a healthy workplace culture, this freedom and trust can be a quid pro quo with employees attending to work via their devices out of hours. 

But the balance can easily tip in the wrong direction. Cyberloafing and cyberslacking have emerged as new workplace challenges for employers to manage, when workers spend an unreasonable amount of time diverted by personal content and activity on their phones. Conversely, technostress becomes a problem when people are overwhelmed by always-on technology, finding it difficult to create boundaries between their work and personal life, and between digital and real-world interaction. 

The feel-good factor of retro tech 

From the results of our survey, no-one wants to go back to the evil days of pagers, which could be as tyrannous as mobile phones, 24/7, without any of the entertainment value. Nor to the eye-straining, motion sickness-inducing swoops through microfiche data – though one respondent notes that they still occasionally have to go and search non-digitised microfiche records in the council planning department using an ancient and dusty reader. But perhaps it’s worth considering whether everything we do, at work or home, needs to be channelled through our mobile phones. Several of our correspondents note that they have revived their cassette decks and tape collections, hard on the heels of the current modish rediscovery of vinyl records. Some even still use a Filofax or paper diary for work as well as social appointments… although admittedly not a Rolodex!

We’re awarding a small prize to the author of this memory, shared in our retro tech survey, because of the powerful nostalgia it evokes. Will we feel so fondly about our iTunes playlists and Airpods in years to come? 

I used to love my Sony Walkman. The freedom it gave to have music on the go was life changing. I still remember playing U2’s The Joshua Tree over and over whilst wandering round the Giza pyramids in blistering heat, on a family holiday. Music is a powerful tool for enhancing your mood, and I will always be transported in my mind back to Egypt when I hear that album. 

Summary: be smart with smartphones in your workplace 

In a healthy work culture, employers can encourage responsible use of personal tech to help make employees’ lives easier. Acknowledging that everyone has to balance their work and personal commitments is a mature and trusting approach. Of course, policies can help frame the boundaries for this, allowing for objective intervention if anyone is overstepping the mark. Some workers may prefer to use some of their own time to catch up, others may want to confine work to the office and business hours. Be careful not to encourage a culture of ‘always on’ working being equated with high performance. Offering the option of a separate work mobile phone can help people create separation, although others may want to ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) for convenience and to use their preferred technologies.