Maybe We’re A Bit Too Connected?
If you were to sit in a class at a neighboring college you would become aware of a very attention-grabbing trend. You may also see it at your job, at board meetings; eating at output. I notice it all the time and really actively contribute.
I’m talking, naturally, about the use of PDAs and other personal electronic devices to check things like text messages, emails, and even Facebook.
This has grown to be one of the most recent forms of office protocol faux pas. Workers are now spending less time focused at meetings and more time with their handsets and PDAs. It has grown to be so uncontrollable that some companies have started to grumble about people using their devices in the workplace.
As far as university goes, there is not anything more infuriating than being in the middle of a test and someone’s phone goes off. However, if you’re listening to a talk and checking your email or distributing texts, I don’t see too much immoral with it providing you’re not being distracting to those around you. If you’re sitting in lecture and you’re in a group that expects you to do work, on the other hand, there is a serious issue if you’re spending all your time checking your email. This is where it becomes an issue in the workplace.
If you’re at a lecture and your associate is at the identical meeting, or worse, at a meeting where he or she was assumed to get information for the group, and is continually checking his or her handset, then what did he or she truly retain from the meeting? It causes a breakdown in communication because they could have missed a very important part of that meeting. Also, when people are doing more than one thing at once, like trying to listen to a meeting and reading emails and text messages, then they are less likely to retain the information, or they will retain bits and pieces of it.
A less important issue coming up against those who use their devices during meetings and at additional social functions could be making someone quite angry. If you have something very important to convey to another individual and all he or she wants to do is download emails then you’ll almost certainly end up aggravated and angry. At a New York political coup, Tom Golisano said that he got pretty angry when meeting with Democratic majority head Malcolm Smith, who Golisano frequently gives large campaign charity to, spent more time on his BlackBerry than to the issues he should have been working on.
There will likely be some workplace rules facing people soon once workplace rules catch up with technology and efficiency will go back to regular.
