On Friday, May 28th, emarketer posted an article in regards to whether or not social media is making it (more) difficult for individuals to take time off of work.
The United States currently has the highest percentage of mobile workers in its workforce, with 75.5% of the workforce, or 119.7 million people, expected to be mobile by 2013. The sad thing is, is that 79% of them plan on taking their work-related devices with them on vacation. A growing number of employees are not leaving work behind, even on weekends, breaks and holidays, because of the struggling economy. Three in 10 workers polled said that they needed to stay connected to their work 24/7. Men were more likely to feel compelled to check in, as were employees in their 30s.
Another survey (of US workers) found that overall, 57% used social media for business purposes at least once a week. And 34% chose a consumer site over corporate-sponsored tools for business purposes, citing ease of use, familiarity due to personal use and low cost. Their No. 1 reason for using social tools for business was to ask questions and acquire knowledge from a community.
But workers are still divided over the benefits social media adds to their productivity. Slightly more than half (52.3%) the employees surveyed by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) agreed that social media helped them learn more in less time - but only 37% said they got more work done.
Social media presents great opportunities for marketers trying to reach workers. However, it might be a good idea to vary marketing messages sent during the workweek and those presented to workers checking in on the weekends.
I think it is sad/unfortunate that some individuals feel obligated to work the entire time they are on a personal/family vacation. Obviously, I think it is fabulous that they have the ability to respond to urgent emails (if needed), however, I think individuals need "their time away from work" as well.
What do you think?
I can see how some people might feel the need to stay connected to work while they are on vacation. In this struggling economy, people don’t want to venture too far away from work. Nobody wants to look like the person who isn’t contributing 110%, just in case the next round of lay offs is ahead. When people do go on vacation, they probably feel better bringing their work related devices with them, just in case a situation comes up at work that could be handled remotely. It is kind of unfortunate when the need to stay connected overtakes the need to relax and enjoy.
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