Taking the Measure

In the post “Computer literacy overrated?” I link to a Wall Street Journal columnist’s recommendation that the next US president spend 20 minutes per day at a computer—no more, no less. Now this from the UK TimesOnline, regarding the prime minister: “Gordon Brown should be strolling down the pier to show his children the rude water-clock, sitting outside the Lord Nelson or the Red Lion with a pint of Adnams in his hand or rambling with his family across the common to follow the old Southwold railway trackbed. Sadly, he has signalled that even in shorts it will be work as usual: the BlackBerry switched on, the early morning call to ministers, the briefing papers brought up from London and plotting sessions to outwit the Labour plotters.”

This prompts some concern for Silicon.com's Naked CIO: “Perhaps it's forgivable for a prime minister to feel the need to remain in constant touch with the office. But how many people do you know who have they holidays spoiled by work emails and calls? Or more mundanely how many people do you know who check their BlackBerrys and email out of office hours?”

The reason for worry? Naked CIO continues: “I'm no expert in contract or employment law but I am certain companies are implicitly encouraging if not requiring employees at all levels to work out of hours and to be responsible for responding to queries no matter where they are or what they are doing.

“It takes only one disgruntled employee to find solid grounds to sue over this imposition for the whole fabric of our mobile working community to come tumbling down.”

The proposed solution: “Organizations must start to develop standards and guidelines for out-of-hours use of devices such as BlackBerrys and other remote working tools,” explicitly stating whether out-of-hours use of the devices will be compensated.

Naked CIO concludes, “As responsible CIOs we should address this question now. As an industry we should set out to define acceptable standards of conduct and use for BlackBerrys and other mobile email devices.”

It may be a couple of years too late, based on “CrackBerry addicts: Why the workers who can't switch off are suing their employers,” from the 1 October 2006 Independent.