I noticed some time ago that there doesn’t seem to be a ‘time off’ anymore and that the work life balance seems to be more of a work life plateau. What I mean by this is that with smartphones, laptops, iPads and all other technologies that keep you connected at all hours of the day and night it becomes increasingly difficult to find the line that determines the difference between work and life.
I don’t mind admitting that I am terrible when it comes to ‘just doing a bit of work’ at home and ‘just checking’ my emails before I go to bed on an evening – I even log on early when I’m doing the school run so that I don’t feel too guilty about getting in to work bang on 9am.
Interestingly I’m not the only one who has noticed that it is no longer considered rude to send an email at all hours of the day and night and to communicate with your audiences at what should be their personal time. In fact a piece in Marketing magazine even goes as far as to name this time as Fourth space.
Apparently there really is no work and life anymore, we have actually come to the point where we integrate the two so much that we have created a ‘fourth space’, which marketers and agencies are able to capitalise upon.
This time is another digitally enabled opportunity for brands to engage with prospects and consumers in order to build loyalty. The tone of voice, audience and way in which this is approached will need to be carefully managed however a well-placed viral or cleverly timed product launch could just hit the mark.
It would appear that rather than stand still, time has come to mean very little to many with the 9am – 5pm firmly packed away in a box under the stairs to make way for the 24 / 7 always available, at the touch of a button model.
I don’t believe there is any right or wrong to working all hours, it’s simply another example of how times are changing. I do however believe that there is a definite need to reinstate an understanding of the need to switch off, even if it is just an hour on an evening. I don’t believe any of our clients would begrudge us this – but I have to admit it’s unlikely I will go back to a life without hourly phone and email checks anytime soon.