Turning Off Your Smartphone

No one is expected to be on call at all hours of the day and night, and switching off after work is important, even if you are on a business trip. A study conducted last spring by the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project found that while mobile phones were valued as a way to stay productive, there were downsides to being available at all times. The nationwide survey of 2,254 adults found that 44 percent of cellphone owners had slept with their phone next to their bed and that 67 percent had experienced “phantom rings,” checking their phone even when it was not ringing or vibrating. Still, the proportion of cellphone owners who said they “could live without it” has gone up, to 37 percent from 29 percent in 2006. Though, if you are at the point where you are hearing phantom rings and vibrations, something needs to be done or at the very least admitted. IP telephony has revolutionized the way we communicate and do business. Unfortunately it has also taken away the excuse that we are not available, and we need to bring it back. There needs to be a good work-life balance in order to stay productive in both areas.