Workload(1)
The pace of technological advances in the last 5 to 7 years has been especially heady. Many mid-career employees have been caught in the proverbial middle, as tech tools have offered them greater efficiencies and yet carried their own drawbacks. On the drawback side, learning curves have been steep; many employees and students have had to teach themselves. Overall, peoples' expectations about what you can handle, and how fast you can respond, have skyrocketed.
Many organizations have invested a good deal in training, since the more their employees know to do, the more it benefits the organization. A number of people have commented that good employers will emphasize training, encourage learning, and provide the means, the time, and the incentives to make it really happen. That, they say, is the employer's responsibilities. Companies and organizations I interviewed provide educational reimbursements, for example, for employees who take courses. Easy access to training workshops within the organization, or, increasingly, on the Internet, is also common.
In many work environments, however, individuals have had many new tasks thrust on them, with no letup in what is expected; in fact, more and more is expected, and time pressures for accomplishment have increased. The Internet, for example, promotes accessibility, but just having it available doesn't guarantee you are going to be able to identify quality resources you want and need.
Hanoch McCarty observes that
The increase in productivity engendered by the computer age seems to average from 5%-7% per year. Yet, folks tell me fairly universally that they feel always frustrated that they are not 20%-50% more productive. Most expect this of themselves and always feel that their bosses have the same impossible expectations of them. So they are always feeling behind the curve.(2)
Workers report feeling that the "instant" availability of data makes them, their bosses, and the people they serve more demanding about the speed at which they are able to accomplish their tasks. Here's what several people wrote to me:
Now that the world operates 24/7, no business can afford to work any less.
Because technology allows it, people expect fast results and quick information. This has a snowball effect which impacts on every single department in a larger company as well as the proprietors of small businesses. To survive, small business has to compete on the same level as larger organizations, which means that they cannot ignore technological changes.
The type and level of communication skills have certainly altered in recent years. People now communicate and accomplish tasks using (seemingly) impersonal communication modes through electronic means. The effects on the individual worker is to perceive this all as workload increases. It's kinda hard to tell. It's certainly true that the pace has increased!!
With the advancement of technology, which makes everything (particularly information) so readily available, there has been a huge impact on expectations and the demands placed on business, particularly with regard to speed of delivery.
A good employer will ensure that his/her employees are adequately trained to perform their jobs efficiently. It's just good business practice.
The most thoughtful commentators point to other factors. "Our true fear is the mismanagement of all this information," said one. "The Information Age is moving so fast that we sometimes forget the human elements necessary for everyday life. It is critical that each worker brings their own expertise to the job situation, sharing that information and helping others," commented another.
There will continue to be many adjustments as we race forward with new technological advances. The best that educational institutions can do is to teach students information literacy skills so that they are prepared when they face the demands of the workplace, and the demands of pursuing coursework at other institutions of higher education.
(1) This summary about workload is based on interviews with employees in various workplaces, and from responses to a question about how the Information Age has affected workloads -- posted at askme.com. The question was:
In your opinion, has the onslaught of "the Information Age" caused an increase in workload? From the 1990s on, many mid-career folks, especially, have dealt with the effects of automated work environments, while the pace and flow of information has probably accelerated for them as well. Some workers get training on the job, but others are expected to catch up on their own. Overall, how have these changes affected an individual employee's workload?
(2) McCarty is the author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and many other books, and is a well-known presenter to large companies and organizations. He responded to my question on askme.com.
Investigating
Information Age Realities in the World of Work
