Take Caution: Smartphones Making it Harder to Escape the Office

Are you guilty of answering work email off-hours?

Ever glanced at your smartphone to check your work email during dinner with your family, in bed, in the bathroom, over the weekend, or even on vacation? You're not the only one. In fact, the ubiquity of today's mobile devices means that the “home office” has become more of a concept than a place. Though many American workers are being sold the idea that being accessible will give them more flexibility, and maybe even lessen their workload once they're back in the office, all the late-night and weekend emails aren’t replacing hours spent in the office — they’re adding to them. A Bureau of Labor Statistics report found that between half and two-thirds of telecommuting hours are added on top of a standard 40-hour workweek. And though companies may not directly say they want their employees on-call 24/7, some workers say there are clear signs from management that answering emails outside of work hours is encouraged if not outright expected. Market research firm IDC predicts that 137 million smartphones will be shipped to the United States this year, a 14 percent increase over last year. And as technology advances, mobile devices can do more — which lets us do more. (Today)

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