Discussion on:

Is it time for your digital detox?

Last time I looked, these devices all had "off" switches.

True, but the user.owner needs the ability to think for themselves to use it. Except for the President of the US, I cannot think of a single individual that must have instant communication with the outside world. Just look back to the 60s and earlier. Did some major catastrophe happen because someone couldn't be reached immediately? No.

or anyone named 'Kardashian'.

Doctors and Healthcare IT workers, not to mention emergency management. Yes, we got along without the instant communication in the past, but it can't be denied that the instant communication abilities have saved a lot of lives.

Hello! Good thing there are people with advanced sensitivity to remind us that there is another world out there and we do a lot of good live unplugged the technological gadgets. We have time to rest up. But not everyone has eyes to see and ears to hear. Viva human contact with people! Viva contact with the animals! Viva contact with nature! Live the life! Thanks for reminding me of that.

I had to get rabies shots...

I agree just shut the darned things off. If management can't leave you alone on your vacation then they should not complain if you use company time to check your social network.

It used to be that a vacation was when one would "chuck" work for one or two weeks and have restful and enjoyable time to themselves.
Now we have these "electronic tethers" that won't leave us alone.
Why? Because we let it happen.
Interesting times .....

It's what used to be called willpower. You are not forced to answer the phone, check email every 5 minutes, etc. Outside business hours, I continue to check my Blackberry whenever a call or email comes in -- if it is convenient. If it is something I choose to deal with at that moment, I will open the email. If not, it will wait until the morning. Even if I read the email I am not forced to respond right then.

I use the tools to improve my life, not to run it.

.

I try and make weekends my low-tech time; maybe spend a little time on the computer each day but otherwise keep busy with more important things like house, fun and kids!

Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that so many people have nice enough employers that they can simply turn off their devices when they don't want to be bothered. At my employer we have to ask for special time on weekends if we don't want calls, texts, and emails. If we simply turn off our devices without asking for an outage we'll be written up, and if we do it more than once we could be fired. We're expected to be connected 24x7x365 unless we ask specifically for a blackout time (asking for vacation doesn't count, we're still expected to respond on vacation). It's not a matter of knowing where the off button is, it's a matter of unreasonable employers who think they're the most important people in the universe. I find Great Wolf Lodge to be a good place to go because then I can tell them I need a blackout because I can't take the devices in the pools. I have to book my vacations in places like the North Rim of the Grand Canyon where there's no coverage.

I used to be in a position that required a beeper, but on a rotating basis, not full time.

Your employer has lost sight of one of the purposes of vacation: to 'detox' from work. If you have to respond on vacation, then you're not really on vacation. I'd ask for each half-day of vacation back that I lost having to respond to a call. And I'd get my resume together.

Who is footing the bill for your connectivity, you or the company?

for this company? Run for the hills, life is short! I'm being tounge-in-cheek here, as I was once in a soul sucking position that left me no time to plot an escape. Getting laid off was the best thing that ever happened to me, and yes there are good places to work that appreciate you and believe in work/life balance.

That story really takes the cake when it comes to unreasonable employers. Just walk out. Give no notice; just leave. Another job will come along, and it will be a lot better for sure.

It is hard to understand working for an employer like that unless you have been there. I have. If you are making an incredible amount of money so you can retire early, great. Otherwise get out while you can. I will affect your life and health in ways you may not see until later.

I am guessing that they didn't "spring this" required connectivity on you after your were hired?

This may suit you. For me, I would probably have kept looking for another job without such strings unless it offered me flexibility I needed or there weren't too many other choices (and then I would keep looking).

Agreed. You have to find someone else to be the "bad guy" in order to get out of cell phone range. "Sorry, boss, I have my kid Saturday and her homework project requires this physical time and this specific library. Since they have a very strict no cell devices policy, while I am attending with her my devices will be off."

Of course, if your employer requires you to step out of the library and check in on your devices periodically, you should absolutely record this information as well as _all_ information related to the employer policy you cite.

Despite your employer's belief that you are an "exempt" employee and his attempt to convince _you_ that you are an "exempt" employee, you probably are not. This means that you are legally _unable_ to waive your right to overtime. You should be quietly documenting these policies, all outage requests, all outage requests declined or employer requests that you delay them. All employer requests that you check in during outages, etc. Document, document, document.

I'm not suggesting you burn yourself in the industry by being the person to raise the lawsuit issue. You don't have to. Just quietly be keeping all the documentation because sooner or later someone _else_ is going to raise this class action lawsuit and win. The writing is on the wall. When they do, you want to have all your ducks in a row to file the relevant paperwork to be able to collect the back overtime pay to which you are legally entitled. Don't worry, you'll probably be collecting it from a settlement fund your employer will have had to pay into, there will be nothing there to burn you, personally. You just want to be able to collect your money as easily as possible when the time comes.

Repeat: You aren't exempt, and them requiring you to carry your devices and request outage times makes all that time when you have not requested an outage time _overtime_, you legally can't waive your right to it.

I am not a lawyer, this is not specific legal advice. However, I'm repeating what I recall (perhaps poorly) of the advice that I've been reading lawyers write in business columns for employers about this very issue.

So congratulations. Your unreasonable employer may just owe you a crapload of money.

So basically hotels without connectivity are just marketing? I decide when I connect; that way I can use any hotel I want. Silly