TMCnews Featured Article

Planning for a vacation is generally viewed as an opportunity to get away. We pack up our families and head for a different location with a different view, hoping to unwind and recharge before we return to the “real world”. Unfortunately, in our always-on society and access to technologies like mobile VoIP, we don’t always completely unwind or separate ourselves from the daily grind.

A recent Telappliant post highlighted this trend, stressing that in the U.K., there is an increasing number of people who are carrying out their work-related duties while on their own time. Of the participants surveyed by Jive Software (News - Alert), nearly 90 percent said they work during non-business hours. A full 18 percent reported that they work as much as an extra 10 hours each work while on their own personal time.

Mobile VoIP and access to low cost communications is contributing to this growing trend. So many U.K. users are committed to the job that 34 percent log in while on vacation and another 14 percent don’t even take the time to get away. The real question isn’t whether or not the individual is too tied to their job, or does the job make it impossible for the person to get any real work done?

According to Jive vice-president of product marketing, Nathan Rawlins, employees throughout the world are spending too much time on work that is not productive. They are sitting through unnecessary meetings, wading through email that has nothing to do with their core tasks and even searching for lost documents due to poor organization. As a result, these professionals find they can be more productive on their own time and take advantage of it.

Companies often support any move made that allows their employees to be more productive. But, that productivity should be on paid time. If VoIP solutions are adopted in-house and rolled out to the individual users and incorporate mobile VoIP, there is an increased opportunity to extend flexibility to the employee base. If the professional wants to get a chunk of work done at home before heading to the office, he or she can do so within work time and not personal time.

A similar solution should be extended to employees within the U.S. market as well. Data shows that of the U.S. employees who get vacation time during the year, 61 percent spend part of that time engaged with work on at least a partial level. These professionals have fully embraced the concept of mobility and instead of relaxing on the beach or a mountain hike, they are checking emails, sending texts and staying in the loop.

Mobile VoIP enables users to leverage the Internet to complete calls without draining allotted minutes or paying for access outside of their service provider area. Such benefits were meant to improve performance for the mobile employee and grant additional access while on vacation abroad. When the two start to mix, the employee runs the risk of burnout during a time they should be recharging.