Sick and tired of "always on" tech

[mr_spock]

Thanks for both serious and funny responses!

To answer some points:

It's more about people respecting the local time and the sheer number of contact methods. I run a software company, and if one of my big customers has an outage that's maybe 30,000 users or more affected. I'm OK if they call me (or better, one of my support team gives me a heads up first). I also really don't want two of every device. Of course I have two Google logins etc., but I use the same tools for work and fun, don't want to maintain it all twice.

Not so long ago, Skype was the only non-phone tool. Very easy to set DND and anything urgent would be a phone call. That was just fine. Now I'd have to set up groups for work/non-work in Skype, Hangouts (can you even do that? I know I can't set an OOH schedule), FB, WhatsApp, set up divert to VM schedules in our cloud phone system (and change it every time I travel to another time zone), yadda yadda...

Actually, I've realised what really gets me. It's the pinging/bleeping/buzzing and the lack of ability for some people to type a sentence. The out of hours stuff is irritating but is limited. However: this one for example with my 20-something marketing person.

Her: Are you free?
Me: No, just about to get on a call for an hour or so. I'll let you know when I'm done.
Her: OK
Her: Sorry
Her: It can wait
Her: It was just about our Google Ads
Her: Do you think we should add some keywords?
Her: Talk later
Her: since you're busy
Her: Thanks
Her: I'll send you an email

Every one resulted in "ping" and a desktop alert.

Off to google to see if there's a generalised way to deal with this. The off button solution doesn't work for me, and I think needing 2 devices is nuts. It offends my geek-ness!

[Jasandjules]

I am not saying some people expect a lot BUT I've had people ask why I did not respond to the email they sent at 11pm last night. This is in a chaser sent at 7.08am.........

I now consult for a firm and they won't call me until 9am which I do find quite odd but at 9am the phone and emails start....

[Spare tyre]

I have a very hi tech job, cutting edge stuff

My house is not so hi tech

The most hitech home automation I have is a manual light timer and a 433mhz remote control socket so the old dog can see at night when he goes out for a piss

I often go round my friends house and he is trying to wow me by being able to turn his lights off and on by talking to them

It works most of the time, but not always

Most of it is just cringeworthy

A lot of my friends are totally under the spell of tech, I go for a walk with the dog in the woods and couldn’t be happier

I’m probably a rare breed for my age

Now where is my rock to get back under

[Hoofy]

Ninja59 said:

I have actually written a blog about this area in effect tech is "addictive" and in some cases designed (either through purpose or inadvertently).

Some blogs on this area-

Our inability to switch off - https://www.cipd.co.uk/about/media/press/270417-re...

Checking of emails, or I suppose any work related communication and the impact on wellbeing - https://www.nhs.uk/news/mental-health/checking-ema...

My blog writing on this topic meant I deleted my work emails from my phone (granted personal phone), but with a business phone it would be turned off. I went as far as telling colleagues and boss that I would not respond (unless it really is urgent - but if it is pick up the phone) to emails outside of working hours. Initially it "upset" a few people, but ultimately it was accepted or simply as said above turn it all off.....it is truly fulfilling and you feel much better for it.

Edited by Ninja59 on Friday 16th November 11:46

Where's your article? What do you do?

[mr_spock]

I also don't have home automation. I don't see the point for me. Maybe there's a way with IFTTT to grab all the notifications in the evening and send me a summary email in the morning... Hangouts can snooze notifications, but not on a schedule.

[Ninja59]

Hoofy said:

Where's your article? What do you do?

Marketing for a recruitment company focused specifically on the property industry (although my previous position was again marketing, albeit for a data/information management specialist, nearly all involving data management strategies, master data management (MDM) and big data (mostly Government (from your bog standard council through to secret squirrel stuff) insurers and banks).

I have not put the articles out yet, and for various reasons the full series won't appear on my employers website, but another party we are connected with .

But in essence the series is about firstly the death of the 9-5 and essentially the fact that most of the UK workforce would prefer to finish by 4pm.

Secondly, consideration of doing a 4 day week, but thinking essentially of it within a "7 day context"

Finally, about the positives of remote working, but the issues technology has brought to the workplace.

[Shakermaker]

mr_spock said:

Thanks for both serious and funny responses!

To answer some points:

It's more about people respecting the local time and the sheer number of contact methods. I run a software company, and if one of my big customers has an outage that's maybe 30,000 users or more affected. I'm OK if they call me (or better, one of my support team gives me a heads up first). I also really don't want two of every device. Of course I have two Google logins etc., but I use the same tools for work and fun, don't want to maintain it all twice.

Not so long ago, Skype was the only non-phone tool. Very easy to set DND and anything urgent would be a phone call. That was just fine. Now I'd have to set up groups for work/non-work in Skype, Hangouts (can you even do that? I know I can't set an OOH schedule), FB, WhatsApp, set up divert to VM schedules in our cloud phone system (and change it every time I travel to another time zone), yadda yadda...

Actually, I've realised what really gets me. It's the pinging/bleeping/buzzing and the lack of ability for some people to type a sentence. The out of hours stuff is irritating but is limited. However: this one for example with my 20-something marketing person.

Her: Are you free?
Me: No, just about to get on a call for an hour or so. I'll let you know when I'm done.
Her: OK
Her: Sorry
Her: It can wait
Her: It was just about our Google Ads
Her: Do you think we should add some keywords?
Her: Talk later
Her: since you're busy
Her: Thanks
Her: I'll send you an email

Every one resulted in "ping" and a desktop alert.

Off to google to see if there's a generalised way to deal with this. The off button solution doesn't work for me, and I think needing 2 devices is nuts. It offends my geek-ness!

Whereas I would always have two of each, given that I have had my own personal phone since I was 16 but only a work phone since I was 23. Most younger people are probably the same, I don't know anyone of my age who has only one phone unless their job doesn't require a mobile

[h0b0]

Countdown said:

I’m one of those people that enjoy work so will answer work emails and calls at any time of the day or night.

I hope you are not offended when I say I am jealous that a Town Planning & Noise Guidance Advisor can get such pleasure out of their job that they want to respond day or night. I am at the point where, even if my job was nipple tweeker on a porn set, I would be irritated by an email that expects a response out of hours.

My attitude will have to change though because I am going to be working with a team that is 12 hours out of sync. That means there is no convenient time for anyone.

[Cotty]

mr_spock said:

Actually, I've realised what really gets me. It's the pinging/bleeping/buzzing and the lack of ability for some people to type a sentence. The out of hours stuff is irritating but is limited. However: this one for example with my 20-something marketing person.

Her: Are you free?
Me: No, just about to get on a call for an hour or so. I'll let you know when I'm done.
Her: OK
Her: Sorry
Her: It can wait
Her: It was just about our Google Ads
Her: Do you think we should add some keywords?
Her: Talk later
Her: since you're busy
Her: Thanks
Her: I'll send you an email

I would ask her to stop texting and send an email in future.

[Vaud]

Separate your accounts and phone numbers allowing you to consolidate imessage, whatsapp, etc

Will take a month or so for people to update details. Just say you have changed provider - have a polite copy/paste message.

Restrict FB to friends or kill your account. I have and I don't miss it.

[Countdown]

h0b0 said:

Countdown said:

I’m one of those people that enjoy work so will answer work emails and calls at any time of the day or night.

I hope you are not offended when I say I am jealous that a Town Planning & Noise Guidance Advisor can get such pleasure out of their job that they want to respond day or night. I am at the point where, even if my job was nipple tweeker on a porn set, I would be irritated by an email that expects a response out of hours.

My attitude will have to change though because I am going to be working with a team that is 12 hours out of sync. That means there is no convenient time for anyone.

No offence taken - Sadly (or happily) I'm not a TP&NGA, I am merely a humble Accountant. However i watched a TV series called "The Wrong Mans" where the leading man was a Town Planning & Noise Guidance Advisor and he was such an incompetent that I recognised bits of myself in him

[Lemming Train]

mr_spock said:

Thanks for both serious and funny responses!

To answer some points:

It's more about people respecting the local time and the sheer number of contact methods. I run a software company, and if one of my big customers has an outage that's maybe 30,000 users or more affected. I'm OK if they call me (or better, one of my support team gives me a heads up first). I also really don't want two of every device. Of course I have two Google logins etc., but I use the same tools for work and fun, don't want to maintain it all twice.

Not so long ago, Skype was the only non-phone tool. Very easy to set DND and anything urgent would be a phone call. That was just fine. Now I'd have to set up groups for work/non-work in Skype, Hangouts (can you even do that? I know I can't set an OOH schedule), FB, WhatsApp, set up divert to VM schedules in our cloud phone system (and change it every time I travel to another time zone), yadda yadda...

Actually, I've realised what really gets me. It's the pinging/bleeping/buzzing and the lack of ability for some people to type a sentence. The out of hours stuff is irritating but is limited. However: this one for example with my 20-something marketing person.

Her: Are you free?
Me: No, just about to get on a call for an hour or so. I'll let you know when I'm done.
Her: OK
Her: Sorry
Her: It can wait
Her: It was just about our Google Ads
Her: Do you think we should add some keywords?
Her: Talk later
Her: since you're busy
Her: Thanks
Her: I'll send you an email

Every one resulted in "ping" and a desktop alert.

Off to google to see if there's a generalised way to deal with this. The off button solution doesn't work for me, and I think needing 2 devices is nuts. It offends my geek-ness!

Why is this so difficult? You're acting like a wet blanket. If you don't want out-of-hours contact on work related matters then either MTFU and call a meeting with all your staff and make it crystal clear that you are not to be contacted AT ALL out-of-hours unless the office is burning down, everything must go in an email (which you make clear you'll read in the morning) or you'll be looking for a new job pronto, OR, if you're the gaffer then make your best staff member that's capable of using his/her brain and can sort problems out, a manager, enabling you to chill out of an evening and not be disturbed unless the office is burning to the ground.

The only reason these people are contacting you at 11 at night to discuss SEO is because you've let them. You have no-one to blame but yourself for not setting any boundaries with your staff and because you have previously engaged with them on trivial matters at 11 at night they have quite rightly assumed that it is not a problem to do so. As a side note, why is she even contacting you about this crap anyway? If her job is marketing and she knows enough about the importance of keywords/SEO then why the fk is she just not getting on with it and doing it and leaving you a brief email for you to read in the morning giving you a quick summary of what she's done?

[Jasandjules]

By the way OP, I don't know if you have realised it BUT when the phone rings, if you don't answer it......... The same goes for emails, if you don't do a send/receive..........

[bigandclever]

It's twenty to seven, you just made his phone ping, he's going to go fking mental

Edited by bigandclever on Friday 16th November 20:19

[anonymous-user]

On your device it's possible to turn off all notifications. You can also forward all call to voicemail.

If you do that you can check them when you want, and you just need to get yourself in the habit of not constantly checking.


Same on the desktop - set everything to no notifications.

[Leithen]

Get a secretary.

[Lemming Train]

bigandclever said:

It's twenty to seven, you just made his phone ping, he's going to fking mental

We need to stagger responses to this thread all through the night . I think every 30 mins should be good to ensure maximum annoyance. He'll be just about to drop off to sleep and then bzzzzz, bzzzzzzz, bzzzzzz, beep beep !

[mr_spock]

Helpfully, PH doesn’t make my phone/watch/laptop ping. We’re a fairly small company, most of the staff are in another country so staff meetings are rare. All the developers are fine. The silly text conversation was to illustrate that certain people don’t know how to respect others’ time, I have spoken to her about this but it seems to be a common culture to write many short messages. It happened in the day - the occasional night messages tend to be from Australia or the Middle East when it’s their daytime.

Anyway, I can mute notifications but my issue is that I can’t do it in one place for one address book.

Anyway, off to bed with all tech off as I’m on a promise

[Tempest_5]

My children are seemingly on the tech a lot. I try to get them to do practical stuff such as helping me with changing brake pads, gapping spark plugs, oil change etc., plus stuff around he house and they are generally receptive to learning/helping, but as soon as you go off and do something they are back on the tech.

Ah, take away the tech you say. Not that simple, a lot of their school assignments are set on the internet based sites, the main one being "Frog". The result is you are never sure whether they are actually doing school work or not.

I could spend all my time going around snooping on them but after a day/week at work it's not practical as I have other stuff such as cooking /washing /cleaning to do.

[Hoofy]

Ninja59 said:

Hoofy said:

Where's your article? What do you do?

Marketing for a recruitment company focused specifically on the property industry (although my previous position was again marketing, albeit for a data/information management specialist, nearly all involving data management strategies, master data management (MDM) and big data (mostly Government (from your bog standard council through to secret squirrel stuff) insurers and banks).

I have not put the articles out yet, and for various reasons the full series won't appear on my employers website, but another party we are connected with .

But in essence the series is about firstly the death of the 9-5 and essentially the fact that most of the UK workforce would prefer to finish by 4pm.

Secondly, consideration of doing a 4 day week, but thinking essentially of it within a "7 day context"

Finally, about the positives of remote working, but the issues technology has brought to the workplace.

Ah, I guess your role is related to HR then.