26 July 2014

It seems that connectivity is great for productivity but it is also leaving the average worker feeling increasingly isolated

IN 1984, the average full-time wage was $388 a week for men and $316.90 a week for women. Unemployment was 10.4 per cent, and 45 per cent of women participated in the labour market, compared with 76 per cent of men.

Only 12 per cent of people worked part time.

In 30 years the workforce has changed although it still has not achieved parity on pay: the average wage is now $1532.80 a week for men and $1270.30 a week for women. Unemployment is 6 per cent and 59 per cent of women participate in the workforce compared with 72 per cent for men. Close to 30 per cent of workers are part time.

According to industry experts, the biggest changes have not come through working conditions, the introduction of sexual discrimination laws or even increased gender and cultural diversity, but through technology.

Clarius Group executive general manager Paul Barbaro says his company has had a look back across the past three decades as it celebrates its 30 thanniversary and he can see how much of an impact technology has had.

"Technology has changed and the way that people interact with each other has changed," he says.

"The manner to which people have access to communication devices is so varied that a lot of people have lost the ability to engage, and it's a massive change…people sitting next to each other email each other rather than talking."

Barbaro says the use of technology and social media - whether it be emails, mobile phones, iPads or other devices - can lead to significant problems and misunderstandings because people no longer pick up the phone and speak to each other directly, failing to pick up nuances.

If people are failing to engage it can lead to poor office relationships, it can hamper business and it can affect bottom lines. The use of technology and connectivity, Barbaro says, also can lead to poor health and higher stress.

"We used to finish work at 5.30pm and you used to be non-contactable until the next day, but now you're contactable all the time," he says. "People's fuses are shorter, people's tempers flare.

"There are strained work relationships, there's mental fatigue, higher levels of workplace stress. The incidence of workplace stress is increasing because people don't turn off. Decisions need to be made quickly and it's a fast-paced environment."

But with communication comes great productivity, in-creased connectivity between states, better international opportunities and faster service. The fax first revolutionised the way business was done, then computers, scanners and emails. Now it is web conferencing. Work is immediate. People no longer wait for the cheque in the mail or the letter confirming an appointment.

"There's no question there's been substantial benefits to technology and its advantages but it's the way in which it's used that becomes powerful," Barbaro says.

Technology, he says, is also making some industries obsolete and challenging others, such as recruitment, newspapers, photo-graphics and mail deliveries. But Barbaro believes people will revert to human contact and override technological advances because they need human interaction.

Barbaro says women are also creating change as increasingly they return to work after having children, give birth later or focus on their careers. In 1984 they may have stayed home to look after their children; now they work part time and most often return to full-time positions when their youngest child starts school.

With a significant pay disparity between men and women of 19 per cent, Barbaro says the problem must be fixed. Women traditionally have been focused more on asking for flexibility and returning to work, where men can be more aggressive and focused on wages.

What is clear in 2014, Barbaro says, is that jobs are no longer for life. Younger people do not expect to stay and are constantly looking for better roles, wanting recognition. While he says it may be all about the "me" generation, that also means greater productivity.

Witness to a revolution in communication

Catherine Hill remembers when her office bought an Apple computer - the leading edge technology at the time.

Hill, 60, has been working for the same company throughout her entire working career - starting life as the only employee of Library Locum in them id 1980s, watching it transform to The One Umbrella and seeing it bought by Candle in 2004. Now the NSW manager, Hill says the company long ago moved from providing locums for local libraries to being an information management and recruitment business. And the business model changed as technologies improved.

"I remember when I first started and accepting faxed time sheets was a scary thing," Hill says. "Faxes made a big impact, and then voicemail. Communication in our industry is so vital."

Hill says the biggest change has come through email communications both internally and externally. She says email has changes the way staff speak to each other and communications are far less formal.

"We used to write a letter formally but it all comes in via email now. You're expected to get back to people and people get upset if you don't respond quickly."

She says while there is more pressure to respond to work issues after hours and at home, email and connectivity can also be beneficial. "It frees you up to have that time at home," she says.

"Instead of sitting here waiting for an email I can go home and get it, and I don't have to sit at my desk making phone calls."

She says work ethics have always changed, and there is nothing wrong with young people having a bit of confidence and wanting to improve their skills.

"They know that if they don't keep moving and growing they're going to get left behind."


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