For the past couple of weeks, I have been looking at how technology and network has influence and change the way we live our lives. That being said, technology today is no longer a tool for just leisure use, but it has become so essential that is impossible for us to live without it. See that businessman having a cup of coffee at Starbucks? What is he typing on his BlackBerry? Well, it seems only like yesterday that mobile phones were once only to call out and to sms, but fast forward to the present day it seem that technology has evolve so fast that we can barely catch up with it.
But for this week, we will be taking a look at Liquid Labor, yes is a new kind of labor where work and leisure meets. Liquid labor as its name implies, is flexible and it shift and shapes according to whatever changes that occurs.
How is this possible? Well we are in at age where technology is moving towards being more mobile, everything now is on the go. Look at your mobile phone is now a mini laptop, look at your car is now a mini office, look at your laptop is now a window to your business partner office. A good example would be to look at the Japanese people and their mobile phones, their mobile phone is their live, because not only can they do the calling and texting part but they are ahead of most big names mobile phone companies by implementing the capability to purchase goods with their phones. Yes, just a simple scan of the mobile phone and they have paid with their mobile credits is that simple, no more carrying around wallets or purse that could end up being snatched right?
Back to Liquid Labor, the best way for me to describe Liquid Labor would be to use my internship experience from a small PR company known as Arcis Communications. From my internship alone I have seen a lot of liquid labor implementations within the company.
Office vs Home
Given the chance I think most employee would love to work from home, but the unfortunate thing about this, is that this option may not seem to be open to all. Reason being that being at home you are more likely to be distracted then to concentrate on work. I too have my share of this experience when I was interning at Arcis, I get e-mails late at night telling what has to be done the next day or a reminder of what needs to done and fast. Sure work is work but there has to be a line drawn. I remember being called a workaholic by my cousin because I was so busy with internship i barely had time for anything else. Therefore there are the good and bad of working at home. Especially now with mobile phone being able to receive e-mails a person's after office life can be plagued with work some more.
Fixed vs Flexible
In today working environment, the work load just keeps piling up and if that happens the employee would have to work over time and they won't be happy about this. But with technological advancement now, we can cut down the workload by hiring part timer who doesn't come into the office but work separately, but they can be in contact thanks to mobile technologies and such.
Centralized vs Decentralized
Back then when a employee wants to speak with his or her superior they have to go through excuses of them not being the office or they are attending a meeting and also would have to make an appointment in order to speak with them. Nowadays, we can just e-mail them or even text them, is so much more convenient and easy and by doing so the outcome would be more productive rather then waiting. In my internship, I usually e-mail and text my superiors to clarify things such as instruction to location of press conference.
Certain vs Uncertain
Technology has certainly given us the edge in many things and set the pace for success and failure. But the one thing we all know that technology is also capable of crashing at times. Yes, technology are not perfect and they can crash too. Remember the earthquake and tsunami that happen early this year? Because of that event, many underwater cables were damaged causing many places to have their internet connection disrupted. Or in a less dramatic scenario, sometimes the internet connection is down due to maintenance which happen to me once during internship, and due to that most of us went home to do our work because is impossible for us to work without the internet.
One Place vs Mobile
Back then your office or cubicle would be your eternal slum until work is over, or when internet connection are still using dial up and you require a phone wire to be connected at all times. But nowadays thanks to wi-fi connection and routers we are able to bring our laptops and head to the nearest cafe to meet client and work at the same time. Not only has wi-fi made us more mobile but even wi-fi today are mobile, today they come in size enough to fit in your pocket! Now you can go online from anywhere to anytime.
Single Tool vs Multiple Tools
Back then is just the huge desktop along with a phone. But nowadays we have the privilege to have tools like iphone, blackberry, ipad and fax machine to assist us in getting our work done on the go. Mobile technology has advanced so fast that our phone are turning into computer, miniature one that is. So imagine in a couple of years time mobile phone might be able to replace our bulky laptop and desktop?
Thus, it seems that the line between work and leisure are blurring now. With mobile technology advancing at an ungodly speed we can now be working and playing at the same time.
Hey ivan,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that the line of work and leisure is becoming harder to determine. In fact, if we consider going to work and getting our salary if this term of work is no longer as what it seems to be, does it means we no longer get our monthly paycheck income? Since is something which is becoming harder to differentiate, our bosses could come and tell us that why aren't you at work but the fact we are working without him seeing but when he does observe us, the boss might think we are taking our sweet time leisuring around taking it lightly, but the fact is we are really doing the work, just perhaps not in a designated area. But what really interest me is that, in the future if a court case ever happen of a person not working, this might be something the courtcase might talk about, this just a crazy idea came to my head from liquid labor.
Evening Ivan! First of all, this was a witty and humorous post as I can relate perfectly to all of our scenarios given that we've interned in the same company. I have to agree all the examples given are great and it just goes to show on how liquid labour is optimizing working adults of the century.
ReplyDeleteI suppose with all the positive outcomes of liquid labour, there would be some negative effects as well. It is true that machines can shut down at any given time, because they are, after all machines! Any technical errors and down it goes which leaves us unproductive in work.
Not only these unpredictable issue brings some downside to liquid labour but also that all the functions of liquid labour is somehow actually bringing more work to us. Since my reading was upon Gregg's Function Creep which touches upon the negative effects of liquid labour, I'd like to discuss a few points.
Like you've mentioned that your cousin called you a workaholic due to the number of work and emails needed to attend to, this has somehow brought a shift as well into the negative side.
With the acceleration of work through fast Internet speed, more work keeps on piling up. You arrive at work and you get easily 10 emails (depending on your position, of course) and throughout the day and even the moment you're asleep, your inbox will just keep growing and growing.
Liquid labour, believe it or not, is intensifying labour to a certain extend that we don't know of. Some would have to conduct a conference call at 7.30pm and then another at 8am the very next day. Even worse, a lady in my reading had to run a conference call on the way to work, in the train!
Isn't it crazy how liquid labour is so magnificent yet horrifying? Pretty soon, not only your cousin will call you a workaholic but your loved ones too when work has become a dominant part of your personal life that you neglect everyone including yourself.
Liquid labour can be poisonous too!