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“ALWAYS ON” ¬
DEALING WITH A CONSTANT AVAILABILITY
——o—
VOLKER JÖRN WALPUSKI
ABSTRACT
Mobile communications devices like smart phones are revolting our daily
lives and working conditions. Reality and virtuality merge, and there is no
longer a contrast between them. Boundaries are blurred in multiple ways.
Ubiquitous computing influences organisation of work and has an influence
on exhaustion and recreation and is a topic for occupational safety and health
programmes. But organisations find it difficult to find rules because there are
many contradictions and it seems more likely to let the employees set individual
boundaries. This is problematic as it collides with a mindset as ‚interest in risk¬
to-self’. Subsequently contents and the process of supervision and coaching is
influenced. Further research should focus on the future tasks and development
of counselling and its attitude towards ubiquitous computing.
INTRODUCTION
To say it first: ubiquitous computing and digitalization are offering a lot of
wonderful and helpful improvements for daily life. But in the cheering and
praising of their wonders and opportunities there are aspects and side effects
forgotten or overseen. Gradually more and more studies are published! about
single effects of smart devices on perception, work performance and strain,
communication processes and organisation of work. For supervisional practice
it might be helpful to have a closer look on these side effects as they are relevant
for counselling on both forming of workflow processes as well as stress and
strain prevention in the context of occupational safety and health.
1 See for instance: Joshua Harwood - Julian J. Dooley — Adrian J. Scott — Richard Joiner,
Constantly connected — The Effects of Smart Devices on Mental Health, in Computers in
Human Behaviour, Elsevier, Vol 34, May 2014, 267-272.