Linked – Emails while commuting ‘should count as work’
Not surprising:
The study, to be presented at the Royal Geographical Society on Thursday, found that 54% of commuters using the train’s wi-fi were sending work emails.
Others were using their own mobile phone connections for work emails.
Those on the way to work were catching up with emails sent ahead of the coming day – while those on the return journey were finishing off work not completed during regular working hours.
The question, of course, is not whether having access to work emails way from the office would lead to people “working” longer hours, but whether they get paid for all of those hours, or if the extra hours are damaging the quality of life, right? They should absolutely be part of the work day, and compensation should be based on that. In the US, hourly employees shouldn’t even look at their email away from the office unless they’re being compensated for that time. Salaried employees don’t have that option, but the extra time spent reading and responding to emails during a commute, or from home, should lead to a more flexible schedule.
Alas, if often does not. It only leads to never really being “off” work. That’s not good for anyone.
