Impact of technology at work

Allows employees to be more effective & productive

Allows people to create a virtual office either to manage their physical offices, or to work away from the work environment

Allows a person to have continuous access to work information, systems, & documents even when not at work, which creates a mobile workforce

Saves time, by removing need to travel, task can be performed quicker

Increases competitive advantage of organisations, providing more options to communicate with customers and clients

Facilitates obtaining & sharing of information - much quicker with technology

Supports globalisation: people can interact & work across time zones & countries

The use of ICT in the workplace increase pressures regarding communication & effectiveness

Compromises the chain of command: removes hierachy regarding communication in the work place

People use ICT as an excuse to avoid direct communication

ICT usage as negative outside the work context because it

Creates a distraction from work or from the personal domain

Makes people lose track of time whilst using the device

Increases the expected response time: people will be available and respond immediately

Creates the expectation of higher productivity

Increases the expectation of continuous availabilty

Maintains personal relationships with family and friends both close by and distant

Inhibits personal conversations & intimacy of conversations by removing face to face conversations

Usurps time in relationships: creates distractions either through working or spending time on devices instead of spending time with family and friends

Enables communication between co workers : both quickly & easily

Decrease the need for interaction

Enables a person to establish new relationships even across geographical boundaries

Enhances communication: Increases the frequency of individuals communication with family, friends and coworkers