Technology and Workplace Stress Internet Article

Technology and Workplace Stress Internet Article

Technology in the work place is as common place as the worker themselves. Everywhere one looks in today’s society it is prevalent. It would not be farfetched to say that most job functions could not be done competitively without the use of modern technology. Along with the efficiency of these new tools comes a new sense of urgency and sometimes stress. The effect of this new workplace can sometimes be damaging to the workers health. This in affect makes them counter productive by taking more “mental health” days.

The Kensington Technology Group did a survey on workplace stress caused by the proliferation of technology. In this survey they address the new pressures that technology imposes on the modern day worker and what can be done to combat this. The Kensington Stress and Technology in the Workplace Survey, which queried 501 adult U.S. full-time, traditional and home-office workers, uncovers new statistics on technology's relationship to stress, steps employers are taking to reduce stress, and how stress affects personal lives.

The ability to have up-to-the-minute communication offers a rare opportunity to conduct business in real time with individuals around the world. To do this knowledge of e-mail, video conferencing and a variety of different conduits must be learned. Using something as everyday as electronic mail has been associated to a heightened stress response by employee. The feeling that important information could be lost in cyber space or accidentally erased causes anxiety to almost half of the working population.

The managing of voice mail is also a cause of stress. Many employees use voice mail on a daily basis. The responsibility of managing it and prioritizing can be overwhelming. Many times even if one is not in the office their managing of voice-mail and e-mail is expected. This is an added burden to workers who have to think about this while trying to conduct personal business.

Communication is and important issue in today’s workplace and is necessary for conducting any business. Creation of documents and the basic work day also involves new hardware such as computers, printers and other items that are used in the modern office. Although these devices can raise productivity, the anxiety involved can also be raised. The fear of a computer crash that losses a weeks worth of work. To something as simplistic as a printer jam can cause frustration.

The demands on workers to