***Technology Blurs the Lines Between Business and Personal

In the time B.C.--before computers--the separation between home (personal) and work (business) was far more clear-cut. Today, the line between home and work has blurred because of cell phones, e-mail, notebook computers, PDAs, and other powerful communications technologies. In some companies, employees are expected to be reachable at all hours and locations. Yet, management at these same companies often acts surprised, and can react harshly, when their employees’ personal lives “intrude” on the workplace. Many of the problems that stem from boundary issues are the result of vague or wrong-headed regulations. This is understandable, though, because the phenomenon of “technological lag” dictates that a new technology will emerge long before the society into which it is born can adequately integrate it on the cultural level. In other words, technology is moving faster than our ability to address its human ramifications. To address this gap between machines and behavior, business organizations are expanding their efforts to establish guidelines that delimit the boundaries of the private and company spheres. Indeed, this is the era of the “authorized use policy” (AUP), and its cousin, “the corporate blog policy.” We’ve come a long way from the more authoritarian era, when sneaking a personal phone call home from the office was grounds for disciplinary action. Now, a personal phone call during business hours is as likely to made on a cell phone in the corridor as on a company phone in the office. In both cases, the same amount of productivity is lost, but the cell phone call seems less transgressive. Technology has also transformed water cooler gossip with employee blogging. A once localized, relatively casual conversation has expanded to published musings with a global reach. Several firms have had to fire bloggers, either for what they’ve said on their corporate blogs or for what some have said about their employers on their personal blogs. The known list of such companies includes big names like Google, Wells Fargo, Starbucks, and Harvard University. Shutting down or prohibiting personal blogs is not a viable option, especially at large technology companies where such blogs--which often contain a good deal of commentary or information about the company--are rampant. Some companies, where employee blogging has been an issue, and others that seek to avoid any potential unpleasantness over blogs, have begun to implement standard guidelines through both formal and informal means. Some of these guidelines include:

• Stipulating that employees make it very clear that their blog is personal and in no way sanctioned by the company and that the views on the blog do not necessarily reflect those of the company.
• Insisting that employees not disclose any information that is confidential or proprietary to the company.
• Requiring employees to obtain permission before reproducing any company material on their site, especially trademarks and other branding elements.

nThe explosion of instant communications with a global reach has changed every facet of modern civilization, and none more so than the relationship between the individual and the workplace. It’s a social phenomenon that different cultures are coming to terms with, one company at time, whether through informal guidelines, legalistic documents, or some combination of the two. Given the accelerated pace of innovation and the unpredictability of technology once it reaches human hands, it seems the emerging bent for establishing guidelines between what is business and what is personal should itself be guided by clarity, flexibility, and a practical emphasis on maintaining the integrity of the organization rather than just controlling employees.