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Are after hours emails causing tension in the workplace?July 3, 2008 Thanks to Blackberrys, iPhones, and laptops, the 'regular business hours' employees are working is blurring. It's starting to cause concern in some industries where writers check their emails while eating dinner, before they go to bed, or at an event, and are now able to update websites, create drafts, and sign contracts from anywhere.It's already causing issues at ABC where disputes are occurring over uncompensated after-hours work. The concern is not that the writers are going to bill the hours, but with technology growing and upgrading daily, when does the working day really end? The Writers Guild of America, East is taking a stand to ensure that the hours typically associated with non-regular working hours don't turn into non-billable working hours. There are others who think this should be a non-issue. Productivity expert Laura Stack points out that the majority of the workforce uses company time to accomplish personal tasks: taking personal phone calls, making plane reservations, socializing with co-workers, etc., so it's not unreasonable for companies to tap into employees 'after hours' time. A legal expert said that these types of disputes could be decided on "de minimis", which means, "is it too trivial for the law to mess with"? Having worked more than the typical employee at every one of my jobs, I had never thought to bill my employer for working late into the night and on weekends. It was my decision to sit at my desk after everyone had gone home. But was I rewarded for it in the long run? I don't know. Today, where is the line drawn between work/life balance? Does this really exist, or is it a warm and fuzzy term that someone thought up to make a company seem more desirable to prospective employees? With good employees at a premium - ones who take work seriously, are creative and insightful, and are not scared to roll up their sleeves and get dirty - believing in work/life balance as a mantra is a solid way to attract the best of the best. But is it realistic in every company? As a small business owner, you know that there's an invisible line between your business and your personal life. But for people who don't have the same stock in the company that you do, do you find yourself expecting as much from them during their off-time as you do for yourself? Do you find yourself promoting--essentially rewarding--employees who will answer emails at 11:00 PM over the ones who put their Blackberry on the kitchen counter and don't pick it up again until the next morning? With the ease of being able to reach-out-and-check, small companies need to define expectations and communicate them to all employees. It will help you determine if you want to practice work/life balance, and if that's even a possibility with your business. But examine your beliefs now to avoid possible compensation de minimis lawsuits in the future. Posted by Suze Bragg on July 3, 2008 | Comments (0)               
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