30 May 2020, NIICE Commentary 5128
Dr. Mohammad Rezaul Karim
The world has entered the fourth phase of industrial revolution. The Information Technology (IT) has captured every aspect of human beings-from personal life to professional-life. The dramatic rise of IT has brought tremendous benefits to human life. It is now such an inevitable source that serves as another active hand and part of the brain of human being. It changes working process, service delivery and even thinking capacity. Modern life without IT seems disabled and office becomes useless. Need for internal change and pressure from outside force every office to transform its modes of operation to IT based system. It is a setback to the administrative culture, business procedure, decision-making process and service delivery system. Developed nations have already transferred their whole system to modern system while developing nations like Bangladesh has been investing a lot to move to the new paradigm. Seemingly, machine is preferred to man and output is emphasized.
E-government is the use of information communication devices and software to render service. The enormous benefits of the use of ICT at office compel every organisation to rush to adopt it. ICT comprises of both hardware: computer, mobile, intranet and internet infrastructure, Vsat, modem, telephone, server and software: like various apps related to service and work process, online platform, social media (Facebook, Whatsapp, Line, Viber, Skype, Zoom, Messenger), web portal, internet etc that are being frequently used at office and regularly updating to run faster with the pace of technological advancement.
Work-Life Balance (WLB) is the notion of spending more quality time for the family members after official activities emphasizing family bonding, mental development, and a happy life. Working at office is the means of getting financial benefit and non-financial benefits with social recognition that is mainly a supportive mechanism of an individual. E-government devices helps individual’s life easier as it provides fascinating new technology, easy process of working, less contact of human being, hassle free tasks, flexibility of work, pride of entitlement. Few years back, having a telephone or mobile, computer, printer, Wi-Fi password, official email was a notion of entitlement and social dignity. Even a telephone at residence or mobile with sufficient balance of talk time brought happiness to the family as it helped communicating with family members and friends.
In spite of having benefits to create balance between work and life, use of ICT produces unintended and unwelcome consequences including IT based cultural domination, new colonization, work-captivity, technological slavery, trapped in panoptican, fears of losing privacy, hindrance to personal safety, insecurity, family conflict, mental pressure, health hazards, and hindrance to creative thinking. E-government devices capture both official and family life, break the barrier between two domains, and easily permeate from one domain to another with anxiety and pressure. Thus, use of ICT expedites work-life conflict (WLC).
Once work is done, handing over output to the recipient was enough. Now multiple ways of sending information to all is a must, which not only kills more time but also hampers other activities. After stipulated office time, office work accompanies with digital device and is carried forward to home. If phone rings or any message through social media or cell phone comes, the user becomes restless until it is seen and addressed. The message from senior officials changes behavior and sometimes results in misbehavior with family members. Researchers found that doing office and attending phone calls of bosses increases family conflict.
Use of IT increases cost of expenditure but decreases quality time for family members and family activities. Changing phones, laptops and becoming trendy with the new version of smart devices increase expenditure and create difference in the outlook of people towards society. Use of ICT and multiple devices (even one device more than one e.g. two mobiles, 2/3 SIM cards) turn life to 24/7 office at all times and through all seasons.
Children are annoyed and warn parents for finding unnecessary sounds of incoming calls and messages. Nears and dears think that they emphasize work more than them. A big change in human’s psychology arises that ignorance has raised declining the value of being human. Even natural activities of human being are severely hampered.
Office work moves from one’s home to another’s house. Invited guests ask Wi-Fi password just after entering house and after a while start working on urgent piece of official business or attending social media or an unexpected call accompanied by misbehave from senior colleague that turns the shinny moment to gloomy environment. Social media dramatically reduced social connection including visiting to others for exchanging gifts and social interaction, attending social and family programmes. The bodily touch of love has been replaced with the love through emojis. Hugging mother and kids replaced with the mobile or computer generated emotions.
Technology has inherent problems expedited by structural limitations that interrupt the flow of online office or call. The person on the other side finds distrusts. IT infrastructure facilitated by uninterrupted electricity supply, better internet bandwidth, effective software, creating congenial office mood at home are significantly important for working from home. Interruption between calls or working through social media keeps individuals busy until further connection or the unfinished activities are done. Status posted on social media attracts the user to look repeatedly for the number of likes and reaction made by the viewers.
Long working hour has already proved as the cause of high blood pressure, insomnia, mental disorders, fatigue, and boredom and the use of ICT intensifies occupational health hazards. Technological domination by developed nations emerges as the new form of colonization as developing countries are the markets of those continuously changing IT products, new software and expert personnel. Developing countries struggle to keep pace with the faster speed of technologically advanced countries. Adaptation with new devices creates pressure on official activities and feeling of technical domination creates psychological pressure on human being. Thus, people in modern world are chained and turned to technological slave.
It is evident that higher the hierarchal position is, higher the WLB while it is a reverse for the lower grade officials. Due to the increasing use of ICT, higher the position is, higher the WLC arises and opposite assumption acts for lower level employees. However, use of ICT intensifies WLC at every level of employee whatever the degree is and it makes life critical, tiring and moreover turn a man into a mechanical being. So, what is the use of being human? Is it only full-time working or keeping oneself occupied with numerous office activities? The important time of life – aged between 20-60 years – is completely fueled for office. At the end the day, a working person is an exhausted being with little energy and mood to spend with family. Traditional work culture with complete disconnection after office time could produce full energy for quality time for familial and social responsibilities. It seems extensive use of ICT at every step of both domains chains human being and enforces domination of non-living acts, behaviour and technology. People work to lead a happy life and eventually the influence of IT makes it more critical. Developed countries have already served notices about restriction of calling and sending email after office time, compulsory leave for family members, shortening office time and introducing Wednesday holiday to enjoy life, to realize the meaning of life. It is time for us to think and take initiatives.
