Noticed this story over the weekend.
Professor: BlackBerry Addiction Lawsuits Likely in Future
Friday, August 25, 2006
TORONTO – Keeping employees on electronic leashes such as laptops, BlackBerries and other devices that keep them constantly connected to the office could soon lead to lawsuits by those who grow addicted to the technology, a U.S. academic warns.
I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two types of people in this world — those with addictive personalities, and those without. I guess I don’t have one, because I just spent an entire week with limited Internet access (I did have the laptop along, but I barely used it, and never did do anything work-related the entire time) and I didn’t feel any withdrawal pangs at all.
Makes me wonder if Crackberry addiction is better than the alternative — maybe these folks would be alcoholics or drug addicts if it weren’t for their electronic fix.
The simple solution to the problem is to tell your company you don’t work 24/7 and you’re not going to accept the leash. If that means finding another job, so be it. If you already acknowledge that your life is shit, and the electronic leash is to blame, have the balls to admit it and find another career, or another job where the leash is more flexible. But don’t sue your company over it — you knew the job was dangerous when you took it.
Sheesh.