How Technology Changed Our Workplace Communication [Infographic]

There is no question technology and mobile devices have changed the way we work and workplace communication in general. What I’d like to write about today goes far beyond employees being available to their bosses on the weekends via their company-paid smartphones and people getting busted on Facebook at work. I’ll be talking about an entire shift in how we communicate with our coworkers and get our jobs done on a daily basis.

We here at Bit Rebels are a perfect example of that. We have a Bit Rebels office in Stockholm and in Atlanta. Richard works from Sweden, and I work from the States. We’ve never met face-to-face, but our workplace communication stays intact thanks to technology, and we talk constantly to be sure all the daily details here at Bit Rebels get completed. It’s as if we are in the same office, even though technically we aren’t. We utilize every form of technology to our advantage, and for us, it works really well. A decade ago, this type of work arrangement would be very rare to say the least, but these days, it’s becoming more and more common.

For others, technology, social media and mobile devices are what keeps workplace communication flowing even if they are just across town from each other, and not in another part of the world like us. As if all this wasn’t complex enough, throw an old-fashioned boss who doesn’t understand social media or the latest technology into the mix, and you’re in for a real treat. A common concern of bosses is still that employees will misuse their company-paid devices and newly found mobile flexibility for personal use. To that, I say, get over it (unless it’s abused of course). What I mean by that is that employees are working more and more hours these days. Most of them are doing the work of two or three people.

Because of technology, they are on-call and available pretty much 24/7. The 9 to 5 work day is dying a slow painful death, and those people who are driven to be successful know they are always “on” if that makes sense. So, yes, they will use those smartphones and other devices for personal use every now and then, but you are getting so much more in return. Is it that big of a deal? This infographic called How Social Media, Mobile & Tech Impact Workplace Communication by Blogging4jobs goes into all of this in more detail. You can click over to 46% of Managers Believe Employees Misuse Social Media & Work Technology to read more on this topic.