The workplace is the cog of our economic world, allowing our society to continue functioning the way it is now. A job is a sign of status, class, and a means to gain wealth and a better life. However, the workplace has been facing its own social issues in this day and age. These issues vary, from small grievances to large scale injustices and a changing environment. One of the most pressing, that affects students and employees alike, is that of distraction.
Distraction is one of the most common and pressing social challenges that plagues the workplace today. It seems that people rarely get anything done in the workplace these days. Distraction is a common theme, ranging from self-distractions like social media sites or general unproductiveness, to work-related distractions like board meetings. In the New York Times article, “Fighting A war Against Distraction” by Marci Alboher, she states that “the average knowledge worker switches tasks every three minutes, and, once distracted, a worker takes nearly a half-hour to resume the original task” (Alboher 1). The article explains the detrimental affects of distracted working. It leads to higher fatigue and stress, lower productivity, and a declining work ethic. Interestingly, Alboher doesn’t attribute this just to cell phone distractions and websites, but to the original technological advancements of communication, that “shattered distance and upended ancient temporal rhythms” (1). It also seems that meetings could be a huge distraction in the workplace as well, as Jason Fried mentions in his Ted Talk on the subject. It looks like many people are looking for ways to increase productivity and minimize distractions.
Another issue is the growth of freelance work. This concept doesn’t necessarily seem negative. However, freelance work is much less stable than a traditional career path. Without a steady income, employees would most likely have to juggle multiple projects at once, and a life like that means living not just pay check to pay check, but job to job. Your entire livelihood depends on whether you could land the next job or not, and a freelancer now needs to know more skills than ever before. It’s said that a journalist has to know editing, photography, shooting, and interview skills along with the basic writing skills. Even now, the Freelancer’s union in New York, (which surprised me cause I didn’t know something like it existed,” recently lost the ability to cover the life insurance policy they had before, and opt for a lesser quality and more expensive one thanks to government reforms, as shown in the article, “Freelancers Union to End Its Health Insurance Plans in New York,” by Anemona Hartocollus.
The third and final problem comes with the proliferation of unpaid internships. Interning, a component so necessary to college students like myself these days, can bode damaging for the work environment in the future. According to the article, “The Unpaid Intern, Legal or Not” by Steven Greenhouse, internships are at all time high, and are most likely being used to further a firm or company’s profits. According to Greenhouse, interns are afraid to speak out incase of creating a bad reputation for themselves in the field of their choice, and that companies are most likely using internships as employee replacement, getting free labor and giving no benefits, not even pay, to the intern. Apparently, according to the article, a company must fulfill the six criteria to qualify to give unpaid internships, for, at the end of the day, internships are supposed to be design for the benefit of the intern. Using the interns as a source of free labor and a replacement for employees is a dangerous trend, leading to the large scale unemployment rates and difficulty of college graduates landing a job. Greed and selfishness like this make it difficult for the workplace to thrive.
Sources:
“Fighting a War Against Distraction.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 June 2008. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. .
Greenhouse, Steven. “The Unpaid Intern, Legal or Not.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Apr. 2010. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. .
Hartocollis, Anemona. “Freelancers Union to End Its Health Insurance Plans in New York.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 30 Sept. 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. .
“Why Work Doesn’t Happen at Work.” Jason Fried:. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. .
Michael, I definitely agree with your position on distraction in the workplace. I wrote about a similar issue in my blog post. Another distraction I mentioned was that which comes from being placed in an office setting that has too much communal space and not enough privacy for employees. Yes, Facebook and other social media outlets may be distracting, but they are self-inflicted and can be shut down. Loud noises, from other workers in close quarters, are not something one can escape. The best way to minimize distractions and increase productivity is to block off large amounts of uninterrupted time for employees to work on their projects. I also really enjoyed reading your point of view on internship positions and freelance work. Although, I don’t think either is working toward a change. Intern positions are very necessary for students to gain experience (especially if one argues that not enough workplace skills are taught in school), so I don’t see the amount of intern positions decreasing anytime soon. As for freelance work, this is a serious issue beyond just the required experience. Health benefits and job security are also lacking. This is something that I think can change if the workers band together to stop.