Where Does Work End and Home Life Begin?

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2009

Type of Work

Department

Program

Citation of Original Publication

Berge, Zane L.; Bichy, Cassie; Grayson, Candice; Johnson, Anthony; Macadoff, Stephen; Nee, Kathryn; "Where Does Work End and Home Life Begin?" in Encyclopedia of Distance Learning, Second Edition, edited by P. Rogers, G. Berg, J. Boettcher, C. Howard, L. Justice, & K. Schenk (Eds.), 2355-61. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2009;

Rights

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Abstract

Many years ago, it was a commonly held belief that technology would improve industries and service professions, which means that people could work shorter hours and their employers would make just as much money. Essentially, this is the central myth of modern capitalism. Modern technologies are the shackles that bind today’s employees to their jobs long after they get home from work. Beginning in the 1990s, technology made working from home possible for a growing number of people. At first this was perceived as the era of great things to come. At home, many people had personal computers connected to their corporate network. It quickly became clear that telecommuting and the rapidly proliferating “electronic leash” of cell phones made work inescapable in the 24/7, on-demand work accessibility (Curry, 2003).