Technology in the Workplace

There is no doubt that technology, in particular the Internet, has changed the way we work. We can correspond with people in multiple different ways. We can send and share information instantly. There is a wealth of information to use daily and we expect near instant answers from people we e-mail..
It is obvious that technology has improved office efficiency and created new ways to work, even allowing some flexibility with when and where people work.
As I am at the beginning of my working career, I have never known work without Internet, computers, fax machines, scanners/copiers, e-mail, chat, Skype, and other forms of technology. It is interesting to imagine the daily work and office culture before Internet and e-mail were so widely used in the workplace. I spoke with someone recently who said, "It's healthy to do physical, tangible work so you can step back and see what you've accomplished. At the end of a day at a computer, what have you really done?" I laughed, because I know that feeling all too well.
Another dilemma with the so-called freedom that comes with being able to work anywhere and at anytime: you are always available anywhere and at anytime. Your employer can reach you while you're on vacation, send you e-mails at 8:30pm or on a Saturday, and you can feel the need to "just get a little done" over the weekend because you can. When the Internet was originally introduced, it was projected that because of more efficiency in the workplace, work hours could be reduced. On the contrary, people are working increasingly more hours and have found work invasive. Laptops and smart phones are helpful, but they are also hard to ignore. Boundaries have been stretched and expectations raised. Your co-workers know you can be reached and will expect a response despite the hour or day of the week. Correspondence is expected immediately; deadlines are moved up.
Mixing work and technology is beneficial in many ways, but I think often people are not sure how to set boundaries between personal and professional lives. What is on one hand a convenience is also a leash, tethering us to our work and making us constantly at the disposal of our employers. How can we set boundaries in order to protect ourselves from this constant availability?

--Megan