We're being duped into working more hours

Canada's national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, reports that job quality fell last year, news that won't surprise any Canadian who is either working or looking for a job in today's labour market.

The decline was due to an increase in self-employed jobs – which typically do not provide benefits or a pension – coupled with rising unemployment among adults between the ages of 25 and 54.

But another, less reported factor affecting job quality is the growing use of mobile technology at work, which is causing Canadians to work more hours and is reducing workers' personal time at home.

A recent survey by The Angus Reid Institute found that two out of three Canadians describe the internet, e-mail, and cell phones as being "vital" to their jobs, while 40 percent say these technologies have increased the amount of time they spend working. Only 9 percent of those who responded to the survey said that technology has reduced their working hours.

The survey notes that "many Canadians who use technology at work admit (that) they're slaves to the flashing light of their devices," as 41 percent of respondents said they check their work e-mail outside of regular office hours. Three in ten, meanwhile, said they respond to some of these e-mails or call or text about work after hours.

Notably, nearly a third of respondents said that – despite all of its benefits – mobile technology at work is an overall negative, because workers are now expected to answer e-mails and phone calls in their personal time. This suggests that, rather than making work more efficient and less time-consuming, technology is actually duping us into working more hours.

This issue is especially relevant to young workers, as respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 were more likely to report "after hours" work activities than their older counterparts. And it affects waged workers in particular, as they are essentially working extra hours for free if they're answering phone calls and e-mails after regular hours without pay.

Perhaps more of us need to follow the Canadian Mental Health Association's advice of making work-life balance "our business." The Association recommends only responding to e-mails once or twice a day, turning off your phone after work, and making it known that you aren't "available 24/7" as effective ways of balancing your job and private life. Indeed, with mobile technology and after hours work increasingly encroaching on our personal time, taking steps to get back to balance at work has never been more important.