The modern inventions have simplified the work lives for many of us. There are many things we can do with the help of internet and smartphones that we could never imagine doing in the past. For quite a few working professionals, smartphones are an inseparable part of their lives. It helps them focus on their job throughout their working hours. However, over dependence on smartphones can cause greater harm than good, on a couple of occasions.
People who misuse or overuse the smartphone often land up in troubles that may even jeopardize their jobs. It is thus vital that you are aware of the hazards of a smartphone and their wrong use. Here are some ways in which smartphones can prove to be detrimental to your career.
How Smartphones Ruin Your Career:
1. Fidgeting with mobiles during meters:
Employers usually encourage their staff to be multitasking. However, it will be considered counterproductive if you remain preoccupied with your smartphone while attending a meeting. You must know when to use a smartphone for communication and when to restrain your temptation. Remember that these devices are made for communicating with people if they are away. If you have the people you wish to communicate with right in front of you, it is better to speak directly.
Apart from causing unnecessary wastage of time, people making presentations or giving their views may feel offended by your gesture if you use your smartphone while in a meeting. It can send a wrong message to your co-workers and the higher management.
2. Checking your smartphone periodically:
Smartphone addiction is a major problem of the present generation. Many people get so used to the smartphone that they need to check it every fifteen minutes. This can not just be a complete time waste but also highly annoying.
The smartphones can be used for a variety of activities ranging from texting to internet browsing and use of social media. But doing all these things during working hours can hamper your productivity and raise questions about your approach towards work. You need to have control over your anxiety and learn to stay away from the smartphone when it affects your productivity and work-life.
3. Doing too much of your professional work on smartphones:
If you do a substantial amount of your day to day work through email or texts through your smartphone, it could make you appear less professional to others. Though tech-savvy people may not mind, others may have an issue with your dependence on smartphone messages.
There are other hazards too of depending on the smartphone excessively. When you get too accustomed to working on a smartphone, you may also start using the text message lingo while communicating in professional circles. This can also greatly hamper your professional image. Smartphones are sure used to simplify work but not to replace computers and other devices.
4. Reducing your productivity and Wasting Your Energy:
Many people have the habit of playing games on the phones or solving quizzes. It is surely fun to solve quizzes and games during breaks but do not let this use up most of your energy. If that happens, you won’t have energy left to do important work.
As mentioned in an earlier statement, overuse of mobile phones can bring down your productivity. However, it is important to have a clear idea of the exact amount of time you are losing by using your smartphone in between your work. The best way to reduce distractions at work is to place your phone in a drawer while you are busy with your work.
5. Texting something wrong to your boss:
It is true that the mobile phone has simplified communication in many ways. There are many messages that could not send prior to the arrival of mobile phones due to time constraint or other reasons. Today, sending them through SMS is too easy. There are some risks though along with the simplicity.
There are often instances when messages may get misinterpreted when sent through SMS. These situations can cause you a lot of embarrassment at your workplace.
6. Hastily responding to official emails:
The benefit of possessing a smartphone is that you are always accessible to people in your professional circles even when you are not at office. The bad part is that this means you are accessible even at times when you are in a fun mood or out with friends. Since the device cannot gauge your mood or state of mind, you may receive serious official emails when you are at a party. You may revert to emails or messages without paying a second thought. This may actually harm your repute.
This is an area where many people make errors. It’s quite common to hastily respond to official e-mails while you are pre-occupied with your work, or out for lunch, or enjoying some snacks during happy hours. Under these situations, you are at a risk of omitting errors which may cause a lot of confusion. However, too much of misunderstanding can dent your reputation, and if things go wrong then you may even be sacked.
7. Create a negative impact on your sleep:
Though it may sound funny, spending hours texting or surfing through social media while you are on the bed can badly affect your sleep. A study in 2012 by the Atlantic revealed that a percentage of specific age demographics lose sleep due to overexposure to technology.
A proper sleep plays a vital role in proper functioning of the brain. People who manage to get a sound sleep are able to concentrate better and work to their full efficiency. If sleep patterns are hampered by smartphone use, it may affect your work efficiency in the long run.
8. Causing distractions:
Though it may sound odd, there may be cases when you feel disconnected from things that are happening around you because you have used your phone excessively. Remaining preoccupied with your phone can make you unaware of the things that are happening around you. Such imbalance can cause major distractions and impede the flow of your work.
Any work profile requires a professional to be a good communicator. The modern generation has more and more people who are addicted to their cellphones. This prevents them from interacting with people around them. People with such a poor social life never learn to communicate well. This can be another disadvantage of getting addicted to the smartphone.
9. Checking e-mails in the middle of conversations:
Looking towards your smartphone while speaking with your co-worker can give the person the impression that something more urgent to attend to. They may have the impression that you are ignoring their views, which can cause them to end their conversations and return to their workstation.
Professional relations are just as important as personal relations. While they may not be as closely knit as personal ties, they play an important role in your professional life. Smartphones can actually hamper these relations. Later when you are in need of some choose wisely when you are asked to select between a smart device and a reliable colleague.
10. Wearing headphones at offices:
Yes, it is true that headphones can help you stay aloof from the distractions around your workstation. But it is always wise to keep the headphones at your desk when you are not attending important calls. A headphone in your ear all the time may prevent your colleagues from speaking to you under the assumption that you are busy.
This will make sure that your co-workers do not feel annoyed while trying to find out whether you are on a phone call or not each time they come across you. Do not let the modern devices hamper important work relationships.
11. Creating a wrong image of yourself:
The type of ringtones you use speaks about your tastes. Though it is completely up to you decide on your ringtone, make sure that it doesn’t create a wrong impression among co-workers. The image you create can have a great impact especially in some serious profession like that of a lawyer or a doctor. In such professions, a wacky ringtone may just ruin your image and reputation.
You should also be careful while selecting caller tunes for the smartphone. It is best to avoid item number or devotional songs for a caller tune as it may annoy some people.
12. Use Smartphone Wisely and Reap The Benefits:
There is no invention made by man that has no negative impact. The impact of these smart devices depends on you and the way you use these devices. Here are some tips to help you benefit from a smartphone:
- Make limited use of a smartphone
- If you notice signs of addiction, take steps to avert the same
- Do not use social apps and chats to replace your real relations and friends
- Know where to draw a line between real and virtual world
