Talking Point: Business as usual

Written by Emma Caulton

Once upon a time the expectation was that technology would make our working lives easier and our working week shorter. Instead, however, married to our mobiles and forever checking and responding to our inboxes, work for many of us has become 24/7. We’re at the centres of our own communication maelstroms. Communication has become so easy, pressing reply and send so habit-forming, that it’s almost verging on addictive. And sometimes we fail to recognize that it’s also consuming our time rapaciously.

Chatting with Michael Riley of Capital and Coastal estate agency the other week, he admitted that he didn’t take a holiday last year and would be taking his Blackberry with him this year. Such is often the lot of the person responsible for running their own business, particularly, perhaps, for those in the service industries (and there’s an awful lot of us). In the run-up to the Easter break and a nearly relentless series of bank holidays, I was surprised to discover that for many people Good Friday et al was very much business as usual.

Is this non-stop work culture healthy? Where’s the time for reflective planning, for problem-solving? Weren’t great philosophers and scientists inspired at times of quiet contemplation under apple trees or in the bath (those Eureka moments)? Can we really produce our greatest thoughts on caffeine and wi-fi? Isn’t there a danger that we’re too busy to be truly productive? Or does today’s frenetic activity offer more flexibility in terms of hours and opportunities… We can work from wherever, whenever, and doesn’t it add a certain frisson of excitement that the nine-to-five just didn’t deliver?

The Retailer:
Paula Dack Stainer, Stainers Shoes Ltd

Paula Dack Stainer, Business Mother of the Year finalist for Langtry Manor Business Women Awards, co-owns family business Stainers Shoes Ltd in Poole. She’s a mum of three and has also just launched a new on-site business, Silki Soles foot spa and nail salon.

“Normally I have the working balance about right, but over the last couple of weeks, having opened the new business and spending time sussing out how it’s working, it’s tipped that balance. I’m doing more marketing, more brand awareness and more networking events, but I’m good at delegating. I’ve now brought in a manager to oversee Silki Soles for me, and the girls in the business do the social networking marketing… facebook and all that.

“We’re opening longer hours in response to our customers as people seem to be working harder and working longer these days. Silki Soles is open until 8pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings and it’s busier in the evenings than during the day which wasn’t what I’d expected.

“I’ve noticed that people also expect to work longer hours. Recently I interviewed one young woman who is a beauty therapist and she works until 10pm most nights. And we started opening on Sundays at the beginning of March. It was a business decision. You have to look at the surrounding area and I noticed how busy the retail park up the road from us was on Sunday. We’ve been doing it as a trial to see if we catch passing trade.

“Similarly, we used to close on bank holidays, but last year we opened the bank holidays after Boxing Day and New Year’s Day for the first time and we were really very busy. I think people had had enough of sitting at home.

“When I do the rotas, I do try to work out what the family is doing and make sure I’m around for all the important things. If I’m at home I do check my email and if it’s important I’ll deal with it, so, no, I don’t ever quite switch off. We had a famly holiday before Christmas which I think is important, as is sitting around the table with family on a Sunday, and I’m going on a cruise in June for a week and I might leave my phone here, but I’ve got to think about it…”

The Estate Agent:
Polly White, Your Move Premier Service

Polly White oversees the Premier service brand across Hampshire and West Sussex.

“The internet has changed the property industry because of 24/7 access, but it’s enhanced it rather than replaced it. Mondays are now one of our busiest days when it used to be a Saturday; this is because people will probably have been on the internet all weekend. Also security issues linked to the internet has made our job busier as we ensure viewers are checked before they’re taken into people’s homes.

“Long days are standard; I usually work from 8.30am until 6 or 6.30pm, even 7pm, and rarely get a lunch break as we’re always on the go. And, of course, we do work bank holidays as they can be a busy time with people out house hunting.

“I went home the other evening and I had a speech to prepare and three sets of property details to write; I sat in the kitchen and worked at my laptop until gone 11pm and I still didn’t get it all done, but it helped to have peace and quiet and no interruptions. Some days in the office I feel I haven’t achieved anything as it’s frenetic with continual phone calls and emails constantly popping up, and you do feel inclined to look at them. You should probably check them a couple of times each day, rather than every two minutes, but sometimes you do need to respond immediately
“If I have a break and actually go away I’ll leave the office and phones behind (holidays are imporant otherwise you could burn-out). However the other week I had a week off, but I was just at home and in that situation I check my emails and I tell the office I’ll always be at the end of the phone. It’s about personal service – yes, I may be on holiday, but buying and selling a house is a big thing and sometimes sellers need hand-holding.

“Everyone is working longer and harder, perhaps it’s to keep their jobs, but I also believe it’s become expected; our working lives are a reflection of people’s expectations. We have 24-hour supermarkets and other industries are open long hours so the expectation is that we’re going to be available 24/7, too. Everyone is open all the time now! But I do thrive on the buzz.”

What do you think?

What’s your working week like? How many hours do you work? Did you know that in 1947 women (and children) were granted a ten-hour working day with a maximum of 60 hours a week? How does that compare to your daily and weekly work routine?

If you want to comment, email emmacaulton@talktalk.net or write to Emma Caulton, Editor, Compass, Baskerville Place, 28 Teville Road, Worthing, Sussex BN11 1UG

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