My second office is fast becoming a coffee shop in town.
It’s become a place where I can go for a change of scenery, a meeting place, a
decent Americano, a quiet catch-up on the news, a sanctuary and a creative
haven. It’s a neutral zone where I can meet contacts, suppliers, contractors and
maybe a client over a coffee. Yet one thing disturbs me and it disturbs me
greatly... it still has no internet access available despite months of
promises.
“Quite right” some of you will say, “there’s far too much
technology these days. Give it a break!” to which it pains me to respond
“You’re right, but I must have access
to keep up with things.”
And so it has come to this. How many of us sit in front of
the television with our smartphones or other mobile devices, tapping away,
thinking how great it is to be multi-tasking, part listening to and part
looking at a film while checking emails, watching ebay or messaging a friend?
Who’s going to own up to texting or emailing someone sitting only feet away,
instead of talking? Or maybe that’s too much like a sketch in a comedy show.
Much has been written about the effects of too much
technology on young people and not enough focus on human interaction and
communication skills. Recruiters have highlighted a growing inability in candidates
to speak or write properly. Good old-fashioned grammar and care are, in the
main, getting forgotten along with mathematical skills which disappeared with
the advent of calculators. This does not bode well for businesses in the
future.
For the growing band of similarly-minded business people
flocking to coffee shops, willing to spend money on cappuccinos and a bite to
eat, internet access is not just desirable, it’s essential, otherwise we might
just as well stay in the office.
Love it or hate it, the era of mobile devices is here to
stay. The majority of people already use them to search for products or
services and reviews. Whatever you want, there’s an app for it. Now there’s
Google Glass and a million and one new innovations for our delight and
delectation.
Don’t even think about fighting it. Jump on board, keep up or
get left behind. I say embrace new technology and change because actually it
can be good fun and theoretically it’s supposed to make our working lives
easier. Until the internet goes down or there’s a power cut.
Now, where did I put that Americano?!
Originally published in The Argus on 23.4.13
Originally published in The Argus on 23.4.13
