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Review 1

The changing nature of work and employment has been quite a hot potato in recent years, and it's no secret that technology has played a pivotal role in this transformation. As they say, we're in the age of "gig economy," where folks are hustlin' like never before.

Max Roser, Hannah Ritchie, and Edouard Mathieu wrote this piece, which is about how important technological change is in making our world what it is today. The story shows how technology progress has changed almost every part of our lives.

The piece talks about how medical advances have lowered the death rate for children and raised the average life expectancy. Thanks to progress in growing technology, crop yields have also gone up and hunger has gone down in agriculture. The drop in poverty around the world is due to changes in technology that have made people more productive. Technology has changed how people can get to things like energy, power, clean water, and toilets. Modern transportation, telecommunications, and the internet have also made it possible for people all over the world to work together on difficult problems.

But in this link also talks about the problems that come with new technologies, which are usually only available to the richest people at first. With things like nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence as examples, it brings attention to the dangers that new technologies can cause. To deal with these risks, the article stresses how important it is to have good government along with technological growth.

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Max Roser, Hannah Ritchie and Edouard Mathieu

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Technological change underpins so many of the developments we’ve seen in health, agriculture, energy and global development.

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In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about how work and jobs are changing. It's no secret that technology has been a big part of this change. We live in the "gig economy," which means that people are working harder than ever.

John Smith recently wrote a piece that I found interesting. In it, he talks about the technological side of this revolution.

Smith's piece talks about how technology has changed traditional jobs like a bull in a china shop. He says that this tech storm has led to things like the gig economy, working from home, and automation. It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks because people have had to quickly change jobs.

It's good that the piece does a good job of explaining what and why this tech change is happening at work. It's like a road plan that helps you find your way around this new area.

The really interesting part is that the piece could have used some real-life examples to drive home its points. It's like talking about a roller coaster ride but not being able to feel the rush.

In the end, the way work is changing because of technology is like riding a roller coaster: it has its ups and downs. The big picture in Smith's piece is good, but it could have used some real-life stories from the front lines.

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https://www.ada.ac.uk/latest-news/how-has-technology-affected-work-life-balance#:~:text=The%20rise%20of%20remote%2Dworking&text=Apps%20and%20programs%20such%20as,and%20to%20a%20better%20standard.

Review:

In the thought-provoking article by Bruno Silva, the impact of technology on work-life balance takes center stage. Silva starts by talking about how modern connectivity makes it easy to expect immediate answers from coworkers and peers, which can make it hard to tell the difference between work and personal life. He makes a good point when he says that technology, like better communication tools and software that makes us more productive, has changed the way we work and made it possible for us to work from home or in the office.

Silva highlights a major issue produced by tech-driven efficiency: work-play conflict. The epidemic has increased the number of people working from home, allowing more time for work and recreation. It raises the question: Are we truly shutting off work when we should relax?

The author asks good questions and provides useful responses. Putting gadgets on quiet after work, utilizing distinct devices for work and play, and communicating with coworkers about work hours are three terrific work-life balance recommendations. These suggestions help people set appropriate limits and prioritize self-care.

Silva's paper discusses how technology has made our lives easier and more efficient, but it also warns us about the drawbacks of a "always connected" society. He emphasizes personal leisure and mental wellness, making people consider their work-life balance.

Bruno Silva's piece shows how technology impacts our daily life, notably how hard it is to combine work and personal time. As technology advances, people and organizations should consider how it affects mental health and develop a better work-life balance.

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Ada. National College for Digital Skills

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Have you ever messaged your teacher or co-worker after 8PM asking for help with a task due the next day, expecting a response within the same minute?

We demand more from people because we're connected all of the time through our devices. The common expectation in modern society both within the workplace and our day-to-day lives is to maintain this connection. From improved communication to hardware and software advances, there's no doubt that technology is shaping our lives, increasing productivity levels and methods of working on a daily basis. Since the industrial revolution, advances in technology have skyrocketed, constantly improving the health, rights and wellbeing of employees, enabling us to work and communicate better and in a secure environment. However, the plethora of advantages that coincide with these developments shouldn't force the expectation of being connected 24/7, and it's important for employers to pass on this message to staff; we can't let our work-life balance become disproportionate and unstable.

The rise of remote-working
The impact of technology on work has increased the rate of production and reduced the time it takes to complete tasks. Apps and programs such as QuickFMS, a cloud-based software which improves workplace management, means that in the workplace we can keep everything organised whilst communicating with others using apps like WhatsApp and Skype, allowing work to be completed faster and to a better standard. Essentially, technology means that it's practical to work both in a physical location and remotely - this is even more apparent during the recent pandemic. At the same time, this brings us back to the same propensity of letting our work life mix in with the rest of our free-time; some of us resort to using the same devices both during and outside of our jobs since we have to work from home, especially during Lockdown.

With devices fighting to grab our attention to the tasks we need to complete, are we allowing ourselves to separate work from everything else when we're relaxing?

Improved communication
After conducting an interview with a staff member from Churchill Contract Services Ltd, a cleaning service for workplaces, I was able to discover more about how workers use their phones to communicate with others in their job and improve their productivity. In this business, staff are provided with a company-owned phone with an application that allows employees to manage their work more efficiently. Some of the main features include:

Allowing managers to list tasks and important information, including the location of the job, and which cleaning products can be used.

A section where staff are required to upload 14 photos of the site they cleaned and send them to the employers: this allows the business to keep track of the employees and their performance, and provides clients with reassurance that work is being completed.

A section that gives details about their upcoming tasks, which means that it's a lot easier for them to view where they are going the next day and they can easily plan the time it will take to go to every location, therefore increasing productivity.

With the benefits that technology brings, we also need to consider the risks and issues that can occur as we adopt devices into our daily routine.

Top tips to improve work-life balance
Aside from improved productivity, I think that we should all reflect on how well we manage our work-life balance; with devices fighting to grab our attention to the tasks we need to complete, are we allowing ourselves to separate work from everything else when we're relaxing? I cultivated three primary rules, which I use myself to improve my ability to separate work from everything else:

Set your phone on silent mode after work or disable notifications for specific applications.

If you can, use different devices for your job and entertainment. For example, if you spend all day working on your laptop, try to watch a movie on your TV.

Ensure that your co-workers/colleagues know your work hours.

We've become a more productive society, and despite certain security risks, technology has helped us do more in a shorter amount of time, yet at the same time we expect ourselves to do more and more work each working day. Even though we're all connected through technology, we shouldn't expect others to reply outside of their working hours, even if they are happy to do so. If you're one of those hard-working people that "don't mind" speaking about work outside of working hours, try to focus more on your well-being; time down isn't a horrible thing, and to be fair, responding to work-related questions late at night just makes others feel guilty for not doing the same.

So this Mental Health Awareness Week; why not try turning off those notifications and spend some time away from the work laptop?

Read more of our student's opinions on how technology is changing the world of work. For resources to support your mental health visit, YoungMinds, Kooth, or the Headspace app.

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How has technology affected work-life balance?

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Have you ever messaged your teacher or co-worker after 8PM asking for help with a task due the next day, expecting a response within the same minute? We demand more from people because we're connected all of the time through our devices.

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Review 2:

In "The Nature of Technology," W. Brian Arthur looks into the complicated world of technology and gives deep insights into how it came to be, how it has changed over time, and how new ideas are created. A lot of people agree with him when he says that technology is the most important thing in our world because it affects our wealth, economy, and even our very survival.

Arthur's work is like a lighthouse in the dark places of understanding technology. He asks important questions that haven't had clear solutions for a long time: From where do new tools come? What does invention mean, and how does it happen? Can technology be compared to how living things evolve? In this important work, he not only raises these questions, but he also comes up with new and creative ways to answer them.

The book presents "The Nature of Technology" as a beautiful and powerful theory that explains how technology came to be and how it has changed over time. In a way that is similar to Thomas Kuhn's groundbreaking work on science revolutions, Arthur explains how revolutionary new technologies come about and how the innovation process works. There are a lot of examples he uses to back up his ideas, from old inventions to modern technological wonders.

Really, "The Nature of Technology" is a modern classic that shows how the past, present, and future of technology are all connected. Anyone who wants to learn more about the forces that shape our modern world should read Arthur's work.