You’re gonna have to face it, you’re addicted to… work?

This analysis piece from Reuters doesn’t really consider the fact that not all companies and jobs are created equal. Noting that 43 percent of office workers said they work on vacation, compared with 23 percent in a survey taken in 1995, this news item features the analysis of a psychiatrist who implies some of us might have a real problem. He says that in some cases the person who takes a ‘working vacation’ is someone who is just so addicted to work that they can’t ever leave it. It’s their only way of amusing themselves, and that’s a problem…” Maybe. But I think if the survey had been more granular, it would show that at the typical SMB everyone’s role is pivotal and that small and medium-sized companies don’t have a lot of extra people lolling about to keep things up and running while someone takes down time. Were it not for today’s technology, some of us would never get a vacation at all, working or not.

Ipswitch doubles Asia-Pacific staff: Western hemisphere’s loss is Eastern’s gain

In a bold move, Ipswitch International Channel Marketing Manager Tamara Hart has relocated to her native Australia, joining Sales Director Toru Sakakibara of Japan in the Eastern hemisphere and doubling Ipswitch’s Asia-Pacific presence. Leaving aside for the moment the question of whether Australia is part of Asia, let me say that the Lexington office will sorely miss Tamara’s presence, even as we pick her now-vacant cubicle clean of office supplies. I know that I will see Tamara again this fall as we gear up for another marking and sales tour of the region, underscoring Ipswitch’s commitment to growing our international presence.

The ease with which a company can move an employee across the world without skipping a business beat is a testament to the power of modern communication and collaboration technology. We sent Tamara off with a fully loaded laptop (Outlook and Ipswitch Instant Messaging updated to the latest versions), a webcam, and a gizmo for turning a regular phone into a Skype terminal. As long as we keep a clock set 14 hours ahead, it won’t be so much different than when somebody works from home.