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Mobile Devices Significantly Expand the 40-Hour Work Week

By Carolyn Elefant

A few weeks ago I posted about two recent lawsuits by employees seeking overtime pay for responding to work messages on company-issued smart phones after hours. These types of lawsuits are on the rise, not only because of technology advancements, but also the present recessionary climate, with layoffs forcing employers to squeeze more work out of fewer people. But just how much overtime are we talking about here? You'd be surprised. The U.K.'s Birmingham Post reports on a recent employee survey by Manchester-based employment law firm Peninsula, which found that employees who use devices like BlackBerrys on the job work an extra 15 hours a week. Are mobile devices really extending the work week by as much as 15 hours? And is that time productive or are the returns diminishing because employees aren't getting enough of a break?

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on August 25, 2009 (boomark / email).