Bring Your Own Life

In a recent study, it was reported that a policy of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) has already been adopted in around 40% of the American corporation, and this trend will grow in the following years.

The idea behind BYOD is that people work better with technology they already chose themselves and know how to use. BYOD should save the organization purchasing, training and some of the maintenance costs, while increasing productivity and worker satisfaction. However, it increases security concerns, introduces compatibility issues and requires a wider range of skills from the IT and HD departments.

I did not realize this, but for the past 5 years, I've been using BYOD on an almost daily basis. It started with a PDA, went on to smartphones and now I find myself using my own 2 smartphones, my laptop and my GMail account for work. I was offered alternatives, but I am very particular about the technology I buy and I often refuse to use the equipment I am getting from work: usually I find it at best uncomfortable and at worst unusable.

But there is a line that should be drawn. It seems to me that the employers of today think that they own our private time as well, not just most of our waking hours. We are expected to be flexible with our work hours and stay a longer or arrive earlier when we're needed to, often without proper compensation. We are being asked to use personal connections to help the company, usually without the promise of a personal gain. In recent years, it has become almost mandatory to "Like" or "Share" the company's page on Facebook or its account on Twitter - but this is where I draw my line.

I see no reason why should I do that. My personal life is my personal life. It's true that my job is financing it, but this is it. I'm giving away those 9 hours each day, because I'm getting paid for it. I bring my own devices, because they make my work slightly less frustrating and easier. I will stay longer or arrive earlier because I have responsibility. But I will not use my free time, or my personal life unless I make sure that me and my friends or family benefit from it as well.

Same goes for social networks. I see employers' requests to Like or Share posts that are published on their Facebook pages as further appropriation of our personal lives, and I am not going to take a part in it. Like BYOD, BYOL (Bring Your Own Life) is a policy that benefits the employer, but the employee is paying for it.