Let work be your slave

The only "new" thing about the new trend called "mobile working" is that today's gadgets make it a whole lot easier. The stereotypical drudgery of the travelling salesman, for example, wouldn't be nearly so bad with an iPad.

But the belief persists that mobile working means working around the clock. Quite the contrary, panellists at the recent NForum on Mobile Working Trends said.

Technology has played the freedom card: You can not only work anywhere, you can work anytime.

Many office people have "worked on the go" in one form or another, but there have always been limitations in scope and support. One of the biggest factors in overcoming these is "cloud computing".

Nuttaputch Wongreanthong, who oversees strategic innovation at RS Co, asked the audience at the NForum if anyone needed him to explain the term. No one raised a hand.

For anyone not quite as clued in, this Internet technology that makes mobile working so beneficial today lets you access all the files you need digitally from anywhere, computer to computer of gadget to gadget.

Or at least it promises to provide that access soon.

"It's just like when you deposit your money in a bank and then you can withdraw it anytime from any ATM," said Pornthip Kongchun, Google Southeast Asia's marketing chief for Thailand.

Cloud computing is still in its early stage, but as the cloud expands it will save private firms a bundle on servers and programming and gradually bear fruit for their employees too.

It will, in fact - to use the Thai phrase - let them stay above the cloud.

Chakard Chalayut, a digital-media specialist at Thoth Media, gave the example of a doctor who might maintain access to his patients' medical records via his mobile phone.

With cloud computing, he could also summon case histories and other comparative information from any hospital. Diagnosis would be more dependable, and treatment too.

Cloud computing is regarded as the future of information technology and, according to the forum panellists, the crucial shift for mobile working.

Thailand will benefit from mobile working more than most countries, said Pornthip, citing research by Britain's Sheffield University. It found that Thais spend more time commuting to and from their jobs than any other nationality in the world.

"Yes, Thais - and Bangkok people in particular," she said. Office workers in the capital spend two hours a day getting to work compared to 15 minutes in Singapore. At Google, Pornthip said, they call that "dead time".

"I don't want any dead time, so when I'm in Bangkok I spend that time answering my e-mail."

That sounds like Pornthip is indeed working all the time, but she insisted it's more a matter of "working whenever you have to work".

Every day at 6pm Google staff members get an "alert" to shut down their laptops and go home. They're also required to switch off all personal devices during videoconferences, and there's an unwritten rule that the boss won't send work-related e-mail on weekends.

But for the most part, Pornthip said, you must discipline yourself. "Don't leave other people thinking you work 24 hours a day. For example, don't even pick up the phone when you're on holiday."

Chakard advocates quality before quantity. The extra time that technology buys you can be spent doing quality work. "Sometimes you only need 30 minutes to come up with an excellent idea," he pointed out.

Chakard said people already envy his flexible hours and his ability to work outside the office, but cloud computing, once fully developed, will make him even more productive.

Until everyone can see that happening, he said, the idea of work-on-the-go will confuse people.

"You've got to make it clear what you're doing wherever your are. At least your girlfriend needs to understand that you don't need to be in the office when you're working!"

Chakard admitted he's a mobile workaholic, though. "I even check my e-mail or do other work when I'm in the restroom!" Google's Pornthip remarked amid the ensuing laughter that she's not as dedicated as that.

Chakard's point about keeping loved ones informed raised the question of whether mobile working affects personal relationships. The panellists' consensus: "Possibly."

One of the panel members, Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, uses gadgets in her job as executive vice president of Siam Hotels and Resorts, but she raised a whole different line of thinking.

"I'd like you guys to sometimes just imagine yourselves on holiday with your loved ones, with no worries about work, remembering what it is that really matters in your lives."

Ironically, advanced technology - and cloud computing - should ultimately give everyone the right balance in work and home life. We'll have the luxury of knowing when to unplug.