Internet increasing American work hours

A survey by the Pew Research Center finds 35% of American workers say the internet has increased the number of hours they work. However, they do have more flexibility in deciding when to work. Lee Rainey is head of technology research at the Pew Research Center. “There is this fluidity to life now that didn’t exist when there was a real strict boundary between work and home, that boundary doesn’t seem to exist as much now.” He says six out of 10 report email is “very important” to their work. Only 4% say that about social networking, continues Rainey. “People have written off email in the past decade. They think social media, texting, snap-chat, Skype; all these other communication technologies will surpass it, but still people rely on email for the core activities of their businesses. It is just as robust now as it was a while ago.” Because email can be answered and written anywhere, Rainey says the survey found many people feel they are working more hours. “They say they are working longer now, in part because there is an electronic leash that’s on them.”