Britain is Overworked and Undervalued
A candid snapshot of commuters on the London Underground. Courtesy of Flickr user vonderauvisuals on a creative commons license.
People living in the Britain feel overworked and undervalued for their time, according to recent research by Morgan McKinley.
For many Brits, this is an era of financial uncertainty. Following the global financial crash of 2008, ‘millenials’ (those currently aged between 15 and 35) are projected to be the first generation of modern times to earn less than their predecessors.
Increasingly, workers are opting out of the maximum 48 hours per week enforced by the European Time Directive in order to make ends meet.
A Swiftcover survey on working Brits found that close to half of them claim to have a lot less leisure time than they did before the credit crunch occurred.
The most popular methods found for reclaiming lost leisure time were completing arduous tasks such as shopping and banking using the internet, so that they took up less of the day. This opens up an interesting debate on the relationship technology has with free time.
Technology – Helping or Hindering Our Freedom?
Can technology bring us more freedom? Image created using elements available freely on a creative commons license.
It is often suggested that technology is eating away at time which used to be spent relaxing or interacting face to face with others.
Psychologists suggest that a constantly connected workforce takes stress from their jobs outside the office. This is due in part to email reminding workers of their responsibilities .
Social media is also a proven distraction.
However, it is undeniable that technology is available which aims to extend and enhance our free time. Here are some intriguing examples:
Activity Planning Services
Putting together a holiday or an activity break? Intricate search filters available online allow almost anyone to put together a trip themselves. This ensures that whatever the user chooses to do suits their budget, the amount of time they have and their personality.
Click on the logos to check out some of these notable online activity planning services:
Explore user recommendations and reviews for activities on any part of the planet.
Discover the most cost effective way to get between any two destinations on the globe.
Compare the cost and duration of flights
Productivity Apps
Smartphones and tablets are home to a whole host of productivity apps aiming to save people time. Here are some varied and interesting examples:
Join Me creates a virtual workspace. It allows people to collaborate on projects, sharing files and ideas from wherever they are. Available on iOS, Android and Desktop.
Remember The Milk is a time management and to do list application aimed at ‘busy people’. Available on iOS and Android.
Google Keep allows users to create multimedia notes. Think drawings, writing, audio and video. These notes are saved on a cloud service and are available across multiple devices, both online and offline. Available on iOS, Android and Desktop.
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