More Than Half of Workers Admit to Checking Their Smart Phones While Driving,
Finds New CareerBuilder Canada Survey

    
    --More Than One-in-Five Workers Report They Check Their Device Every Time
    it Vibrates or Beeps--





    
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<p><span class="xn-location">TORONTO</span>, <span class="xn-chron">March 10</span> /CNW/ -- While smart phones have made it easier for workers to stay connected to the office, they may not be a good idea for every commute. According to a new CareerBuilder <span class="xn-location">Canada</span> survey, more than one-half (51 per cent) of workers who have a smart phone or similar device said they check it when driving a vehicle. The survey was conducted among more than 700 workers between <span class="xn-chron">November 5</span> and <span class="xn-chron">November 23, 2009</span>.</p>
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<p>Some workers admit they may be risking safety on the road to check their phones because they feel pressured to do so. Twenty-three per cent of workers say they check their mobile device every time it vibrates or beeps and 15 per cent report they are required by their company to be accessible beyond office hours via mobile device. Also, 8 per cent of workers said they feel obligated to constantly stay in touch with work because of the current tough economy.</p>
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<p>In addition to driving, workers with smart phones said they are checking in with the office on their smart phones from virtually anywhere and everywhere, including:</p>
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    --  During a meal - 65 per cent
    --  While in the bathroom - 57 per cent
    --  Lying in bed at night - 52 per cent
    --  On vacation - 46 per cent
    --  At a movie, play, musical, etc... - 23 per cent
    --  At a child's event of function - 17 per cent
    --  On a date - 16 per cent
    --  Working out at the gym - 11 per cent
    --  At church - 7 per cent


    
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<p>"It is challenging for workers to maintain a good work/life balance when they are constantly connected to the office, so turning their devices off is important for their health and safety," said <span class="xn-person">Rosemary Haefner</span>, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. "The lines between work and life can be very blurry these days - 15 percent of workers said they feel like their work day never ends because of technology connecting them to the office. To reduce burnout and avoid potentially risky behavior, workers should allot technology-free time when away from work."</p>
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    Haefner offers the following advice on how to disconnect from the e-leash:

    --  Turn off your smart phone when driving: Not only is it illegal in many
        provinces, but using your mobile device while driving is dangerous to
        you and others on the road. If it's necessary to leave your smart
phone
        on and a conference call or other urgent matter comes up, pull over to
        safely handle the situation.
    --  Set priorities for outside of work: Twenty per cent of workers
required
        to be accessible beyond office hours report that being too connected
to
        their jobs via technology has caused issues or arguments with their
        friends and family. Discuss the e-leash with your loved ones so that
        they are aware that sometimes you may need to be connected to work.
    --  Have a backup plan in place: If you anticipate being needed outside of
        the office, plan to have an out-of-office message or voicemail up, or
        leave contact information for others familiar with your area of the
        business. That way, any emergency can be handled appropriately if you
        can't get to it.


    Survey Methodology
    
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<p>This survey was conducted online within <span class="xn-location">Canada</span> by Harris Interactive© on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 720 employees (employed full-time; not self-employed; non-government) ages 18 and over between <span class="xn-chron">November 5</span> and <span class="xn-chron">November 23, 2009</span> (percentages for some questions are based on a subset of Canadian employees, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 720 one could say with a 95 per cent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 3.65 percentage points, respectively. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.</p>
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    About CareerBuilder.ca:
    
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<p>CareerBuilder.ca is a leading job site in <span class="xn-location">Canada</span>. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), the Tribune Company, The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), CareerBuilder.ca powers the career centers for more than 250 Canadian partners that reach national, local, industry and niche audiences. These include leading portals such as MSN.ca, AOL <span class="xn-location">Canada</span>, and Macleans.ca. Job seekers visit CareerBuilder.ca every month to search for opportunities by industry, location, company and job type, sign up for automatic e-mail job alerts, and get advice on job hunting and career management. For more information about CareerBuilder.ca products and services, visit <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.ca">http://www.careerbuilder.ca</a>.</p>
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    Media Contact:
    CareerBuilder
    Allison Nawoj
    773-527-2437
    [email protected]
    http://www.twitter.com/CareerBuilderPR





    

For further information: Allison Nawoj of CareerBuilder, [phone], [email protected] Web Site: http://www.careerbuilder.ca