The 24/7/365 watchtower, who's on post?

June 24, 1:24 AMDC Government Business ExaminerDonna Quesinberry

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Name that tune.

At some time in the past decade, business transitioned from the 9 to 5 pabulum to the 24/7/365 watchtower with potential for 14 vacation days and 5 sick days if there's a really good health program. Instead of reporting and then disreporting at the close of the day - we've become living breathing extensions of our professions. Our technological liberation has become a tether that keeps us in the zone no matter where we are, when we are, or what we are.

The good news, and there is always good news, is that we are mobile watchpersons. We man our stations, as it were, inVirtually - as the Semantic Web and the new Connectivism keeps our career pulse literally at our fingertips. No matter where our physical bodies reside, we are in the zone. So the question comes to mind - what about our thoughts? The proverbial 9 to 5 mentality allowed us to switch on a work persona and switch off the home body for 8 hours a day. We reported in to work, shelfed our personal life at the entryway, and until departure left personal agendas alone. At the close of the workday, we took our internal person down off the shelf and carried ourselves back to the safety of the home sphere and our personal life -  "our reality." Work - wasn't our reality - it was "our work." Meaning it was work to be there and we got it done and went back to life.

Years ago, before it was taboo to do so, I recollect being on Capitol Hill seeking gainful employment and asked whether I was a Democrat or Republican in entrance interviews. I used to say, "what's it matter what I am?" It never dawned on me that as a Democrat applying for a position in a Republican based organization that the hirer believed my belief system would adversely affect my "work" one way or the other. I wasn't buying into their system or agenda, I was being hired to do a job for them. That was my concept of being hired to perform the duties of a job. Meaning I'd do my best work for the hirer no matter what their agenda was - as long as it wasn't illegal or directly harmful to anyone. And, if it were I would contact the appropriate authorities. Could I not perform the tasks at hand the same no matter my political underpinnings? The concept that my beliefs may be adverse to "work" really never settled well with me - because performing a job for hire wasn't an extension of my personality - it didn't make me who I am - it was just work.

In the modern marketplace, questions regarding political belief systems, etc. are no longer acceptable. So, the savvy interviewer has a way of talking around subject matter to learn answers to 'no-no' questions while the stealth respondent has the wherewithal to dodge those unspoken questions remaining a pleasant candidate still considered for hire. It is an art of politcal correctism gone into hyper-spin. The modern tet-y-tet of office protocol saves a lot of unpleasantness; however, the weavings and underlying discourses can be mind boggling to say the least. Have we gone too far in the measure of conversational acceptance and superceded appropriateness?   

Today, rather than be a small percentage base of midline (which is unacceptable) we are better off to be utterly outspoken on issues of the moment. Somehow hitting on the periphery of almost everyone's worldview is not lauded, but applauded. Yet, if we speak basic truisms (and in a 24/7/365 career-world we must do so from time to time because our work is our life) we are met with less than admirable reactions. If we state emphatically we are Democrats (in a Republican office) or that we are a Latter-day Saint (LDS) (in a predominantly Baptist office) then couple that with the obviousness that we aren't perfect in our faith while drinking a caffeinated soft drink - it is sometimes a harder pill to swallow than if we were to say we are involved in a homosexual tryst and intending on participating in DC's gay marriage activities. Somehow the latter commentary is given the greater credence while neither is more or less credulous or denoting of anyone else's approval or disapproval.

Being Democratic or Republican, LDS or Jewish, gay or straight are matters of personal choice. This commentary is acceptable in the worldview, but when did it become easier to be the most outspoken and extremist worldview card carrier than to be that midline percentage plus or minus afraid to state our belief system without fear of retribution and adverse judgment? As our personal lives and our business lives intersect at some point we have to enable ourselves to stand firm in the conviction of who we are, even if it is a process of discovery for us at any given moment, and while we are to embrace the newest political fronts they should be able to embrace us too. We need to live our reality 24/7/365 in today's world. The squeaky wheel can't get all the political correctiveness in the art of communication. Being an imperfect Democrat card bearing, quasi-active LDS practioner, a woman business-owner, matriarch of a large family with no husband, who is willing to work with Republicans, Democrats, Jews,  Buddhists, Muslims, Baptists, Catholics, gays, straights,  married or not married performing the best possible work without undue concern over the other watchperson's personal agenda should be applauded just as much as the next fella. And, if that person's state of affairs aren't the most progressive or free-flowing as the next fellas - it should still be true that they'll be exacted the same liberties, neither should have to apologizee for who they are and why should we?

In the future - under this emergent 24/7/365 work scheme who we are will be as much an aspect of our home as our work centre - because the work centre is an extension of our home - if it isn't already in our home. Let's be who we are and stand firm in the conviction of acceptance that, "you're okay and I'm okay" - we are all okay.