An upgrade that is not technically an upgrade, a holiday that is not technically a holiday – what gives?
THE downside to cutting-edge, constantly-in-contact technology is our inability to switch off. Whether we like it or not, not many of us can press that off button with a clear conscience. Guilt, addiction, even perverse pleasure – there are many reasons why we stay connected all the time.
But what happens when work takes over our leisure time? Do we then choose one aspect of our lives over the other, find a way to balance both, or simply sacrifice one in favour of the other?
I was mulling over this dilemma while boarding a full Qatar Airways flight from Doha to London when I was unexpectedly handed a bonus. I could not believe my luck as I was swept past my pre-booked seat in economy and into the hallowed realm of business class.
I love this airline. Its website is nifty, the service is as good as the grub and they serve some of the choicest wines. And they gave me a business-class seat! Which I thoroughly appreciated even though I almost involuntarily ejected myself from the seat while pressing the tiny buttons to test the 180° flat-bed-seat with eight in-seat massage settings.
Then a friendly steward turned up to give me a snazzy headset, leather-bound menu and a Molton Brown vanity bag. Socks and eye-mask, too. However, before I had finished examining the bounty, another brisk but tight-lipped stewardess appeared and snatched everything away, her apologies barely audible.
You see, apparently only the seat is an upgrade, everything else is economy class. But I shouldn’t really moan like an ingrate. The seat was wonderfully comfortable and I managed to sleep very soundly on the seven-hour flight, despite the distractions of the airline’s superb, state-of-the-art, on-demand entertainment system.
But still ... I could not help feeling a little cheated. You would expect an upgrade to come with the attached perks, wouldn’t you? Such petty things would not have cost the carrier all that much, surely? And fussed-over, upgraded passengers may well have spread the word about their memorable experience and been converted into regular customers.
Then it came to me that it was the same situation I was in with my holiday. Like the “technical” upgrade, I was technically on holiday but, in fact, spent most of those days working. Scores of urgent e-mails, intrusive text messages and missed calls assailed me as a wake-up call on the first day of my – theoretical – vacation.
My e-leashed vacation (to borrow a rather apt phrase) brought to mind a word recently coined by New York University sociologist Dalton Conley: “weisure”, meaning when the lines dividing work and leisure become blurred.
But this phenomenon is not new. In recent years, European and US surveys show that more and more professionals are hooked on their smart phones to stay connected with their work after work, at weekends and – you guessed it – during vacations.
The reasons for this yearning to stay connected at all times are many. Among them are gadget addiction, fear of losing a job and being ostensibly so inundated with work that we are unable to complete it in the given time.
Then again, for some, work is so much fun that they want to stay in touch all the time. At least that’s what I used to think, as I am usually on the look-out for interesting stories and angles when I travel.
But, this time around, being chained to the computer for the best part of each day became a painful chore. Especially when I had to cancel plans that others had made for me and could not spend enough time with the people whom I had gone to visit.
Holidays are a must for the modern human being. The time away allows for de-stressing, reconnecting and rediscovering. Clear the clutter and re-emerge, rejuvenated and inspired. We know that. But when we are stressed about work every day when we are away, it defeats the purpose of going away in the first place.
The only upside to my situation was that I was still able to hang on to a precious few hours daily because of the time difference.
But questions still remain: does “business class upgrade” only mean the seat without the perks that go with it? And does “leisure” now mean what’s left after the job is finished? Clarity, please.
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