Globalisation, increasing work pressures and the rising need to travel for work are potential contributors to a "new" mounting stress placed on corporate executives and many workers around the globe.

In earlier days, executives would be most concerned about the bottom line and market share. Now, many are concerned about how their work affects their personal life. The business environment across many sectors has logically seen an increase in competition as international demand and market dynamics intensify.

This increased level of competition and drive to address broader markets has challenged many of us to spend longer hours working, bring work home, work on weekends and travel abroad frequently in order to satiate market requirements.

According to an investigative report published by Time Magazine last month, the trend is widespread in Asia's emerging and developed economies. The report focused on fathers resident in Asia and revealed that survey respondents shared a sense of guilt over their inability to balance work and parenthood.

They have reason to be concerned: Numerous academic studies have shown that children with distant fathers scored lower on tests of empathy, reasoning and brain development than those whose fathers were more involved in their upbringing. The former behaved more aggressively, had arguments with siblings, were likely to be less popular and were more reluctant to take responsibility for misbehaviour.

Is work-life balance on a decline? According to two individual worldwide surveys conducted among senior executives by the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), found that 53 per cent felt that work-life balance has taken a turn for the worse, particularly in the last five years.

Fifty-five per cent of senior male executives, traditionally functioning as the sole breadwinners of the family, said they were less willing to take on positions involving frequent travel.

The same surveys also revealed that those in the Asia-Pacific region felt worse off than their counterparts in the West. Global figures among survey respondents who agreed on the decline in work-life balance stood at 53 per cent, but this figure soared to 75 per cent among Asia-Pacific respondents only.

However, there is a growing realisation that a balance must be found personally and professionally to boost productivity.

Increasingly, organisations understand that work is not a place employees commute to, rather, it is something they get done. Thus, mobility and technology play an important role in attaining a better work-life balance.

Strategically deployed, wireless and mobility technologies can enable professionals to better manage their tasks instead of wishing they had more than 24 hours a day. These technologies increase professional agility through mobile devices and applications that allow the freedom to work anytime and from anywhere.

On the flip side, being able to work anywhere, anytime can also affect people's lives adversely. But this is largely dependent on professionals themselves. More often than not, these adverse effects are caused by ambition and the inability to draw boundaries compounding the issue.

The benefits of mobility mainly depend upon the intention of the user. While it enables a level of flexibility that people could once only dream of having, it should be used responsibly.

The ability to be connected remotely can in fact enhance the work-life balance. Personal appointments can be maintained by sending mission-critical data via mobile devices, allowing professionals to manage business and pleasure concurrently.

Take for example, a local law firm, Stamford Law, which recently deployed wireless platforms in a move to enable employees to stay connected with clients. This greatly improved response time, even with employees travelling extensively.

Since then, its team members have collectively agreed that stress levels have declined. This could only have happened with the knowledge that they are in control of their e-mails, schedules and appointments on one mobile device. In the words of Mr Yap Wai Ming, a director at Stamford Law: "At a recent annual general meeting, our client was pleasantly surprised at the amount of investment Stamford Law is committing to ensure customers receive prompt responses.

"To her, our adoption of the BlackBerry solution reflects the level of our commitment to her case. She knows that she can reach us virtually any time she needs to and can expect a prompt response. This is a key value-add in our service to her company."

Besides the external mobile device, organisations today often have implemented intranets, Virtual Private Networks and other knowledge management systems. These technologies can help employees stay in touch even if it means they have to work from home for non-work related purposes such as tending to a sick child.

Responsibly developing a planned schedule may also greatly help employees track progress or results to ensure priorities and work are well managed, which in turn will result in better delivery of organisational business objectives.

Technology can be used as a tool. Rather than be enslaved by technology, set boundaries such as switching the phone off or shutting the laptop down when necessary.

To progress healthily, the way forward for a successful workforce is the ability to be mobile and connected. Employees are the biggest asset in any organisation, and an excellent way to encourage productivity is to provide them with suitable mobility solutions.

An employee who achieves a balanced professional and personal life is more likely to be productive.

Research has shown that the more control employees have over their work, the less stressed they are likely to get. Ignoring the advantages of wireless technology for the workplace will leave any organisation struggling to keep up with competitors, both domestically and abroad.

Article by Gregory Wade, vice-president of the SingTel, Bharti & 3 Hong Kong Business Unit, Asia Pacific, Research In Motion, a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market.

First published in The Straits Times on Jun 9, 2007.