• In the 1970s, futurists predicted that advances in technology would drastically shorten the work week for most people. However, in today's interconnected world of work, where employees can connect to "the office" wherever they are, many managers are finding it extremely difficult to get away from their work. In fact, one employment agency estimated that 30 percent of professionals take less time than formally allotted for their vacations, and 42 percent said they have regularly had to cancel their vacation plans. Consider some examples: Gian Paolo Lombardo may work for a company that makes luxury travel luggage, but he has had very little valuable time for his own vacation. During his last "semi-vacation" three years ago, he spent most of his time in his hotel room in the resort town of Carmel, California, with his BlackBerry, while his wife Ellen chatted with other guests, waiting for him to finally finish work. Ellen says there's no meal or movie where her husband isn't interrupted by his cell phone."I think he needs to go to rehab," she says, and Gian agrees. Irene Tse heads the division of Goldman Sachs for government bond transactions. For 10 years he has seen the stock market fluctuate from all-time highs to recession numbers. Such variations mean millions of dollars in profits or losses. "There are days when you win so much and others when you lose so much that being stunned by technology would drastically shorten the work week for most people. However, in today's interconnected world of work, where employees can connect to "the office" wherever they are, many managers are finding it extremely difficult to get away from their work. In fact, one employment agency estimated that 30 percent of professionals take less time than formally allotted for their vacations, and 42 percent said they have regularly had to cancel their vacation plans. Consider some examples: Gian Paolo Lombardo may work for a company that makes luxury travel luggage, but he has had very little valuable time for his own vacation. During his last "semi-vacation" three years ago, he spent most of his time in his hotel room in the resort town of Carmel, California, with his BlackBerry, while his wife Ellen chatted with other guests, waiting for him to finally finish work. Ellen says there's no meal or movie where her husband isn't interrupted by his cell phone."I think he needs to go to rehab," she says, and Gian agrees. Irene Tse heads the division of Goldman Sachs for government bond transactions. For 10 years he has seen the stock market fluctuate from all-time highs to recession numbers. Such variations mean millions of dollars in profits or losses. "There are days when you win a lot and others when you lose so much that you are stunned by what you have done," Tse admits. He also says that he has not slept a full night for several years and that he often wakes up several times during the night. night to review the global state of the market. What is your average weekly work time? 80 hours. "I've done it like this for 10 years and I could count on the fingers of one hand the days of my career that I haven't come to work. Every day I wake up and I can't wait to get to work." Tony Kurz is a managing director at Capital Alliance Partners, raising funds for real estate investments. However, these are not common properties. He frequently travels to exotic locations such as Costa Rica and Hawaii in search of prospective clients. He travels more than 300,000 miles a year, often sleeps on planes, and suffers from time zone fluctuations due to his flights. Kurz knows he's not the only one with a feverish work schedule. His girlfriend, Avery Baker, travels about 400,000 miles a year for her job as executive vice president of marketing for Tommy Hilfiger. "It's not easy to maintain a relationship like this," says Kurz. But do you both like your job? Of course you do. David Clark is vice president of international marketing for MTV. His job often involves traveling around the world to promote the channel, as well as appear on the global music scene. If you're not traveling (typically you cover 200,000 miles a year), a typical day consists of getting up at 6:30 a.m. and immediately respond to the various messages that have accumulated overnight. Then he goes to the office, where during the day he will answer another 500 or so messages from clients all over the world. If she's lucky, she manages to spend an hour a day with her son, but she returns to work and goes to bed around midnight. Clark notes that "many wish they had this job. They are knocking on the door all the time. That's motivating." Many individuals would reject the prospect of a 60-hour or more work week, with constant travel and little time to do anything else, but some people are stimulated by careers like these. However, it is clear that the demands of this type of position are not for everyone. Many are leaving, with turnover levels at 55 percent for consultants and 30 percent for investment bankers, according to Vault.com. However, it is also clear that such jobs, often time-consuming and stressful, are satisfying for certain individuals.

1. Do you think only certain individuals are attracted to these kinds of jobs, or is it the characteristics of the jobs themselves that are satisfying?
2. What are some of the characteristics of these jobs that might contribute to higher levels of job satisfaction?
3. Given that the four people just mentioned tend to be satisfied with their jobs, how would satisfaction be related to their performance, citizenship behavior, and turnover?
4. Remember David Clark's statement: "Many would like to have this job. They're knocking on the door all the time." How does Clark's perception of having a job that many want contribute to his job satisfaction?