24/7/365

A few years ago I was a little taken back when I first read the term “24/7”. It was a fresh new idea for me indicating that the company vying for my business was open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. It was a quite a revelation and commitment to my world that had normally worked the 40 hours per week… and under stress would shoot to 65 to 70 hours a week. Now they were telling me that they would give me an opportunity to be there for me all the time.

It was just as much a shock to read this past week of the next step in this progression of the abbreviation. My eyes fell upon a fresh new thought – “24/7/365” – or 24 hours a day – seven days a week – three hundred and sixty five days a year. When I read this term in an article it was referring to a man and the amount that he works.

The man is Lorne Abony. Mr. Abony is the founder and owner of ‘Fun Technologies’ and is known as one of Canada’s fastest rising entrepreneurs. After reading the first article in the October 1, 2007 MacLean’s Magazine – I found more on the Internet. Lorne is 38 years old now, never sleeps – not much anyway, travels a lot, has a beautiful wife and a dog, lives in Toronto, and flies a lot everywhere. As the deal-maker behind Fun Technologies, a fast rising gaming company, he is very wealthy and becoming more wealthy each day.

The different ones that wrote about Loren Abony state that he buys into the 24/7/365 way of working. His company and the way that it is set up covers all the time zones and he can be in one of these time zones at any time…whenever required or whenever he wishes. The articles each caught the fact that he likes Hamburgers as a meal – and may eat them twice a day for days on end. Yuk!

Admittedly I was tired and it was at the end of the day that I read the account of Mr. Abony’s drive. I closed my eyes and thought about him as I went to bed last evening. I slept soundly – knowing that Mr. Abony was going strong somewhere on a private jet, or waiting for boarding in some airport somewhere.

I was also a little disturbed to think that the new norm for the new world worker is speeding up and requiring more and more of a person’s time. In fact it is non stop and almost impossible for a human being to maintain a break neck pace such as Lorne Abony. Maybe even Lorne knows that now. His dog and wife must get tired even when he doesn’t.

It wasn’t that long ago that seven day a week opening came to most communities in Canada. It has happened in my short like span. I think it was happening forever in Asia and it just took Canada a while to catch up.

One small community called Yorkton, Saskatchewan made a change in about 1991-92. I remember well as we were living in that wonderful little city at the time. There was a rage locally when the proposal was announced and then finally passed into the regulations. Our small community realized not long after the passing of the new regulations – someone will have to work it the days that others say they want the stores open. It was at that moment some realized that their kids and grandkids, husbands and wives, would become the new ‘slaves’ to accomplish the constant store opening seven days a week.

By 1998 when we moved to Peterborough, Ontario we were a little shocked to find that this small city still had stores regulated to close at 6:00 PM. Our first day here was actually an evening. The place we stayed had little food or milk. We arrived at about 7:00 PM. When I went out to buy some groceries – there was NOTHING OPEN – ANYWHERE. I found that there was only one Tim Horton’s donut shop that sold me one small container of milk from their refrigerator – because she had three and it was later with closing of the shop at about 8:00 PM. It was the only and latest shop to stay open – and there was only one of them.

Someone later told me that there was a service station about five miles from the city that was still open until about 11:00 PM. Wow – have we ever changed in 9 short years.

So what about 24/7/365? What does it mean to me? Not much I guess – but it may mean a lot to my grandkids.

In our area the fairly large employers are the “call centers”. Locally we have “call centers” for a travel company, an airline company, a computer company and a credit card company. Because each company is world wide in scope – each require a world wide schedule. They are open all the time. This then requires staff that will work all the time – at least at all hours of the day.

Then the next stage takes place as well. Locally we have some people that have moved to our city and bought their homes here. Their business just simply came with them. From their computers they offer ‘help lines’ – they are computer specialists that are available all the time to whoever may contact them when they have a problem. This happens 24/7/365.

Now the next important thing to notice – if you work or want to work – you get paid. If you work more – you will be paid more. If you want the toys that Mr. Abony designs and makes available from his Fun Technologies – you have to work more… to get paid more.

24/7/365 is producing more really tired people.

Gone are regular days off. Gone is a family time together. Gone is a need to have a family picnic in a fun park together. Gone is time to read and time to play. Gone is the need to attend church or other community activities – they are for older people with little or nothing to do.

Did you know that the fastest dropping commodity in any community is not the stock market – it is volunteerism. As people age the number of volunteers are dropping. The older generation is leaving the scene and the newer one doesn’t have time, energy or the resources to do this kind of thing.

Does this concern you now? Maybe not now… as you continue to move through your normal life now. But it will have a great affect on your kids and grandkids. Their new norm will be 24/7/365. And if my guess is correct it may well expand to 24/7/365/60/60 – or is that 60/60/24/7/365? That addition is every minute and every second of your time.

My grand kids are already so busy that they barely get the homework done in time for bed… and the oldest is twelve. He is busier than I was in University. I ache for them at times. Not critically but observant.

As a pastor I am listening often to men and women that are over extended. I hear accounts of marriages that are torn or fractured because of work schedules. I see stuff happening and people groaning because there just isn’t enough time.

Today is a slow down day. I declare it so. It is a day to sit if I feel like sitting and a day to do nothing if it is needed. I have resolved to take at least one day each week for nothingness to take over.

I have a reason for that… God asked me to do this. One of his writers stated this way, “Be still and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10

~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
24/7 is an abbreviation which stands for "24 hours a day, 7 days a week", usually referring to the availability of a service.

In commerce and industry, it identifies a service that will be present regardless of current time or day, as might be offered by a supermarket, convenience store, ATM, Filling station, restaurant, concierge services or a manned computer data facility. Today, it is common for call centers to have representatives available 24/7. This is due to, in part, a decrease in long distance phone call charges, which allow, for example, employees based in India to provide services to customers in the US during the US night hours.

In some cases, even a service available 24/7 may shut down, such as on a major holiday. The extended phrase 24/7/365 ("... 365 days a year") specifically denotes a service that is available year-round, such as police, firefighters, and emergency medical services.

There have been some criticisms of the proliferation of the abbreviation in the internet age, with companies claiming to be available 24/7, when actually only their websites, unattended by any staff, are in operation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24/7

Lorne Abony - http://www.canadianbusiness.com/managing/strategy/article.jsp?content=20060109_105602_4640