The interim director of the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services says HHS will start training for its employees this week on proper use of smart phones.
Pat Traynor told the Legislature's Task Force on Government Efficiency when smart phones were introduced, it literally changed people’s lives in terms of their attention. And he says people have become addicted to distraction.
"On average, we scroll over a mile per day — all of us," Traynor said. "We click, we swipe we scroll, we look at our phones an average of 144 times a day."
Traynor said the technology was designed to be highly addictive, because that’s the economic model.
"So if we're a distracted workforce, we will not be healthy and higher performing," Traynor said. "We're addicted to this distraction."
Traynor said the training for proper use of smart phones begins Thursday. He said it will center on people’s relationship with their phones.
"What is it doing to you — your relationship with the device," Traynor said. "What is it doing to your relationships, and what is it doing in the work environment? And are you bringing your best self, when you're technically not present? So we really want to focus on presence."
Traynor said he’s not against the technology itself, because it can be a useful tool in employees being more effective and efficient.
