Calendars and Phones

A friend just got an iPhone. Primary uses, apart from as a cell phone and music player: PDA stuff like calendaring.

Now she keeps her calendar on her iPhone. Both personal/family, and work related.

Her employer uses Outlook Exchange Calendaring. But they do not allow calendars to be synchronized with personal calendars outside of work. So my friend simply does not use the company calendar. She says that co-workers complain, when they arrange meetings with her that appear to be free on her company calendar, which is empty, but which she cannot make because of conflicts. But she says that is so much more important to her to be able to manage her personal and family life in the same place as her work meetings, that she is willing to put up with the loss of the shared work calendar.

Perhaps I should mention that she works, not exactly part-time, but very flexible hours. She is constantly managing family commitments, getting kids to events, as well as weekend and evening work assignments. Her day is not neatly partitioned into work and non-work.

MORAL:

• People want both personal and work calendars on their devices like phones.
• Corporate security rules get in the way.