CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) -- Jodi Valenta loves Fridays, but not just because it means the weekend is right around the corner.

At U.S. Cellular, where she is the director of sales for Iowa, Fridays means no e-mail.

Tired of "cyber indigestion," U.S. Cellular Vice President Jay Ellison instituted the policy company-wide last year in an effort to curb out-of-control emailing and encourage face-to-face or at least voice-to-voice communication.

The only exception is dealing with customers and even then U.S. Cellular employees are encouraged to pick up the phone and call whenever possible.

"People really enjoy getting that phone call. It's amazing how far we've gone away from that," Valenta said.

Valenta notes that Fridays are often her most productive days because of the policy.

"It's really great. I can go out of the office on Friday and spend my time visiting associates across Iowa and not worry about my e-mail backing up," she said.

Call it the double-edged sword of technology.

Yes, technology has transformed the workplace and increased productivity, but it's come with a price.

Corridor employees claim they've become overwhelmed by the instantaneous 24/7 nature of business. One can stay late to get caught up on e-mails only to be overwhelmed once again in the morning and the stress can begin to take a toll.

One harried insurance manager confided that she opts to take a cruise when she goes on vacation because she knows she will be out of range of communication from her busy cell phone, BlackBerry and laptop at least until the ship docks.

Doug Flugum, president and CEO of Tektivity Inc. of Cedar Rapids, a telecommunications and network company that makes it possible for people to stay connected to business 24/7, said he can relate. As co-owner of the company he has to be connected, but he knows the stress that can accompany that.

"When I'm on vacation I have my laptop ... and you do find that you can actually breathe a sigh of relief when you are out of range," he said.

After experiencing the stress of being on call 24/7 when he and his partner Jon Cushing started Tektivity, Flugum said he counsels clients to be wary of how they manage their employees given the potential for burnout.

It's important for businesses to have an organizational structure in place that prevents using people up, Flugum said.

"They will leave you," he said of employees.

Flugum urges employees and businesses to use technology wisely. Being able to connect to the office from home has been great for many employees who otherwise wouldn't be able to go to that school play or baseball game. They can then log in from it wisely at home and get work done after the kids are asleep.

It also allows owners and managers like himself to check in while away to give them peace of mind that things are running smoothly. But using it to get even more hours and productivity out of employees is asking for trouble, he said.

------

Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazetteonline.com/