Well, I'm ticked!

Ed Nelson

Member
Messages
1,486
Location
Charlotte, NC
Apparently I have been spending too much time seeing what's going on during the day and my company has blocked FWW!:mad: I mean how dare they! What do they expect me to do...work!:eek: Well, I'll be checking in when I can!:wave:
 
Yeah, me too. Web Sense sees FWW as uncatagorized, and won't let it through. SMC is seen as hobby. We get 9-10 minute blocks to use. I can get on SMC, Woodnet, BT3, and the Clear Vue Forum, but not FWW. Unless we have a power outage, then WS goes to default and we're wide open until the Internet Lord sees it's not blocking stuff. Took 5 weeks this last time! :rofl: Jim.
 
[size=+1]I guess I'm in the minority here. I don't think 'recreational use' of the internet from work should ever be permitted - even on breaks or at lunch. Work is WORK. Play time is sometime other than at work.

I should mention here that, even when I owned my own management company, I did not do any personal 'surfing the net' from the office. I came there to work, and when work was done, I left.

My employees did the same. Messing about on the net - for personal stuff - was not permitted. I gave one warning only. After that, I hung out the 'help wanted' sign.[/size]
 
Oh I would agree with that Jim, but for me, being self employed, I don't "go" to work and then come home when the work is done, as it is never done (as I'm sure you know, running our own company :D ).

For me, even if I'm sleeping, I'm working, as I've been at home, asleep at say 1 AM and the MILFH calls, a customer wants a "Good" bottle of wine, and I have to change out of my PJs and hustle across the street to get back to work, so for me, as work NEVER shuts off, I'd NEVER be able to surf the net :rolleyes: :wave:

Once, while on our first vacation in years, in Canada, we got a phone call at 4 AM or so, from the MILFH so I could talk to a customer to recommend a wine :doh:

But, if I was working for someone else, yeah, I agree, surf on your own time, but at the same time, when I punch out, I'm gone and not working for them until I punch in again.

Cheers!
 
I always thought lunch and breaks were my own time....
Garry

IMO, If you want to use your own computer and your own connection on breaks and at lunch, fine....company equipment going down because someone caused a virus or other problem with their personal surfing is not acceptable. If you give an inch, many will take a mile...to get those last few bids in on ebay.....for the next 15~30 minutes after lunch/break. It's just easer to not let it get started so you are fair to all the employees.
 
In my other life I ran a Design Studio for a large corporation (yes we had a Manager, but he did the "big stuff" and left the day to day to me.;)) It is hard to keep a creative group corralled. Have to give them rope to explore and generate new concepts, but not enough for them to hang you!:D While I agree with you Jim on principle, I come from a very different arena where "goofing off" can reap large rewards. Don't worry, I won't bore you with case studies that include granite tombstones, vac-formed cookie trays, and custom hand made doilies.:eek::rolleyes:

But Ed, all I can comment on your situation is BUSTED!:rofl::rofl:

Wes
 
I work in a State Agency -- No personal use of state equipment -- PERIOD!! No personal errands when using a state vehicle, no personal use of the internet, no personal e-mails sent or received, no personal long distance phone calls, no storage of personal files, no playing of music cd's, no downloading music files or videos. No faxing personal material, No personal using of copiers, no downloading files to personal computer keys. My policy in my unit is "If in doubt -- DON'T do it!"

It's kinda like being in a fish bowl, there is no privacy and should be no expectation of privacy, everything that comes and goes is subject (by state law) to public records request, anyone can come in and inspect our files. Only personnel records and files are exempt from public inspection.

Computer usage is monitored, I get a monthly report of every web site my folks visited. People DO GET FIRED for this (at least 6 that I know of so far this year!).
 
It seems to me that web access for personal reasons is one of those things that needs to be negotiated between employee and employer.

With the way the world is speeding up and opening up via internet and other new and high speed forms of communication, it just may soon be normal and accepted that the workplace will have more (and different) diversions.

Do I care? Not really ... I'm very close to being retired ... my personal employment situation is "different" (see below) anyway ... and I have so many more things to care about that I long ago stopped caring about how others commit to their employment.

Personally, even though I do have access, I make it a point not to spend my employers money surfing the web.

Just my $0.02

"different" = I work for a fellow who was 1) a customer, then 2) an employee, then 3) a business partner, who became 4) an employer, while he remains a business partner in a different but related company ...... I'm confused :doh: (not really)

cheers eh?
 
I'm in the same boat as Stu. I live, eat, sleep and breathe this business. But I have also been a manager of people and have to agree that surfing at work is a big problem. I think there should be a demonstrable intent to be reasonable by both sides. That probably means something like allowing use at breaks to pay bills, buy tickets, manage banking etc. but if I was still in that position I would block Ebay, Myspace Youtube et al. Oh, and yeah, I would block FWW as well.:eek:
 
i`m self employed too, if i`m on the `puter i`m at the shop. it`s my shop and my `puter.....if i choose to sit on my butt and yak with ya`ll all day that`s my perogative:D
 
IMO, If you want to use your own computer and your own connection on breaks and at lunch, fine....company equipment going down because someone caused a virus or other problem with their personal surfing is not acceptable. If you give an inch, many will take a mile...to get those last few bids in on ebay.....for the next 15~30 minutes after lunch/break. It's just easer to not let it get started so you are fair to all the employees.

[size=+1]Hey, if an employee wanted to take their personal laptop over to Starbucks during lunch, and use their connection to surf the web, then no problem. Not on my computer, during office time, using my connection, though.

True, lunch and breaks are not 'on the clock,' but it's still my office, and my equipment, so my rules apply...[/size]
 
[size=+1]Hey, if an employee wanted to take their personal laptop over to Starbucks during lunch, and use their connection to surf the web, then no problem. Not on my computer, during office time, using my connection, though.

True, lunch and breaks are not 'on the clock,' but it's still my office, and my equipment, so my rules apply...[/size]


Wow tough bosses..
.

Do they have to bring their own water bottle? This is one of those areas that seems to vary a bunch. I travel as a field technician and what I have seen doing this over a period of 28 years now is that in most cases employers that are somewhat liberal along these lines seem to have better retention rates for key people than those that take a hard line. Also the employees seem more in
interested in going the extra mile when management is in a bind for delivery schedules or other problems.

However the most important aspect of it is that all are treated the same. When favored employees are allowed spiffs and the rest aren't moral and productivity seem to fall quickly.

And I use my own laptop while traveling for both personal and business just so someone can't decide that I misused one they furnished.

I am always amazed that businesses can think I ought to pay for cable tv, internet access, newspapers and all the other stuff at home. Then when I travel for them its up to me to buy it all over again.

The good thing about all the hotels I have stayed in over the years is I have enough of the little plastic keys to last me for years spreading stains, fiberglass, bondo and other uses that may come up.

Garry
 
I have to side with the other killjoys here. At work, you are at work with the company equipment. I'm a volunteer appointee to a state board. I have a laptop computer that I take home. By law, it can't be used for anything but State work. And, I'm not an employee or paid. It belongs to the people of Arkansas and isn't my toy. I've owned businesses and had employees, they play on my time they walked. With computers and personal use, there is always the risk of infection that could, potentially, cost the employer big money. Play with us at night guys.
 
Hey, folks,

I'm always amused by these arguments, just because of the internal contradictions. Case in point: I'm the technology policy guy. The head lawyer and the head HR person were sitting with me one day. Catbert says "I'm going to ban ALL incidental use." Lawyer says, 'yeah, that's a good idea.' I just looked at them and said "you've both broken this proposed policy Today!" then I told them where that stuff would lead: lower productivity, won't be able to keep the best people, and worse: we spend millions of dollars on technology because we believe it will help. If we put in draconian policies, people will be reluctant to use it fully. And if they start seeing us as the tech police, they'll be less likely to report intellectual property theft, or data loss. We're not the Stasi, we're their colleagues. (of course, everyone who works here is by definition a 'knowledge worker'. It would be different on a shop floor.)

Not only that, but case law is catching up to the technology. The argument? They can't monitor your phone calls. So why should they be able to see what you're doing on a machine? The courts have been finding, over the last couple years, that there's a reasonable expectation of privacy, no matter what the policy (or the legislature) says. And the old ideas don't really apply. Think your employer *owns* your office space? Or that you *own* the space where your employees work? There was a case just last year: employee's in her office. Her girlfriend shows up. Stuff happens, *with the office door closed*. Employer, who has a hidden camera in there, fires employee, using the tape. She sues, and gets reinstated, because she had good reason to expect privacy when she closed the door. There are now several equivalent cases over computer use... even use like Frank's take home state owned laptop, including one with a city police chief. The court decided he should be given his job back.

What you cannot do, no matter what, is create a hostile workplace. You can't let employees surf to sites that would make other employees "uncomfortable." I'm saying that in as nice a way as possible, but there are some pretty incredible cases out there... it unbelievable how ugly people can get in relation to their co-workers.

All this to say that the law is changing, and employees may have more privacy rights than you're used to... ;)

Thanks,

Bill
 
My employer allows employees to use company computers for personal internet and e-mail use, within reasonable limits, and with the stipulation that it does not adversely affect our production. They do have several bandwidth-hogging sites blocked (like YouTube), but as long as we get the work done on or ahead of time, they don't really care how many breaks get taken.

Personally, I have no qualms about using the company computer for web surfing, since I do the majority of my writing work at home, on computer equipment that I bought and maintain myself. I'm also essentially on call 24/7, and I've given the company enough of my personal time in the off hours that I don't feel guilty taking a few minutes for myself between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM.
 
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