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I've raised the issue a few times with those around me who have better things to do, on my time, than surf the web. That generally works, for a while, until I leave the room. Finally I've resorted to updating my hosts file, redirecting certain sites to my admin panel. Everybody's happy again... I know I am, and no one has complained.
Now, in todays local paper (I enjoy the feel of newsprint) there was an item concerning county employees and thier use of the internet from the workplace. It seems a county judge has sided with the employees, that they may enjoy the freedom of surfing the web on their breaks or at lunch.
In time I'm sure I'll restore some sites, if anyone asks. Meanwhile I feel like I've headed off a possible confrontation and made my policy a bit clearer - not on my dime.
Is this something you contend with, from either side of the fence? Is your boss as draconian as I am? Or do you spend most of your time idling on the net, looking over your shoulder? Or, do you manage people that understand the words, "before work and after work", or don't?
Need dependent. If you need labor, hire labor. If you need answers, hire consultants. If you need a roof on the garage hire laborers. All of them get varying degrees of permission.
Personally, if I had a guy on staff that could deliver answers when I needed them, I wouldn't care what he/she did ever. As long as those answers came...
As soon as the senior mangers found out what he was doing he was severely disciplined. It was great news for the company that the maintenance staff were doing little as it demonstrated that they were doing their jobs to perfection.
I guess an internet analogy would be complaining that the redundant links aren't being used.
Interestingly, I've noticed our production efforts were improved this past week.
Anyone who has read High Five will understand: "Pass, Larry, pass!"
a big-scoring player who thinks policies don't apply to him can demoralize the entire team
However the moment someone at work would have forbidden me to spend a minute or two to check my private emails at work I would have ceased to do the extra work at home and only would have "worked to rule".
As long as it does not get excessive bosses should better let people do some non-work related web surfing. Or their productivity may decline rapidly.
And now that I am the boss I do not have the feeling that my employees abuse those little liberties I give them regarding surfing the web - but I think that trifles like this can have a positive impact on overall motivation.
And drawing clear limits helps.
Telling the staff they can surf the net all their lunchbreaks and even stay late to play games online if they want may mean that they are more focused during their work hours.
We had this experience recently:
On Monday morn of NewGuy's second week I gave him a project of researching a product and giving a presentation to customers on Friday morning. That was his assignment for the week (his second week in my employ) - become an expert in four days and present on the fifth day.
At 1:00 on Thursday, he came to me and asked what product he was supposed to learn.
I did something I had never done and hope to never do again. I pulled the internet log files and checked what he had been doing.
His time on the internet was greater than the other 12 of us COMBINED. None of it was work-related (it was girlie sites). I'm not kidding - he spent ALL of his time playing.
I fired him. He complained to the state and I had to go to a hearing. His defense was that if he wasn't supposed to surf the days away, we should not put the internet on his desk - we were asking for it as he was only human. He pointed out that we did not have a written policy against internet use.
I was genuinely concerned he would win - so often common sense does not prevail. He lost and lost again on appeal. What a hassle. (The lesson I learned: it is better to leave a postion unfilled than it is to avoid your gut feeling and hire the wrong person.)
We're back to normal. We all surf some, and it is time-consuming, but everyone is adult enough to not abuse it too badly. No policy needed. As a matter of fact, I'd do it again - fire the guy with the problem and go thru the whole hearings thing rather than issue a policy.
But, like I say, if it prevailed like I know it does some organizations, I'd do something drastic and probably unpopular.
I wouldn't have fired him for using the internet, I would've fired him for not doing the task assigned as that's immediate cause. When you get an assignment and come back 4 days later and ask what it is again, ta ta.
On the other hand, being that I was a director of software engineering for many years my old management brain begs the question, did you or anyone check up with him on that task for a status update before thursday?
Something I learned ages ago was the best way to avoid those sorts of things with a new hire is the first couple of assignments, milestones and deadlines were always written and on paper, no confusion, no excuses.
BTW, I would update your policies to make the girlie site surfing be a termination offense due to all the sex harassment suits these days as some other employee seeing what was on his screen could've taken offense to his behavior and opened yet a whole new can of worms.
I wouldn't have fired him for using the internet, I would've fired him for not doing the task assigned as that's immediate cause.
He was not fired for failing to deliver - I didn't even give him the chance to deliver or not. He was fired for wasting so much time during his first 2 weeks.
Each day he was verbally asked how it was going and if he had any problems. He always assured me that all was well and even bluffed his way through a couple of questions. I suspected trouble, though - so much so that I did have a Plan B.
Regarding having the task in writing, it was (twice). We assume he lost the paper one and forgot to look at the electronic one (customer-related tasks are in a list on the intranet home page), but that is not the point. The point is that he was not working. BTW, I checked the logs for the prior week; he spent every alone minute surfing the same sites instead of reading the material he was asked to read - his very first week on the job.
We have long had a written policy regarding porn. There are several reasons why it is important to have a written policy against that. (Incidentally, I know I said "girlie sites", but they were dating sites, not porn. - Not that it really mattered at the end of the day.)
I appreciate your thoughts, but I think the logical suspicion is that it is possible he took the job with the plan of getting fired and suing. I think he overestimated how easy that would be.
I think you're right, either he was looking for a free lunch, a windfall, or he was a slacker that thought he could pull a rabbit out of his hat at the last minute.
I must admit that using the internet as an excuse not to do your work is truly a unique defense.
but they were dating sites
Um, have you actually seen some of the pics posted on 'dating' sites?
Some of them show the 'goodies', so I wouldn't be shocked at what was on your corporate screens.
FWIW, I hate to admit it, but it's obvious I'll never re-enter the corporate world again as a worker bee as having my net access scrutinized would make me absolutely insane. Guess I best keep my personal internet operations profitable, eh? :)
I must admit that using the internet as an excuse not to do your work is truly a unique defense.
During the appeal, he reiterated that he was only human and if given net access he would certainly use it. The reply he got: "Are these people so reckless they put phones on worker's desks, too?". At that moment, I relaxed and just kept my mouth shut.
having my net access scrutinized would make me absolutely insane
Yep. It is a shame that many organizations are forced to scrutinize. The people who are to blame are the ones who spend all their time playing. They risk ruining it for those who are reasonable in the amount of playing they do.
That is the only time I ever looked at the logs. I hated, hated to do it.
It doesn't matter what it is. Internet, extended coffee breaks, extended lunches, personal phone calls, policy abuse, you name it, if you are consuming company resources for personal use, you are wasting someone else's time and money, and in the long run this adds up to higher costs for just about anything for all of us.
I've never snitched anyone off, but this is how I work. I am surprised my teeth aren't ground to the gums over this sort of stuff, I just don't see how people can loaf through life like that.
.... His defense was that if he wasn't supposed to surf the days away, we should not put the internet on his desk - we were asking for it as he was only human....
<runs screaming> What is WRONG with people aggggh . . . . .
It doesn't matter what it is. Internet, extended coffee breaks, extended lunches, personal phone calls, policy abuse, you name it, if you are consuming company resources for personal use, you are wasting someone else's time and money, and in the long run this adds up to higher costs for just about anything for all of us.
Then again, you would've caught my team doing most of the above in a startup company for almost a year. Then again, we were all salaried workers, and in that first year people tended to stay past 8pm nightly and were even working on weekends and nobody thought twice about someone taking a 2 or even 3 hour lunch every now and then but they were definitely putting in massive amounts of time so it didn't matter.
However, as the company matured, the products shipped, the schedules relaxed, the new hires who hadn't put in the crunch time during the early years were scrutinized while the old timers seemed to have a second set of rules applied.
Was quite amusing ;)
On the other hand, I also don't understand people who work more than their contracted hours without overtime. Sure, you are helping your boss, helping your company, etc. but if they aren't willing to pay you for the help then don't give it.
Employment goes two ways - you agree to work certain hours for a certain cost and you must work as hard as you can on the task during those hours; likewise you are under no obligation to work outside of those hours and if you feel pressure to do so then that is clear abuse of your employment contract.
I also don't understand people who work more than their contracted hours without overtime.
1. trying to make stock options worth more
2. working to get a substantial raise
3. trying to get a promotion
5. Because they want to do a good job.
6. Because they want to be one of the last to be fired in a crisis.
I've been a consultant (no stock options for me!) to a large multinational on and off for 10 years, and frequently their only remaining contractor/consultant in Europe. I like to believe that that is some return for not always watching the clock, but rather caring about the quality of the work I deliver...
Rgds
Damon
Some jobs require a lot of hours, hard work and 24/7 support and are accomponied by occasional stretches of mind-numbing boredom. I never minded idle net surfing, long lunches or other personal business by my employees during the latter as long as deliverables were completed on-schedule and they were 100% "there" during the former.
I'm with you DamonHD. I have been working in online marketing for 4 years now. Whenever I have to get something up/out/updated I always stay extra (without overtime/stock options) to get the job done. I have seen the benefits of this mentality, whenever I need something (vacations, days off, etc), my bosses are always ready to give it to me, whenever good projects come along, I get them, whenever downsizing comes along, I am the last in the list, etc.
I try to be the best dam employee in my company so that I get treated as such.
6. Because they want to be one of the last to be fired in a crisis.
The only flaw with this premise is the best severance packages are handed out early.
My wife once worked for a Kodak subsidiary and she loved it, but they were doing major RIFs and the rumor mill was that the next round didn't get the same severance package, that it would be drastically lower.
I convinced her to ditch them before it was too late and find a new job quick and bank the severance package. She finally agreed and put her head on the chopping block voluntarily and got RIF'd that round and was rehired in 2 months with 6 months severance in the bank. The next RIF round only got about 1 month severance, it was sad, she got out in time.
Sticking around until the end, regardless of how much you love the job, isn't always the smartest move.
