[STICKIED] Community Question Post #36 - ONE SEC I'M TWEETING

[theidolhands]

Each week we post a new question for the members of the community to answer! As usual, if you have a question you'd like to see answered by the community, leave it in a comment on this post.

theidolhands asks: How does personal technology or social media affect your work place; Do you use it to cope or have others used it in a way that ruins the setting

Comments

[cptlbryant]

I work in a non-profit, so a lot of things are sparse. The only rules we have for internet usage is that we can't access: porn, gambling, illegal stuff and illegal download sites. I'm friends with the two IT people (who are also very part time) and the IT Manager told me he will do periodic checks of sites being accessed just to make sure no one is accessing anything that could put us at risk. He said he doesn't care about social media or email sites. He said he's looking for porn (especially kiddie porn), gambling sites and illegal download sites.

I confessed to him once that there was a big meeting that everyone in the office had to go to except for me and two other people. I had nothing to do except stuff envelopes and answer the phone (which didn't ring), so I went to Hulu and watched a movie. He said he's only shake his finger at someone if they hogged the bandwidth and someone couldn't do their work.

I know people abuse the internet at work because I've caught people. But no one really cares unless they don't get work done.

We also don't have a cell phone policy...at all. I keep expecting one to be implemented because some people abuse this too. But everyone takes calls and texts and plays music on it (with headphones on) and pretty much everything you could think of. I personally watch live streams from Periscope while working. Honestly, all of the managers take calls all day long, so I doubt a policy will ever be created.

[theidolhands]

Those policies make sense.

I knew a guy at work who gambled incessantly, he actually liked gambling more than sex. For some mysterious reason, despite calling it up on the computer, and it being a known problem that had ruined his life -- nothing was done to really stop him.

Meanwhile, when I harmlessly used the computer to talk in PG chat rooms (about things like artwork for a convention or popular singer)...they would get blocked. Uh-huh. I didn't do it during work either, the gambler always did.

I still got around stuff, but it was ridiculous that it happened at all.

Do you guys work with the public?

Because we mostly didn't at that time.

[cptlbryant]

We do work with the public, but not that much. Meaning, we don't get a whole lot of walk in traffic or phone calls. People mainly communicate through email or our website. Direct lines are also used which wasn't the case a few years ago. And those who do contact us are our partners, other non-profits and volunteers.

I think if we had a lot more dealings with the public, we would have a policy.