Comments | co_workers_suck: [STICKIED] Community Question Post #36

theidolhands in co_workers_suck

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

Jun 05, 2015 09:02

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 ( Read more... )

phones, rules, not a social club, technical difficulties, distracted, music wars, *theme post

Comments 26

wind_shadow2008 June 5 2015, 17:34:00 UTC

Officially, using the internet while at work is restricted to work-related things (as I'm sure it is in most places). However, at any given time if you walk around my office building, several people will be on YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, *couughcoughLiveJournalcoughcough*...

:-)

Generally speaking, as long as the website does not contravene the security policies (i.e. - don't be stupid and try to look at porn at work) and there is no impact to productivity, etc., the higher ups don't generally care. And people always wear headphones if they're listening to music, etc. (at least in my immediate vicinity...I don't know about the rest of the building, but I've not heard anything to the contrary, so...)

theidolhands June 5 2015, 17:48:25 UTC

Ha, ha, ha!

don't be stupid and try to look at porn at work -- rite? And at the very least don't do it IN FRONT of people and try to stick to the LEGAL stuff! Yeah...I've seen stuff that shocked me and I had to report.

You work at a place where you can wear headphones? Cool. The last places that I was at where that went on, people STILL abused the privilege and had to be told to TURN DOWN the volume since there is no point to headphones if everyone can hear everything leaking out of them.

wind_shadow2008 June 5 2015, 18:30:27 UTC

I know!! Someone here got fired for repeatedly viewing porn at their desk. Like, dude...really? MULTIPLE times?? I don't get some people.

Yep! We can wear headphones, but I don't. If I'm listening to music/watching videos, I get too distracted, so I just assume not do it (LJ, Facebook, etc. distract me, too, but only for a few minutes at a time...YouTube, etc. do for HOURS, so...lol!)

theflyers June 5 2015, 17:48:27 UTC

Job #1, I live on the internet because often there is nothing to do, they want me here "just in case" (ew). So it's free range, as long as my work is done, social media ahoy. I've used it to cope all these years, that's for sure!

Job #2, No real restrictions but I feel odd using the internet there for personal stuff. I use my cell phone during downtime while waiting for new tasks or for my boss to get off the phone/show up (he's a busy man, it happens, I do busy work too like cleaning up but you can only sweep a clean floor so many times!)

Job #3, there's an official "no cell phones" policy but that's mainly for the wait staff since it's unprofessional and there is always work to be done in a restaurant setting. I have my phone out on the desk though, a couple texts here and there but rarely ever do I do much more than a quick check.

theidolhands June 5 2015, 17:51:32 UTC

Job #2, No real restrictions but I feel odd using the internet there for person

Yeah, I feel that way too. I've known firsthand some weird things go down with sketchy IT people. Safer is better, more privacy is better.

That's good with Job #3 that you're sparse with your usage, but I find that underlings will quickly grow resentful and/or take seen behavior for things they can copy regardless of official policy (much like children. lol).

theflyers June 5 2015, 18:08:27 UTC

we don't have IT at any of my jobs and I'm the "computers" person there, lol. I just feel it's a little too much like you feel "too at home" somewhere when you're doing something that hasn't been specifically OK'ed by the boss in that case. I'm way too new to be pulling any of that! I know that his family comes in and uses the computers free for all, so who knows what's been looked up on there lol.

True-true, however I haven't met 99% of the servers because they don't come to the office and I'm sitting in the back. They view me as a weird in between level since I'm the bookkeep, most of them don't know who I am or that I'm not a contracted official, so it's a different set of rules in general in that way. Granted I do get personally a little "what the fuck" when the shift manager is on his phone for personal reasons when he's been bitching about a couple servers who have their phones on them. So I really do totally understand your POV in that way!

theidolhands June 5 2015, 18:46:32 UTC

Ah, okay. Gotcha.

notfop June 5 2015, 18:41:03 UTC

Livejournal ! :)

imjustdifrent June 5 2015, 19:30:04 UTC

I'm currently working as a summer nanny, so I'm pretty much free to do whatever I want online as long as it's not too corruptive to the youth in my care (so no porn, violent videos, or content with a lot of adult language) and doesn't distract me from the basic duties.

So right now, I'm on the laptop and checking email, but I only have one toddler in my care today, and he's clean, fed, and watching Disney Jr. :)

That said, I have seen more and more places that are adamant that no cellphones are allowed, period, and if you're caught on a phone, you are immediately written up or terminated. Which, of course, means anyone that management doesn't like is subject to these rules, but anyone that management likes is free to do whatever as long as it's not too obvious.

theidolhands June 5 2015, 20:20:46 UTC

Which, of course, means anyone that management doesn't like is subject to these rules, but anyone that management likes is free to do whatever as long as it's not too obvious. -- I could def see that happening.

Congrats on the job!

cptlbryant June 6 2015, 06:49:16 UTC

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 ( ... )

theidolhands June 7 2015, 02:16:59 UTC

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 June 7 2015, 04:10:43 UTC

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.