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Subject:RE: How many have this problem at work? From:"Christensen, Kent" <lkchris -at- sandia -dot- gov> To:"'TECHWR-L'" <TECHWR-L -at- LISTS -dot- RAYCOMM -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 18 Apr 2000 09:40:30 -0600
My observations ...
If your company pays for internet service by gigabyte transmitted/received,
restrictions make sense. (Contracting for internet service this way
doesn't, but that's another issue.)
Otherwise, it's good to think from the position of the policy creator.
There's not a lot of difference between using the company telephone and
using email. Many folks need to make doctor appointments, get a loan, deal
with issues concerning kids at day care or kids in college, get their car
repaired, etc. Most of this stuff can't be done on Saturdays, and hardly
any company will require you to take time off to do it or use your own
phone. In addition, there is little difference between sitting at your desk
during a break period and reading a newspaper and reading that same
newspaper's web site.
Regarding bandwidth, I'd assume continuous dowloading of streaming audio or
video could be a problem. You could have a radio, tape/CD player, or just
play a CD in your computer instead and use no internet bandwidth. Receiving
this list's messages in digest mode as opposed to individually could save
some bandwidth too (and be less conspicuous).
It's all a gray area and a continuum. It seems pretty clear that running an
outside business at work, either via phone or internet, is over the line.
Probably doing personal shopping via the internet at work is out of bounds.
(This appears likely to be harder to discern in the future as b-to-b
internet procurement ramps up.) And, it's just, seemingly on "general
principles," not good to spend time at playboy/playgirl.com. A lot of this
is just much like your company expecting you to come to work.
So, unless your company has contracted really stupidly for its internet
service, I wouldn't worry too much about this issue because common sense
usually prevails. It's just not so easy to have a clearly defined/no
questions/written policy. The fact management needs to say something (as
opposed to nothing at all) does not make them awful and should not bring
images of the "man" suppressing the little people.
And, unless you get to write the policy or can't get this list, this is not
a tech writing issue.
