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I fully agree. If you don't like your employer's rules, get a new job.
Having said that, I feel I need to add that employers obsess about how
many hours employees spend at their desks and employee web surfing only
when they are too busy, lazy, or incompetent to manage effectively. When
managers task employees with enough appropriate work, support employee
creativity, and set ambitious (but not insane) deadlines, absenteeism
and web surfing usually aren't issues.
In other words, web surfing is only a problem in two cases:
1) When management sucks.
2) When an employee fails to meet reasonable deadlines.
When management has to fire someone because they "violated the corporate
internet usage policy," (rather than, say, for "failing to complete
assigned work competently and/or in timely manner") they are basically
saying, "we are too stupid and/or too lazy to mange our employees."
Leonard
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+leonard -dot- porrello=soleratec -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- c
om] On Behalf Of Paul Hanson
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 6:53 AM
To: 'Cardimon, Craig'; Technical Writer
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: workplace stuff
What does it matter what kind of site they were looking at?
Earlier this year, my co-worker and friend in the Support dept was
'suddenly' no longer my co-worker. The next day, there were multiple
meetings with the CEO. Each dept attended a meeting. He passed out a
copy of the Internet / E-mail usage policy and declared, "This is our
policy." Included in the policy is text that says something like
'violation of the policy is grounds for termination.'
If the company guide says "No Internet surfing on company time," it
means "No Internet surfing on company time." Period. If you want to look
@ a TWing or grammar blog, you need to obtain permission from your
manager and/or keep your manager in the loop as to what you are doing
because your job is, of course, to make your boss look good. You must
follow the rules of your employer or endure the consequences.
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+phanson=quintrex -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+phanson=quintrex -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Cardimon, Craig
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 8:49 AM
To: Technical Writer
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: workplace stuff
> I also know personally three writers who have been fired in the
> past year alone for writing personal emails, or surfing to
"non-business
> related sites" on company time.
I see how that can happen, but are we talking about the Home Shopping
Network or QVC, "Las Vegas.com," or something like CNN or MSNBC?
There are many technical writing and grammar blogs to keep up with.
I heard about some odd and funny surfing going on in other companies
that people don't blink at.
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Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- soleratec -dot- com -dot-
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