Would you fire an employee...

[Regis]

who posts on an online board during work hours as much as YOU do?

[cronewitch]

It would depend if they got a lot of work done too. I use posting as a time to reset my brain when I have a problem I need to ponder. Then return to the problem as if I had slept on it. It is my break so I don't leave my office and bother other people to chat. I am salaried and get my job done and now about half of someone elses. I am always willing to do things to help others and never claim to be too busy.

I would fire someone if they didn't get their job done or weren't wiling to do other duties as assigned but had time on the clock to waste.

[Deleted]

I usually post during lunch but sometimes when the kids are watching a video . . . My eyes are bad so I can't see to grade with the lights off. If you have ever watched the same video five times in a row, you would be sympathetic . . . It has value for THEM, but not for me.

[Deleted]

This message has been deleted. Double post.

[midjd]

I don't usually post at work (maybe a couple of times per week?) but I agree with cronewitch that whether or not one's work gets done makes a difference. I think most people work more efficiently when given a 5-minute break every hour or two to reset or rest your brain... I know I do.

ETA my employee handbook references "infrequent, inexcessive personal internet use" as OK... I wonder how that is defined. 5 minutes a day? 20 minutes? An hour?

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Definitely. Then again, I'm posting from home and I have oodles of free time and can spend hours playing on the Internet.

[bobbysgirl]

I feel the same way CRONE does. I have fired people who didn't do their job though. It's not fair to the people who do.

[TheOtherMe]

At the cpa firms I have worked for, it was against the rules to use the internet for personal uses and Facebook itself was prohibited as were any Messengers.

I know one of my bosses fired a person for spending most of the day on the internet for personal use--playing games, using messenger, etc. He did allow to check email on our lunch break. We didn't get any other breaks, as we had to account for each minute.

I know that the hospital where my niece works has certain sites blocked.

[azphx1972]

I wouldn't care as long as they got their work done in a timely manner, and didn't do anything illegal or got the company into hot water. Giving employees some flexibility in their free time at work (and yes, there will be times when they won't be busy) is one way to reward them without actually giving them a pay raise.

[ty]

Apr 23, 2011 18:11:54 GMT -5 Regis said:

who posts on an online board during work hours as much as YOU do?

I think it's pretty funny reading a lot of people's posts that are suppose to be working. My guess is, they are either bs and not employed, or they should be fired for surfing the net and boards while they are being paid to work.

The funniest posts I have read in the past was a man on the MSN boards claiming to be a doctor (apparently no patients) because he's always posting his daily activities. Me and others believe his mommy and poppy is supporting him.

I honestly don't believe anyone in the medical field or being a doctor would be spending any time on a message board posting about their daily life activities.

[achelois]

I don't post at work. No time for one thing.

[achelois]

Kreepy, you changed your avatar :-(

[Deleted]

Apr 24, 2011 6:06:51 GMT -5 Lady Gaga Gaga Snerd said:

Every use of the computer can be pulled up and the history looked at. I wouldn't even surf the weather. Seems foolish nowadays to even take a chance.

I'm well aware of that- I work for a very large company and I'm sure that my boss could get a track of all my posts if he wanted. I'm also aware that everyone needs down time. Some people go outside and take a smoke break. Some have coffee in the cafeteria. Some pull out their cell phone and make personal calls. Some stare out the window. Why should one activity (surfing the Web) be tracked and singled out? Any of the above can lead to someone not doing their job and then it's a problem to be addressed.

Personally, I would not work for a company that banned any personal use of the internet. That tells me they "manage" by whatever criteria are easiest to use. My company blocks FaceBook and all the usual gaming and gambling sites. They also block People.com (found that out when I was linking from a news site). OK with me. But I'm an adult, and please allow me some judgment in how I pace myself. In return, I'll go well beyond 9 to 5 Monday-Friday to do a good job.

[ty]

Apr 24, 2011 7:29:27 GMT -5 achelois said:

Kreepy, you changed your avatar :-(

It's Easter, I wanted something cute, cuddly, and squirmy. lol

[tskeeter]

Depends upon ...

If they are doing it at 7:00 AM

Sunday morning

On Easter Sunday

While waiting for programs that close the fiscal month and generate reports to finish running

Probably not

If they have streamlined their work processes so work is done in less time

If they assist other departments when work loads get too heavy

Probably not

If their work is late

If their work is sloppy

If their work just doesn't get done

If their extra curricular net time interferes with getting things done in an expedient fashion or their availability to assist when needed

Most likely

[TheOtherMe]

Who do you think will be blamed if the work network gets a virus? That was always the fear at the places where I worked.

We used email with clients and that was fine. CPA firms are so crazy about what you are doing with your time, I felt guilty calling to set up a doctor's appointment or something similar. They keep reinforcing that time is money and you need to bring in to the firm 3 times your hourly rate and if you waste it, you will not be doing that and you will not have a job.

[Deleted]

Apr 24, 2011 10:55:04 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Who do you think will be blamed if the work network gets a virus? That was always the fear at the places where I worked. <snip>CPA firms are so crazy about what you are doing with your time.

Our company computers are so locked down I can't download ANY executable file. Only an Administrator can. I can't even change my Start page. Sometimes the controls drive me crazy but they seem to be pretty effective; in 9 years with this company I can remember only one virus infestation, and my computer wasn't hit.

And yes, there's nothing like consulting to drive home the time = money equation. I think it's very good discipline. In my consulting jobs I did have some downtime but I was acutely aware of the need to keep my billable hours up- especially in the job where my compensation was a straight % of what I billed.

[Deleted]

First I would look at their work. If they were getting their work done in an effective and timely manner and still had lots of time for message boards I would look at their job description and see what other responsibilities I could give them.

[TheOtherMe]

Places where I worked were too small to have an Administrator. Less than 10 employees. Nobody totally in charge of the computers. Very vulnerable to viruses if people abuse the computer.

[valeriana]

If it's a valuable employee who produces & gets their work done, no.

I think if you are posting ALL DAY on the internet and not doing your work obviously there is a problem there...but a few posts here and there is not a big deal to me.

[Apple]

Since I only really browse/post while on my breaks, no.

[qofcc]

As long as their performance was satisfactory, no. Right now, I'm waiting for my Outlook to finish archiving and I don't want too many windows open and crash the computer. I also post while I'm waiting for reports to finish running. If I was a smoker, I could stand outside and throw nasty cigarette buts all over the parking lot every hour or two while these things are going on and nobody would reprimand me, so how is this any different?

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

LOL.....right now, I'm waiting for things to thaw so I can start an experiment. Just finishing up my coffee, answering emails and doing some surfing - then move into the lab.

[daylight]

I don't post from work. At all. In fact, I have not even looked up the site from work since it was moved from old ym.
I would not fire anyone who got their job done in timely manner. We have receptionists reading books while nothing important happens. That's okay with me as well. But when I go up to them and request something and have to repeat my request multiple times because they can't tear their eyes from the books, that's a source of frustration. Especially if they look at you as if you have interrupted them at something. They are at work for goodness' sake. I do look up the weather forecast, but when a boss comes up and requests something, they have my attention the next second.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

I'm all about results. If they're getting their work done, and nothing they do is negatively impacting the bottom line- I'm OK with it. If, however, they're floating along and another employee is outperforming them and getting better results, they should not be surprised that they don't get a raise or a promotion while the other person does...

[busymom]

Kreepy: I LOVE your avatar. It's creepy & cute!

I never post while on the job. It IS a nice distraction from doing household tasks, however. ;D

[Deleted]

Apr 25, 2011 7:54:43 GMT -5 qofcc said:

Right now, I'm waiting for my Outlook to finish archiving and I don't want too many windows open and crash the computer.

LOL You do realise that this is an open window and you could just as easily have a work window open instead.

[Bluerobin]

I would fire them for being on the internet, for a none business purpose. My company had a very strict policy regarding internet usage on company time.

[qofcc]

LOL You do realise that this is an open window and you could just as easily have a work window open instead.

Yes, but the project I needed to be working on is a huge spreadsheet in Excel and I double clicked to open it, but it wasn't opening because outlook was using too many resources. For some reason, when I'm processing enormous amounts of data in Microsoft Office, if I try to work in other office programs, I'll end up crashing the computer, but light web surfing doesn't seem to bother it. The office windows lock up until they're done, but the web browser is ok. No idea why.

[so1970]

I'm
going to say no i wouldn't fire them because that would make me a hypocrite.