May 24, 2010 -- 1:04PM, Erey wrote:

If your employer provides you the equipment they have every right to make sure you are using it correctly.  Although, I dont think spending alot of time monitoring your employees is a good use of resources

I would recomend everyone get a web based email like Yahoo or Hotmail and if you have any personal messages to not get them on your work email but rather your personal email. 

I agree that spending too much time and energy monitoring employees is a waste of resources.

The best people I've always worked for -- regardless of whether the job was manual labor or white collar office work -- were interested really in only one thing, results.

IOW, they didn't care how I was getting work done, and had no interest in looking over my shoulder or trying to micro-manage, they were interested in the work getting done, getting done on time and getting done right the first time.

I think as long as an employee is doing that, it's best to just leave them be and don't try to fix what isn't broken. If somebody starts to display problems with productivity, promptness or quality of work, then it's time to start checking into what they are doing.

To sum this up, way back in the 1990s, I worked as a satellite employee, from my home, miles away from the central office. I had a company desk, phone/fax and computer set up in a spare bedroom. Now, I worked at my own pace and often did things that could have been interpreted -- if somebody had been watching -- as "goofing off." If I got tired, I took a nap. If I got fidgety sitting in front of the computer, I did house work or went for a walk, and so on. But, oddly enought, when it came to results, I was on a regular basis far more productive, prompt and accurate in my work than many of my peers in the central office.

May 26, 2010 -- 4:25PM, appy20 wrote:

We draw the line at porn.  

We actually have a hard time getting people to use the computer well enough to help the public with it.  That is why we encourage use.  The fact is the folks that goof off on the internet the most tend to be the most technologically proficient. Sometimes, the best way to learn is to play.   

You would be surprised at how much I glean online that I use at work from "goofing off."  Here on BNET, I can't count the number of times that I have gotten something very useful to apply at work.  I also like for staff to be informed about what is going on in the world.  I consider that part of our job.  

The bottom line for us is that it is not a problem.  We are also results oriented and all of us put in more than 40 hours.  I work one 12 hour day a week and 10-12 hr days other days.  Without extra pay.  We work weekends without comp time or overtime.  I work at home A LOT.  I had to buy the computer and software I used to build our website. I pay for the paper and toner I use to make handouts for the computer classes I teach.  I bought the color printer that does the handouts.  The company is getting more than its money's worth out of me.  Still, if my boss had a problem with it, I would act accordingly.

We have a good staff.  We tend to be overachievers.  Our work is high quality.  

I have never violated my employer's rules.  If I worked for a boss or company that had a no internet policy, I would adhere to it 100%.  

I agree with MyTMouse.  The most productive and creative work environments are those that are not micromanaged and employees are allowed to grow in some way.  The internet does allow that especially if the job may not.  If the work is getting done, then it works for us.  If it becomes a hindrance, we would change.

I agree. Drawing the line at porn is a good benchmark. There is no reason an employee should be doing that at work.

IOW, The Gulf Oil Disaster probably DIDN'T happen because workers were watching Porn on their LapTops or Text-ing their Sweeties ...

May 28, 2010 -- 11:10AM, TemplarS wrote:

Also- good companies generally allow their employees a fair amount of control over how they do their work.  Instead of:  news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_gulf_oil_spill_mi...

"As the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig burned around him, Chris Pleasant hesitated, waiting for approval from his superiors before activating the emergency disconnect system that was supposed to slam the oil well shut at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.

The delay may have cost critical seconds. When Pleasant and his co-workers at rig owner Transocean finally got the go-ahead to throw the emergency disconnect switch, they realized there was no hydraulic power to operate the machinery."

As I recall, a similar lack of delegated authority contributed to another oil rig disaster, Piper Alpha in the North Sea.