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NuevaVida -> RE: !!BUSTED!! Checking CollarMe at work (11/22/2008 9:21:26 AM)
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ORIGINAL: NorthernGent
Having a break from the PC, is enshrined in Health & Safety regulations over here; it's expected, though this doesn't provide a mandate for private phone calls and using the business' assets for personal use. The idea of having a break from the PC is for the benefit of your eyes; continued use of the PC in that 5 to 10 minutes by sending e-mails etc, is not in the spirit of the idea.
This is where we're talking about different things, then. The break I'm speaking of is for the mind as well as the eyes. If diverting the eyes from lines of data, budget figures, coding, etc., over to one's personal email, then that can be quite a mind diversion and just enough for people to take a breath and get back to work with a happier attitude. A happy employee is a good employee.
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I suppose it's only fraud where the owners haven't sanctioned it. Not sure how your customers would feel, though, were they to realise they're paying for your private e-mails/phone calls and the like; I'm assuming all costs are passed on to the customer. It may seem minor, but in effect customers are paying a small portion of your mobile bill. Anyone coming up to me in the street: "alright, pal, 'fancy contributing toward my phone bill?".....while being rendered slightly amused, the possibility of them receiving a spot of cooperation, is fairly remote.
I honestly have never worked for an employer who didn't approve, nor would I. I have worked for employers whose customers trusted them to manage and operate their own budgets, and those budgets factored in the humanness of the people who worked for them.
One particular employer comes to mind - a software company who was one of the first to create an EHR (electronic health record) system. We had programmers from all over the world working there, who literally worked around the clock to meet deadlines for our customers - large hospital organizations, the Department of State and the Department of Defense. The HR manager was upset because the phone bill reflected calls to the Ukraine. When she complained to the CEO about it, he said "Those people are busting their asses to make sure we meet our contract deadlines. The least we can do is allow them to talk to their families overseas when they are here at 2:00 in the morning. If it makes them happy to talk to their spouses and kids, then let them - they work hard and they are happy here, and they're putting out fantastic work." Basically, the run rate for employing them was still extremely positive.
The turnover rate at that place was next to nill. Other items factored into the budget - a refrigerator filled with refreshments, snacks, real cream for the coffee, etc. Employees felt respected, valued, and taken care of. The return for that was phenomenal.
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Any personal use of the owners' assets without their consent, is fraud. That is not perspective. They have paid for the goods in order to earn a return for their company - that is the bargain. The issue with customers is not so clear cut, but it's highly unethical to pass on the costs of employees' leisure activities to them - unless of course they're aware and sanction it.
True. Which is why I won't work for a place who doesn't support that I am a human being with a life of my own, and that I'm balancing life and work to the best of my ability, and my work speaks for itself. Look what happened with the blue suits of IBM when they treated their staff as robotic non-humans. Their turnover was high, their employees were stressed and unhappy, and they ultimately had to change their ways.
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Hey, work is no walk in the park......it's meant to be a regime of terror :-)
LOL. I agree it is no walk in the park part. But there is no reason people can't be happy doing what they're doing. The benefits of keeping them happy is huge. The places I've worked have factored these "perks" into their budget and it's paid off.
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