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Mayor Bloomberg is pretty peeved that a judge ruled that city workers can use the Internet during work. The billionaire who made his living by making information accessible says that a phone call or an email from a relative is all right (something about it being "de minimis part of your day" - hey, we need to Google that!) but "spending hours on the Internet" "is inappropriate." Hmm, so why does the city have a website - what if we're trying to find information critical to living our lives? Tell us that, Mayor Bloomberg! This leads us to what we've suspected all along - Mayor Bling has a legion of people surfing the web for him. Anyway, this can only mean good things for text messaging, web-enabled phones and the "vibrate setting."
Remember when Mayor Bloomberg fired an employee for having solitaire up on his computer screen? And what defines "relative"? Because many people would consider their friends "like a brother/sister."
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I know someone who was scolded, at work, for playing solitaire.
Honestly, as an employer in a non-tech/IT based field, why should your employee be playing solitaire or browsing amazon.com, or even this rag, on my time?
I actually agree with Bloomie. If i had less access to the internet and commenting on sites like Gothamist, I'd be alot more productive.
Guess city workers have to go back to the old standby, Reading the Newspaper while working.
It also looks bad if clients or other guests see the employees slacking off at their desks.
when I open my business, employees will definitely not have internet access outside of breaks and lunch.
I hate to say it, but the bottom line in the real world is this: what's inappropriate and excessive is what your boss says is inappropriate and excessive. I think Bling is particularly sensitive to this given the sterling reputation most city workers enjoy (did someone say shiftless?).
However, without knowing any details of the case, I think firing a guy for playing solitaire is a bit much... a reprimand, maybe...
If the work gets done, and done well, surf all you want. If it's a distraction, don't surf.
www.forgotten-ny.com
I've worked at a software company and used the internet for all sorts of personal reasons right in front of my boss (we had facing desks so she couldn't see my screen), but I drew the line at playing solitaire at my desk! That's just a bit much. Anyone who plays those computer games knows how addictive and distracting they are. You just can't stop.
Doesn't it really come down to whether you're an hourly employee vs. a salaried employee and your productivity?
having the internet at my desk is like having a television and dvd player at my desk. i can watch entertainment content all day and, before I know it, it's five o'clock and i haven't done a lick of work. i feel guilty about this all the time, but i can't stop.
the internet is boring. we need a new internet. Where's Al Gore when you need him?
We need new internest!!! It's in the hands of those Bajillionaire boys at google, now. I guess #5 is on his lunch break.
The Internet is also a business tool. All the administrative functions (HR, insurance, payroll, training, purchasing etc) in my company are web enabled. We also surf the Net to find out more about potential clients, breaking news, industry trends...and to use it once in a while for relaxation or entertainment are nice breaks when you're working hard during a long day.