Message Areas - "Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of"

Train-Sim.Com Message Areas

"Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of"

Email this topic to a friend
Printer-friendly version of this topic
Bookmark this topic (Registered users only)
Previous Topic | Next Topic Conferences Microsoft Train Simulator (Protected) Original message
navarch1 (17 posts)
Dec-31-01, 03:01 PM (EST) "Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of" I post this because I believe many people out there who patronize this and other Sim boards, may need to be reminded of. A very good and close friend, called me today looking for work. He was abruptly fired from his job this morning, with a Fortune 500 company. The reason? His company tracked employee's internet use and the places they visited during work hours. He was found to have spent many hours in a week, at flight sim sites, reading posts, dowloading files, and then copying the material to bring home. Within minutes of arriving at arrived at work this morning, a security guard and his immediate supervisor came to his desk and he was escorted out of the building. He was also handed a bill, for repayment to the company - covering his time in the Sim sites and CD-writing, reimbursing the company for what he had been paid, which they now say, was the result of falsified time sheets. It was in the thousands.I've read all the posts on how hard it is to get into the files area, and how people spend a lot of time trying. People need to be reminded, that an increasing number of firms DO monitor your time online. I own my own firm, and I can monitor my employees' internet time and where they go, via software that any company can obtain. My own policy here, is to not monitor unless i have reason to - and that as long as you are aware and you make up the time, there is no penalty of any sort. I also make sure people know they are subject to monitoring. Personally, I feel an hour or so a day is not so bad. But, many companies - looking for any excuse to cut people - will increasingly fire people for time/places spent online that is outside that allowed by company policy. You may not even be aware your firm is watching you, until it is too late. No train sim or other file is worth your job, or worse. I'm as guilty as anyone - I do a lot of downloading here. However, I chose to join the site via full membership, and end the delays getting in. If you are having trouble getting in, then moving to a pay situation might not only reduce your wait - it may save your job.Best wishes to all in the New Year,
Bob Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Table of Contents

Subject Author Message Date ID RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware... riograndedude Dec-31-01 1 RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware... jeffmorris Dec-31-01 2 RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware... Rudy Dec-31-01 3 RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware... CSX_CW60AC_GregMarck Dec-31-01 4 RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware... shieldsy Jan-01-02 5 RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware... akochan Jan-01-02 6 RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware... beluga Jan-01-02 7 RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware... Vern Jan-01-02 8 RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware... WabashJae Jan-01-02 9 RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware... Hobart Jan-01-02 10 RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware... jtsdadinaz Jan-01-02 11 RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware... jtr1962 Jan-02-02 12 RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware... stationmaster Jan-02-02 13

Lobby | Topics | Previous Topic | Next Topic
Messages in this topic
riograndedude (91 posts)
Dec-31-01, 05:23 PM (EST) 1. "RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of" I'll come clean, I've been using a teachers computer to look over this site at my lunch period, but no downloading.Behold The POWER of Black and Gold: THE RIO GRANDE RAILROAD Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
jeffmorris (425 posts)
Dec-31-01, 06:21 PM (EST) 2. "RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of" Bob, I'm sorry that your friend got fired for using his computer "illegally" during working hours. I have read about employers monitoring employees using computers during working hours in computer magazines. People who use computers at work should ask their employers about computer usage policies. What about people getting or making personal telephone calls during working hours? What about people driving vehicles during working hours? What about people talking unnecessarily during working hours? Jeffrey. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Rudy (10 posts)
Dec-31-01, 11:07 PM (EST) 3. "RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of" LAST EDITED ON Dec-31-01 AT 11:10 PM (EST)>What about people getting or making
>personal telephone calls during working
>hours? What about people driving
>vehicles during working hours? What
>about people talking unnecessarily during
>working hours? jeffmorrisI was taught the best policy is to be honest. But that was a long time ago. Today it's a different story. Get away with everything you can and hooray for me. Because some people manage to temporarily escape their illegal operations does not make it right or an excuse for him do the same. Most of us have been taught right from wrong as youngsters yet a small percentage continue make others pay for their greed.I'm sorry he lost his job too, but perhaps he will leave his hobby at home on his next position and do the job he was paid to do without stealing from others. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
CSX_CW60AC_GregMarck (97 posts)
Dec-31-01, 11:49 PM (EST) 4. "RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of" I must confess, I'll sneak a peak of this site durning study hall, lunch, and computer programming. (unfortunatlly I have all 3 in a row, so nothing really changes)Greg Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
shieldsy (11 posts)
Jan-01-02, 04:52 AM (EST) 5. "RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of" No names were mentioned in my case but it was made clear that I'd better stay off the internet. They are watching!
Happy New Year to all!!
Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
akochan (275 posts)
Jan-01-02, 12:33 PM (EST) 6. "RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of" >LAST EDITED ON Dec-31-01
>AT 11:10 PM (EST)
>
>>What about people getting or making
>>personal telephone calls during working
>>hours? What about people driving
>>vehicles during working hours? What
>>about people talking unnecessarily during
>>working hours?
>
>jeffmorris
>
>I was taught the best policy
>is to be honest. But
>that was a long time
>ago. Today it's a different
>story. Get away with everything
>you can and hooray for
>me. Because some people manage
>to temporarily escape their illegal
>operations does not make it
>right or an excuse for
>him do the same. Most
>of us have been taught
>right from wrong as youngsters
>yet a small percentage continue
>make others pay for their
>greed.
>
>I'm sorry he lost his job
>too, but perhaps he will
>leave his hobby at home
>on his next position and
>do the job he was
>paid to do without stealing
>from others. I think as a professional slacker it's my duty to say that he wasn't stealing in a literal sense. Screwing around at work is everyone's right, privledge, and duty. As long as everything that needs to get done gets done on time or earlier that is. Slacking is just fine, you just gotta make up for it by working twice as hard later, that's all. I think more employers need to realize this. Now if you're not getting your work done AND you're slacking that's reason to be fired. I can't begin to tell you how many offices I've made deliveries to (worked 6 years as a bicycle messenger) where a good portion of them were just playing computer solitaire. -Andy
akochan@crosswinds.net Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
beluga (113 posts)
Jan-01-02, 01:41 PM (EST) 7. "RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of" Get to know the Network Administrator at work. Take him to lunch.
Ask him to change the name or IP address of your workstation.
There other things he can do. I know, I am one! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Vern (104 posts)
Jan-01-02, 01:51 PM (EST) 8. "RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of" Where I work you have to sign a Code of Practice for use of office computer equipment, which includes prohibition on the installation or use of personal software/games. Where Internet access is available use is specifically in connection with work related activity, personal use or surfing is a huge "no no." However it does seem a strange reflection that misuse of a computer is regarded as gross misconduct therefore carrying the penalty of certain dismissal, whereas other offences which might be regarded as more serious will get away with a warning! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
WabashJae (43 posts)
Jan-01-02, 04:34 PM (EST) 9. "RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of" I'll come clean too, I sneak into the library computers during classes almost every day. It's a good thing we have a cool librarian, I always manage to get a pass back.
Thanks!!! Jae Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Hobart (87 posts)
Jan-01-02, 05:44 PM (EST) 10. "RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of" At a place I used to worked for, one of my bosses would spend all his time day traden'. I did most of the work on this one project and the big cheeses gave him all the credit. When it got slow they kept that dynamo and gave me my walking papers.Best Regards
Hobart Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
jtsdadinaz (30 posts)
Jan-01-02, 10:25 PM (EST) 11. "RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of" Another fine case of WHO YOU KNOW not WHAT You Know... I work at a State Job, and if 10% of the people actually did their job at least 10% Would get done. We watch people too, mostly for porn site stuff. In the end if they want you gone it does not really matter what you did, they will find a way to justify your termination..In my state job they don't really have to justify it, "Right to work state".. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
jtr1962 (39 posts)
Jan-02-02, 09:20 AM (EST) 12. "RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of" Since I don't know all the facts in this case I can't say whether this person was right or wrong. If he did the downloads either on breaks, lunch, or after he was done with the work he was paid to do, then he didn't do a bad thing in my opinion. If his extra downloads cost the company more for their interent service, then he should have been billed only for this additional amount. The company also has a responsibility here to make employees aware of it's policies regarding employee use of internet and/or telephone.On the other hand, if this person did not complete his job, or actually worked overtime while he was only doing downloads, then he was 100% in the wrong, and I would not only fire him if he were my employee, but would press criminal charges as well. Employment is a contract between you and your employer. You agree to do a particular job, and your employer agrees to pay you either by the hour, or a salary. By doing personal things before completing his job, he broke the contract.That being said, I think a major problem among employers nowadays is that they treat employees like disposable assets. Another major problem is the obsession with the time clock. Many employees are able to do their job in less than their 35 or 40 hours per week. After their work is done, they will often simply try to look busy for the remainder of the day or week, or they will just stretch 20 hours of work into 40. In situations where no new work will come in until tomorrow, employees should be given the option of going home after their work is done. In other situations where there are projects that last for several weeks or months, you should just get time off until the next project. The reasoning here is simple-the employer gets the same job done, often way ahead of schedule, and the cost is the same(actually less since you save on electricity while employees are away). Employees don't have to twiddle their thumbs trying to look busy. Very few people nowadays ask for more work when their regular job is done unless they know they have a good employer who will reward these extra efforts. It seems that with most employers asking for more work will get you exactly that, with no added compensation, and perhaps a meaningless title or a stupid employee of the month plaque. This is exactly why people at work stretch things out, and/or do non-work related things on company time. If their jobs really filled 40 hours, they just wouldn't have the time to do these things. It is a shame that due to workplace culture and employer attitudes a great deal of productive time is lost. I personally think the best way to compensate anybody is per job. The employer's cost is fixed, and the employee has an incentive to finish the work as rapidly as possible(with the caveat that it be done properly, of course).It is also my personal opinion that the 5-day work week, with usual commuting times, leaves people far too little free time to live a healthy lifestyle. Perhaps we should switch to 3 10-hour days where employees work steady without constant coffee and lunch breaks. The same work would be done, you would save on commuting cost and time, the environment would be less polluted, and people would be more relaxed as well with 4-day weekends all the time. By staggering people's work days, a business can still remain open as many days as before. Married couples with children staggering work days can eliminate the need for child care, and save on this major expense as well.I currently freelance, and per job is the only way that I will accept compensation. Since I work at home, there is really no way for a client to count my hours, anyway. Most of the time, this situation works to my benefit. Very often I'll work 20 hours a day just to get the project over with so I can have more free days. Occasionally, a project is much more difficult than I thought, and I'm just stuck with it, but such occasions are relatively rare. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
stationmaster (259 posts)
Jan-02-02, 03:50 PM (EST) 13. "RE: Sad News TS'ers Should be Aware Of" When I started my web site, I assumed that the peak traffic would be in the evenings and weekends. Before long I discovered that the peak hours start at noon Eastern time through 1 PM Pacific time (most visitors are North American). I have no problem with folks dropping by on their lunch hour, but I hope no one would put their job in jeopardy.Hint: If your boss doesn't think Dilbert is funny, watch out.
Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Lock | Archive | Remove

Lobby | Topics | Previous Topic | Next Topic