Almost quit my job today (right in the middle of orientation)

[rocktivity]

After presentations by Human Resources, Legal, and Standards and Practices, the IT guy came in with our e-mail and telephone passwords. Then he dropped a bomb: only permanent employees would have Web access to their e-mails. You could feel the oxygen rushing out of the room, and my mind starts scrambling to make plans to get a satellite radio.

The IT guy then starts reading boilerplate about how computers should be used for business purposes only and not to do things like go to porno sites and try to check our personal e-mail. Someone ventured to ask, "Well, if we don't have access to the Internet, how COULD we access our personal e-mail?" He said, "You have access to the Internet--what you won't have is WEB access to your BUSINESS e-mails from outside the company network. Only permanent employees get do to do that." The world began turning again, and visions of reading DU on my lunch break danced through my head!

P.S. One of the things the IT guy demonstrated was the company's internal instant messaging system. With his laptop projected on a screen, he logged into it and began a conversation with a co-worker. I said, "Careful--that's how Mark Foley got started!"

:headbang:
rocknation

[DesertRat]

1. Isn't that standard practice?

I am a teacher and can only access my school email, the district intranet and limited education related websites. It's in our policy that we can not visit political sites (among others) during the day (including my lunch time). Because of the filter, I probably couldn't anyway. It's a big network and they can track where you go online.
I don't know much about the business world, but I assumed that was pretty standard in a lot of companies. :shrug:

[rocktivity]

3. It varies with companies

As a contractor, I've worked for companies that block out just about everything, e-mail only, streaming audio only (which I figured out how to get around, heh heh), and I've worked for companies which give complete unfettered access. But for the most part, a company isn't going to complain if you use your judgement and you restrict your web surfing to your personal time.

Once I worked where Mediawhoresonline.com was blocked for being a porno site! I e-mailed the IT admin explaining what it was all about, and it was re-classified as a "current events" site!

:headbang:
rocknation

[wakeme2008]

2. When I started on contract in southern Virginia I thought I would be the

only Dem around... :rofl: I can only think of one Repug in my group..... They have a good nanny software but I can get to all my normal web sites EXCEPT mail. Can not check mail at work. No big deal.

I can send to and from my email account to home just not check it. :shrug: But at home I can check my corp email addy mail thru a webmail.

[KatyaR]

4. My conservative-owned company is purchasing software

that will allow them to track everywhere you go on your computer, both intracompany and the internet. This is the same company that is now tracking the number of "personal" phone calls and text messages you make on your cell phone or BlackBerry. They claim they are trying to save money. The CIO is so estatic about it he's about to piss his pants.

During my orientation in January we were warned about certain things in our email, especially "insults to the President."

Basically they're watching everything we do or say--standard conservativism at its finest.

Oh yes, and this year we're having a "Christmas Party" and sending out "Christmas Cards"--the owner is pissed over the "War against Christmas."

Pass the fruitcake . . . . :crazy:

[gratuitous]

5. Well, the computer and your time DO belong to the company

At least while they're paying you. But progressive companies also understand that valuable tools like the telephone and the computer are almost certainly going to be used for personal purposes as well as company purposes, and they're mostly all right with it.

Play by the rules, petition for change, and keep your job options open.

[NashVegas]

6. I'm Not Sure What the Logic Is On That - Maybe an Anti-Spam Measure?

I can understand the company not wanting you to attend to personal email on company time; you don't attend to your personal phone calls when you're at work, do you?

But to refuse company webmail access from home sounds kind of odd. I can't get my work email, at home, through a normal email program, it can only be accessed via the web, and that's an anti-spam measure.

[rocktivity]

7. Like I said, just use your common sense

Of course I wouldn't be happy if an employee made personal calls or surfed the web all day. But some calls just can't be made outside of business hours, and if doing something online will increase an employee's productivity because it's a convenience and/or gets it off his mind, I'm not going to complain about that, either.

:headbang:
rocknation