I'm always careful not to write about my job. I don't say where I work, or even what industry. I've only said in my profile that I'm a writer and editor in my real life. I don't comment on my co-workers or boss (except to say that I wanted my Wurstfest experience to be sans-boss, but that's not so odd that you don't want to socialize with your boss after working with him all week). I don't want to be one of those "instructional stories" for other people, where you write things you shouldn't on a public forum, then get fired, robbed, etc.
But today, I feel just the slightest bit justified in commenting about one, small aspect of my employment experience. You see, today, I hopped onto Blogger to submit my daily dose of wisdom and wit, only to find that Big Brother (aka my employer) is now blocking Blogger. Yes, that's right. Along with porn sites and other degenerate locations, we drones will no longer be able to waste valuable time at Blogger.
We got new management about a month and a half ago, and I was recently warned on the underground network that the new bosses were "monitoring our Web use." I wondered if this meant they were gunning for a reason to fire specific people or what. Because I've got news for you. No one is 100% in compliance with work guidelines that say you can only use your work computer for personal stuff on your lunch hour. They're just not. Even the most perfect people check the weather report or occasionally click on a story about Anna Nicole or (gasp!) take a gander at their Yahoo email.
Everyone, even the robot employees, sooner or later takes a few minutes in between diligently cranking out work product to surf a little. It's the 21st century version of the water cooler. So, all employers know that if they want to find a reason to fire someone, all they have to do is dig around on an employee's computer. They can FIND a reason if they want one.
While that may be part of what's going on at my happy workplace, it would also appear they're also trying to find out what sites they haven't blocked that their bad, bad employees are going to that there isn't a work reason to be going to. Blogger would appear to be one of those. So, there, Bad Employee - no more Blogger for you!
And thank God. Because where I might have spent 10 or 20 minutes blogging before when I was in between projects, now I will undoubtedly run to my boss and say, "I have nothing productive to do - can I pleeeeeease have another project to fill this time??" I feel like a better employee already, just *knowing* that my Big Brother has saved me from myself and my wasteful ways. Before, I was just making all my deadlines and doing quality work. Now, I can...make my deadlines and do quality work. I'm telling you, this changes everything!!!
In all seriousness, I don't know how much blogging I'll do now that I can't do it from work. I'm online all day at work (working on work stuff I assure you, Big Brother, if you read this!!!), so the last thing I want to do when I get home or on weekends is get back online. I'm blogging now on my lunch hour from a coffee shop, but I have no intention of spending every lunch hour blogging either. I use my lunch hour to run errands and...eat lunch. So the future of this blog is in question at the moment.
I'm sure you'll all survive if this blog disappears. I don't exactly have a lot of readership. But it's a bummer. I get that my work computer does not belong to me, and that my employer owns my time when I'm there. I'm not confused about that. But I never once let a deadline slide so I could blog or said anything disparaging about my employer or otherwise abused the limited freedom I had by having access to Blogger. I've been reliable and efficient and effective. Think of it this way, instead of a smoke break, like all the smokers in the building, I took blog breaks. I spent far less time writing my blog a few times a week, than the smokers on my floor take by taking their 50 smoke breaks outside every day. Instead of worrying about blocking innocuous Web sites, why don't you crack down on the smokers who can't be found at their desks half the day? How about that?
3 comments:
Don't take it down for at least a long while. I have kept up with more than a couple of very good blogs that had an interruption and then resumed. People can just keep it bookmarked and check ever couple weeks because something is bound to change.
Oh man!
And just when I am reviving my computer (it has been a horrific week around here)...
Sorry about the BB thing at work. Scott's office is pretty tight about what they allow, too. Makes it really hard for him to receive emails from me, but he told them they could either allow the occasional email (because it is, like every other day or something)or realize that I'd be calling. They're okay with the email.
I SO agree with you Z! How ridiculous. Of course, you'll be so much more productive and effective now than you once were. Of course!... Um, no, you'll just be resentful. Still immensely productive and effective as you always were, but resentful.
Smokers beware! If non-smoker freedoms continue to be taken away, then we're coming after yours! Can someone in the medical industry please make an announcement that web-surfing is an addiction?!? Please? Then maybe we'll be allowed to service our addiction during work time like smokers service theirs.
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