Man Fired For Surfing Internet

[Schmeer]

This is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever read you guys...seriously, who DOESNT surf the internet while you're at work???

I think I'm using the web at least 6 hrs/day. What about you guys?

Man Fired For Surfing Internet

[DeltAlum]

Here's reality.

He was using city equipment and surfing the web while he should have been doing his job.

Many bosses will overlook those things.

This one wouldn't.

The penalty is harsh -- but the article says that he was warned before.

The firing may well have been political, but the reasons are sound.

It would outrage a lot of NYC taxpayers if they knew that city employees were surfing while on the city's dime.

[KSigkid]

If he was supposed to be working and he wasn't, well that's life. You do your job or you get fired.

If I spent most of my day surfing rather than working, I'd be out of a job too.

[mulattogyrl]

Yes, after all, none of us are 'supposed' to be surfing the internet, yet we all do it. If he was warned before, he should have just stayed off, or at least cut down his activity.

[AlphaFrog]

I get away with it, but then again, I get my work done too, and I don't surf when my boss is around.

If he was warned, it's completely fair.

[Taualumna]

In one of the jobs I had, someone who WASN'T my boss yelled at me for surfing. Trouble was, I had nothing else to do. I had finished my required work, and my boss said that he didn't have anything for me at the time. I offered to buy my team coffee, but no one wanted anything. It was 3 pm, so I couldn't have just taken off.

[Lil' Hannah]

Judge: Surfing Web at Work No Big Deal

"It should be observed that the Internet has become the modern equivalent of a telephone or a daily newspaper, providing a combination of communication and information that most employees use as frequently in their personal lives as for their work," Administrative Law Judge John Spooner said in recommending only a reprimand for Choudhri.

[DeltAlum]

So, it would be OK to call news organizations and travel agencies on company time and equipment?

Of course a lot of us do this kind of thing, and most bosses would overlook it.

In this case, the boss didn't. Again, the employee had been warned.

The article doesn't say how much of the time was wasted and/or how blatant the offense was.

I think the Administrative Law Judge's opinion would clash with many managers.

Also, with tight city budgets and headcount cutbacks, I think a department manager in that kind of situation would be criticized if she/he didn't take issue in this case.

[Lil' Hannah]

Well plenty of people read newspapers at work and make personal phone calls. It's just not as easy to track as Internet use is.

It is only going to get worse as the workforce gets younger. The Internet has become such a part of young peoples' lives that it doesn't seem like a big deal. To me, surfing the Internet for a few hours isn't any worse than taking 10 smoke breaks a day or spending a time hanging out in my friend's cube.

I think it's very rare that anyone actually does work every minute that they're on the clock. They're just loafing in a different way now.

[bluefish81]

I don't surf the internet at work. I can't, almost everything with the exception of a few approved sites are blocked by Websense. My company claims they do this to cut down on viruses etc, however I would imagine it's to prevent people from surfing while we're working.

[Peaches-n-Cream]

A few months ago Mayor Bloomberg was touring an office and fired an employee for playing solitaire.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11261224/

His theory is when you are at work, you should be working hard.

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by Peaches-n-Cream
His theory is when you are at work, you should be working hard.

Same point.

[ZTAngel]

Originally posted by Lil' Hannah
To me, surfing the Internet for a few hours isn't any worse than taking 10 smoke breaks a day or

I agree. People would be amazed at how much smokers cost a company in terms of productivity. There are people in my office who take 8 to 9 smoke breaks a day. Multiply that by 10 to 15 minutes each and you've got 1.5 to 2 hours of wasted time.

If I did nothing but work for 8 hours straight, I'd be seeing double by the end of the day. A little bit of internet here and there isn't a problem as long as you get your work done.

[KSigkid]

Originally posted by ZTAngel
I agree. People would be amazed at how much smokers cost a company in terms of productivity. There are people in my office who take 8 to 9 smoke breaks a day. Multiply that by 10 to 15 minutes each and you've got 1.5 to 2 hours of wasted time.

If I did nothing but work for 8 hours straight, I'd be seeing double by the end of the day. A little bit of internet here and there isn't a problem as long as you get your work done.

Definitely - I mean, it's pretty obvious that it's what we're all doing when we post on here.

I also know, though, that there are people who spend all day surfing and don't get ANYTHING done.

[DeltAlum]

I agree with the comments about smoking.

That's not the issue here, though.

If someone gets fired for taking too much time smoking, that's another discussion.

The other major difference is that this person was using company equipment -- which is generally not true of smokers.