What would you do?

[doodlebug 3]

Let's say you are a boss. Let's say your employee works from home using this software that allows the employee to access his computer from home. While accessing this computer from home, if this employee's monitor is not turned off....everyone in the office can see what the employee is doing at any point in time.

Now let's say that you, the boss, went looking for something at the employee's desk, and while there, noticed that not only was the monitor on, but that you could view that the employee was typing an email to another employee b!tchin' about you........

Would you say anything to the employee? Would you fire the employee?

What would you do?

[Otto 83]

I'd have a serious conversation with both employees (the email sender and the other employee) about wasting company time.

I'd probably suspend telecommuting privileges too. I might also get IT to look into any other things that have been going on as well.

Would I fire anyone? Probably not, but I would not forget...

Edited May 16, 2007 by Karin und Otto

[doodlebug 3]

I'd have a serious conversation with both of you (you and the other employee) about wasting company time - I'd probably suspend telecommuting privileges too. I might also get IT to look into any other things that have been going on as well.

Would I fire anyone? Probably not, but I would not forget...

OK but I'm asking if you were said boss..what would you do?

[brnidokiegurl 0]

A friendly little chat about office procedures

[Otto 83]

I'd have a serious conversation with both of you (you and the other employee) about wasting company time - I'd probably suspend telecommuting privileges too. I might also get IT to look into any other things that have been going on as well.

Would I fire anyone? Probably not, but I would not forget...

OK but I'm asking if you were said boss..what would you do?

That is what I would do if I were said boss.. (sorry I edited my original messege)..

[Widge 0]

Agreed a friendly chat - explain that everything is there for all to see who go near the desk, and explain that whilst it is ok for said employee to think what they like about the boss (you ?) it is not OK to spend company time and resources expressing those opinions. To work from home effectively unsupervised is a privelege (I believe) abuse that and you lose the right. All communications to whomever should be the bosses right to see regardless of how they come about them the PC, software etc is all the property of the employer not the employee and thereby all its contents to as it is work done on company time for the company. And no boss should ever feel hesistant about confronting an employee when improper behavior exists.

(and yes I have been a boss and yes I have fired for improper behaviour in company time)

[Alex+R 0]

I would not fire the employees in question for sure. As far as disciplinary action, hmm... If these employees were otherwise productive and meeting or exceeding expectations, I would only send out an email to all my employees (or the group of them that the employees in question belong to) mentioning what is and isn't appropriate to do at work, mention the "recent" incident without naming or suggesting names, and let them know they'd been caught as a sort of "warning." If they were already bad employees, it might be different.

A boss of mine used that strategy with two of my coworkers, and it solved the problem without conflict.

eta: if I were the boss, I'd be very careful not to let me hurt feelings get in the way of reasonable action.

Edited May 16, 2007 by Alex+R

[MaydayDas 1]

youuuuuu areeeeeee fireeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!

[doodlebug 3]

youuuuuu areeeeeee fireeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!

[brnidokiegurl 0]

I work in a group setting and i always hated it when the (whole group) got the talk, when it was a couple that needed the talking to. Guess theres two ways to look at that issue but i hate getting called down over someone elses deal.

[doodlebug 3]

ok well I'll fess up...I'm the employee. lol.

Thing that sucks though is that I have no idea if she read the email or not. All I know is that the boss came to me a couple of days after it happened and before even saying "hello" said, "hey.....when you work from home you really need to turn the monitor off 'cause I could see you typing emails, doing "xxxx" and "yyyy" (both of which are actually work things that I should have been doing btw) and I felt all "dirty" watching you".

At first I was like "huh????" but then I was like 'cause I remembered a couple of things I had put in the email, which actually was an email for a real work purpose but it so happens I'm really good friends (went to kindergarten) with the person so I expressed my opinion about a couple of incidents that happened.

UGH. You know Murphey's Law always kicks me upside the head. It never fails 'cause if I ever talk about someone they're inevitably right behind me or something. lol.

I really feel like doo doo about this. I really wish I knew exactly what she saw, you know? But obviously I don't want to brooch the subject again. lol

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Nope, you don't broach the subject. Your boss handled it well - if she saw the uncomplimentary comments or not you will probably never know - and you can take that as your 'punishment. She let you know the procedures you were using were not secure and in a nice way so she probably values your work enough not to let your personal comments interfere. Take her advice - and prove to her that you have. Be grateful that she appears to be sensible enough to deal with this objectively.

[chri'stina 190]

Now I know you are the employee...BUT...

If I answered before you said that, I would say do not fire the person. It can make someone angry to see themselves be talked about. But let's be honest, how many of us have had bad days at work and wanted to do that or have done that? I see a large show of hands. It's office politics. Not a good idea to do, but it still happens. I'd say letting the person know that what they do can be seen is enough to scare them.

Ok now to you really, I would feel paranoid too. But at least they already said something to you about it. Maybe it will just fade into the past.

[homesick_american 1]

If I found out my boss was spying on me to that extent, I'd quit; we wouldn't even need a 'come to Jesus' chat. I'd quit and tell everyone I knew not to work for such a micromanaging...you know what. Why would you even hire someone if you have so little trust in them?

[cartaverde 12]

Thatswhy the remote desktop programs have the curtain mode.

If you have the display on and you are not at your desk but using your computer with remote desktop software, you don't have control of who's at your desk. Depending on your work .. the others could see something confidential that they should not be seeing. Unless you have an office with no one access to it, not even the cleaning personnel, then you probably should have the screensaver with password on, or the display off. When you are using your computer, whether at the location or remotely, YOU are responsible that the work gets done, and no one sees and does what they are not supposed to.

If you were working on a super secret project, and your boss walked by your desk randomly and saw you working too openly on that secret project, it would have been worse.

Then again, I would have fired a certain employee when he twice showed a secret project to people he was not authorized to, and was already warned for doing that, another employee for posting something incredibly stupid and not in compliance with company policies in the internet (stating his employment status), and one for bragging how he had supposedly some software he was not authorized to, and I'd also have investigated if the contractor who he said to have leaked the software for him actually leaked it, in which case I would have had the contractor go as well.

At any day, I'd consider 'information diarrhea' or leaking way worse than writing a personal email. Of course, if someone would add enough details of something they should not be talking about with anyone to a person who isn't authorized to be in that information loop on that same email with the personal issues, then I could act.

Expressing too personal opinions? If they are not productive and in compliance with company policy, do it on your free time, and not from your work address and not even using your work equipment.