iamcal.com Since May 2000

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• Hello!

Yes I'm attempting to start a couple of discussions.

A long time ago I read about companies registering their staff mobile phones to a cell tracking service, prior to giving them to employees, so they could keep tabs on them at will. Then a couple of weeks ago a friend who works for RBS told me that, as he was pulling a sicky, he couldnt use his switch (or whatever similar service he had on his card) because they regularly check the accounts for transactions to make sure they're tucked up in bed and not out shopping, as he was. Not his paranoia, apparently, as a mate of his got caught out that way. Policy also dictates that they have to have their wages put into an RBS account. These things, to me, sound a tad too Big Brother. What's to stop them using their inside and outside CCTV with some facial recognition software to spy as far as they can on their employees activities. Of course others would argue that sick time, legitimate or not, is still company time and they have every right to know what you're up to in that time. Still very off to me. But then I'm a slacker.

This one really frosts me. I would quit if I was subjected to such treatment.

I heard there was actually some security company that was implanting RFIDs in employees to track them.

It's been going around the blogs here and there.

Here is one RFID tracking

I would quit if I was subjected to such treatment.

Yeah, but what happens when there comes a time when all companies are employing such methods?

I become a mountain man living off the land.

Yes. truth.

I was speaking to a Team Leader for a company which contracts for the college. He was saying they had all been assigned those Blueberry things. He was boasting about how he could tell where each of his team members were at any time of the day.

He also joked that a couple of members of his company had also been sacked because they had been found to be places they shouldn't have been. AND he also boasted that as alot of people had the blueberry's in their cars, he could usually track them at weekends for a laugh (out of company time)

I think companies should track and moniter email / phone calls in the office.
It's their time, not yours.

Monitor what's being sent and said or just to the level of knowing how many personal mails/calls you're making?

if the company pays the bills, they already know your every move once a month when they get your account to pay, this is just making it more up to date

errr not quite, soo

sul, a mate's comments re his time at lloyds bank suggests they do the same as rbs

You shouldn't be taking personal calls / emails at work, so full access doesn't bother me at all.

"You shouldn't be taking personal calls / emails at work"

Surely that's company policy to dictate, not yours. But lets say we work at a place that has the same view as yourself. What if it was company related stuff your boss didnt like you saying. Like your plot to overthrow him because he was such a massive idiot. Or he didnt like the idea of an office romance and caught you being a little too friendly when asking Linda from accounts what time you could expect the daily rundown. It would be pretty easy for him to find a reason to sack you.

Everybody makes a few personal calls/emails, though. I would hate to think there's somebody sitting there reading them.

I become a mountain man living off the land.

Can I come with? I'm tired of this fast-paced world. I really would like to wear sack-cloth and sandals, grow my hair really long and not bath for a really long time until I stink.

Sul - I'm assuming that the company policy is 'no personal stuff', which seems to be most companies nowadays.
Yes, it would be pretty easy for him to find a reason to sack you, but then that's your fault, isn't it?

Shit! How did you find out about me and Linda from accounts, Sul?

Woah - pulling stats out of thin air again. Cite your source. All the people with email at work that I know have a policy of tolerable personal usage.

How is it my fault? I could be streamlining processes left right and centre and be perfectly doing my job. Mr Team Leader doesnt like the cut of my jib though because I'm starting to get praise and attention from others areas of the company and could be fast tracked to a position Mr Boss had his eye on. Mr Boss doesnt like this, something needs to be done and suddenly you're sacked for offering a reacharound in the toilets which two of Mr Boss's mates witnessed and you're out on your arse. All because Mr Boss can read your email.

WH: I was talking about me actually. Boy she gets around.

Most people I know work at least 40 hours a week, opening hours for services here are a lot tighter then in the UK, I don't think it's reasonable for companies to expect that people conduct no personal business on company time.

If as a company you impose this on employees in the way that I've seen described here people will rebel and sneak around the system etc.
I strongly believe that if you treat people like children they will behave like children.

I work in a company where we have a lot of freedom, it is widely accepted that you do some personal things during your day, but you have an overall accountabillity of doing a good job.
Almost everyone here makes use of the freedom, and then works more then their 40 hours and really does their best for the company and client (do some work things things at home etc.).
Obviously there are some people who take advantage, but as a company of about 6000 people they take that 'loss' and these people are noticed eventually and get some talking to or something.

I like not being treated as a child.

Woah - pulling stats out of thin air again. Cite your source.

What the fuck is this, Question Time?

/digs about

Someone at my company is having an affair. Want me to share the emails?

I like not being treated as a child.

It's hardly being treated like a child - when you're at work, work. Personal emails can cause all kinds of damage to companies when they come through with stupid virus' on them that the doofus user doesn't understand.

"Someone at my company is having an affair. Want me to share the emails?"

Is this to make a point or just purely for fun?

For fun =]

Are they any good?

Dont blame the doofus user when they shouldnt be given the ability to open emails containing viruses in the first place. Lets face it, what with the worms the come about these days they appear to be from legit sources, a client, perhaps. The vast majority of stuff can and should be stopped at server level not desktop. You cant blame viruses on personal usage. Next.

Dear Adam,
While I understand why you cannot use your home email to plan meetings with Fiona, I would like to take this oppertunity to remind you that no personal emails should be sent to or from your work email address.
Regards,
Me

Dear Adam,
While I understand why you cannot use your home email to plan meetings with Fiona, I would like to take this oppertunity to remind you that no personal emails should be sent to or from your work email address.
Beside that, from the pictures you send / get sent, your wife is quite a looker, but this Fiona woman looks rough. What are you, mad?
Regards,
Me

Which should I send?

hehe

The vast majority of stuff can and should be stopped at server level not desktop.

Vast majority? *slutters tea* Did you get that out of thin air? Etc. Etc.

Yes, you're right, but even the 'vast majority' isn't 'all', hence the problem. 'Next' nothing.

hehe

Hang on, I'll upload the pictures...

Yes but if you've got external emails able to come in, it will come in regardless of your personal usage policy.

Sure, but one's that are forwarded on from their idiot mates with 'play this' or 'look at this' are among the owrst =[

Ahahahaha!
Adam's just set up a Yahoo! account and is telling Fiona that "The nazis in IT read my emails".

He's right =]

Boo, looks like he deleted the pictures a while ago.

In that case your security set up is poor and needs adjusting to at least stop those by the desktop AV. If there is a security fix available there's no longer an excuse for not being prepared.

Ah well. Never mind. I can look up mooses on the net any time I want.

Now send his email to HR complaining he's calling you a Nazi :)

Oh and letting people have general webmail accounts is worse than letting them have personal usage.

It's hardly being treated like a child - when you're at work, work.

Yeah. And don't be hanging around on here, either.

Bloody timewasters.

;0)

I know, I've just used the magic IT hammer to restrict his web access.
What should I email him this time? Here is what he sent her, copied and pasted.

Fi,

The nazis from IT read my emails I get to here, so i've set up this web account so we can keep in touch, its illegal for them to stop me using public email. (WTF? - Grim...)

Please send anything to me at this email, rather than the one I use at work.
See you thursday,
Adam
xx

Any suggestions?

WH: Yeah, I'm the biggest hypocrite (sp?) in the world =]

I'm thinking

Adam,
"its illegal for them to stop me using public email"
Best you call the police then.

Eh? Where the hell did he get that from? Did I miss a new Lionel Hutz episode of The Simpsons?

He's making it up, like we all do when we're caught with our hands in the till and go on the attack.

"It's illegal BECAUSE I WANT IT TO BE. That's how it works."

I can just see it in Woman magazine.

His vast knowledge of law was what first attracted Fiona to Adam. The fact that he was married and clearly knew that adultery was wrong, made him all that more appealing. He was a rebel. His treatment of company policy and his wiley ways around it were such a turn on.

Hahahaha that's great WH!

Sul - In some ways, his public email address is nothing to do with us - it would be illegal for me to get his password ('killer7' - oh dear) and use it to shut his Yahoo! account (I think, it's a bit grey - it would be immoral and rude), but I can ITHammer his access all I want =]

News just in(box)!

Is there anything wrong with the internet?
Regards,
Adam Shake

Hahahahahahah!
I still haven't told him about his Yahoo! smack-down.

Oh I'm in no doubt he's talking bollocks. Its a bit shady (I couldnt say illegal for sure) for you to read the mails coming and going from that account too but preventing access is just plain crap.

Of course publishing his emails is another grey area of the law ;)

Nope, I'm pretty sure on that one:
a) I'm not publishing his emails, just what I saw him write on his screen
b) He's having an affair, so he's a bad man anyway
c) Anything he does on company time is the companies intellectual property =]

Quite how (c) changes anything, I'm not sure...

Or (b)...

Or (a), come to think of it.

Most people I know work at least 40 hours a week, opening hours for services here are a lot tighter then in the UK, I don't think it's reasonable for companies to expect that people conduct no personal business on company time.

exactly. well put, miki.

If as a company you impose this on employees in the way that I've seen described here people will rebel and sneak around the system etc.
I strongly believe that if you treat people like children they will behave like children.

yep. forced lack of responsibility leads to habitual irresponsibility. standard human behaviour.

Grim... hehe - That shouldve been what I. Blair said about the phone calls. "I'm not really sure if I've done anything wrong". Which wouldve been far more honest than saying "sorry... again". The only people who seem to be upset with his actions are the papers who, lets face it, have some pretty big balls to start throwing stones in that glass house.

Though this is another discussion entirely.

standard human behaviour.

Standard western behavior.
No wonder we're losing so much business to Asia =/

i've seen no difference in that aspect between western culture and any of the asian cultures

by the way, i assume from this, mr strict rules:

It's hardly being treated like a child - when you're at work, work.

, that you are employed specifically to post on iamcal.com. well done, mate!

Heh - I don't know about the western/asia argument as I've no knowledge regarding that but Grim...'s (admitted) hypocrisy does bring "Who's policing the police" to mind. Not that I want to pursue that avenue. Its just a nice cliche.

edit: oooh and fits in nice with my Ian Blair thing.

I know, I've just used the magic IT hammer to restrict his web access.

Abuse of geekness!

Hell yeah =]

Salt - I mentioned my own hypocrisy earlier =]

it's a bit late, but i too hate and loath stats out of thin air
so here is an example of fact :)

when small IT company was purchased by multinational accounting/finger in every other pie firm all cellphone calls that were not buisness related had to be paid for. This still continues today and at another accounting/finger in every other pie firm

What's wrong with having to pay for your own phone calls?

wow, i really rinsed my last company on the personal calls, glad i didnt have to pay for them. Plus i figured it was a good day if i acheived roughly 4 hours worth of work... although when your boss ducks out for long lunches or wedding dress fittings you tend to get a little de-motivated.

'Rinsed?'

Fine, I changed the '90%' bit, even though it was accurate :grumbles:

I dispute that it is accurate. Prove me worong. That's all I'm saying.

I want more juicy gossip re: fi and adam

Send Adam an email asking if "Fi" is short for in"Fi"delity.

Or better still send him a message saying that due to server and email mixup, emails from the last two weeks have just been forwarded to his home email address.

i thought "fi" was what she charged

Sul: You're worong =]
Anyway, you're disputing, you should be proving. What are you, the Tax office?

As for 'Fi' and Adam, no movement ATM - I have unblocked his Yahoo access so the saga can continue.

Be aware that I can only see her replies is I catch him checking his mail.

"worong" lolololololol didn't see that at ALL(OL)

grimothy, what software are you using to screenwatch, and is it coordinated with per-pc traffic monitoring?

Silent Cat. It's a bit slow, but it's alright. And no, our PC Traffic monitor is seperate.

I just want to know where you got your 90% from. If its an educated guess just say so. Dont hide behind, "I know its true, you prove me wrong". For me to do so would involve me tracking down an alternative stat. I agree with "most" but dont think its that high. Thats my educated guess.

i forget -- what assertion was the 90% attached to?

No personal email.
It was based on my last five jobs, at which one didn't have a 'no-email' policy, and then did (so that counted as .5).

Highly localised, I agree =]

Ive never worked anywhere that says no personal email.

I was going to do a poll of iamcallers but considering we're most busy during work hours I can guess we'd get a majorly bias stat out of it. :)

Hahaha - yeah =]