Probably not the right category, but perhaps some of you can add some input from experience, particularly supervisors. The possession of p*rnography is forbidden at work inasmuch as the old printed type of material or looking at it while on a work computer at any time. One employee is secretly looking at stuff on his personal i-phone throughout the day. He is also going to Facebook sites and commenting or "liking" nasty things which in turn shows up on the news feed of other employees he is friends with on FB. He maintains that he is only doing it during his lunch time or on scheduled break times. This of course is not accurate as it gives a time stamp on FB. Hypothetically speaking, if what he says is true pertaining to the time (which it isn't) is this "his time" or company time? I see this as sort of in the same category that an employee should not be drinking or doing drugs on "his time" during the work day at breaks or lunch. Thoughts?
As a supervisor, I know that dismissal is easier said than done depending on company culture. But I'll just confirm what you already know: you have a bum on your hands.
One employee is secretly looking at stuff on his personal i-phone throughout the day. Lazy.
He is also going to Facebook sites and commenting or "liking" nasty things which in turn shows up on the news feed of other employees he is friends with on FB. Exhibits poor judgment. Inconsiderate.
He maintains that he is only doing it during his lunch time or on scheduled break times. This of course is not accurate as it gives a time stamp on FB. Dishonest.
Hypothetically speaking, if what he says is true pertaining to the time (which it isn't) is this "his time" or company time? Actions that reflect poorly on the company that occur within the range of business hours (8-5?) are cause for dismissal.
I see this as sort of in the same category that an employee should not be drinking or doing drugs on "his time" during the work day at breaks or lunch. Thoughts? Having a glass of wine during a lunch date with your wife on an office day may not exhibit bad judgment. But grabbing a beer during a half hour break while monitoring pile driving would. Your guy would not stand a chance at knowing the difference. Boot him before he causes you any more public harm!
You shouldn't be posting about a confidential personnel matter here.
You should be talking to your HR about this.
Porn on personal devices is an issue at Fire Stations and it is against written policy. Hopefully you have a policy prohibiting it.
My 0.04
J. Penry, post: 340239, member: 321 wrote: secretly looking at stuff on his personal i-phone throughout the day.
Anything that routinely takes an employee significantly away from the work they should be doing, such that it reduces crew efficiency or results in less than the claimed hours of actual work, warrants a warning and repeat occurrences a dismissal. Checking in occasionally and briefly with family, setting up Dr appointments, etc. should be tolerated unless it takes serious time, in which case the time should be made up.
J. Penry, post: 340239, member: 321 wrote: He is also going to Facebook sites and commenting or "liking" nasty things which in turn shows up on the news feed of other employees he is friends with on FB.
If the other employees don't like what he posts, they can "unfriend" him.
J. Penry, post: 340239, member: 321 wrote: Hypothetically speaking, if what he says is true pertaining to the time (which it isn't) is this "his time" or company time?
If the time stamps say it was when he should be working, then see the first point.
I think lunch and official breaks are his time.
If at any time what he is doing publicly reflects badly on the employer, then you have grounds. Some may argue that the employer can require their employees to maintain a good image on their own time. I don't agree unless it ties back to the company.
Drinking and drugs, of course, relate to safety. They may also cause reduced work performance, but if he can go on a bender at night or otherwise disgrace himself and still be alert to do the job efficiently and safely in the morning then that isn't a matter for the employer.
Official rules may not agree with my opinions, of course.
Over the years I've had several co-workers and employees that thought of our wonderful digital devices as their personal peep-show. It can get to be a problem. It's never happened but I've always feared some van load of uniforms with warrants carrying off my computers...with Channel 6 news crews rolling for the 10PM news.
I have relieved one employee of his company phone for personal overuse. And I watch the 'field crew' computer in the print room like a hawk because of the almost half a terabyte of "pink pictures" we found there a little over a year ago. That employee AND the pictures were gleefully deleted. At least one prospective new employer did contact me for a reference. I explained why the employee was sent packing. I have no idea if they hired him or not.
I explain to my employees that I am not their mommy. Their personal habits are exactly that. But if they bring their bad habits to work with them it becomes my liability. And I cannot tolerate that. Fill up your wife's hard drive with your peep-show crap, not mine...
Dave Karoly, post: 340245, member: 94 wrote: Porn on personal devices is an issue at Fire Stations and it is against written policy.
All those guys living together for days at a time and you take away their "marital aids"? That's harsh.
P.S. Another consideration is whether or not the device is using the company's WiFi, rather than the employee's data plan.
They are on the clock 24 hours times 3 days. A Firefighters FLSA workweek is 53 hours so they have 19 hours of planned overtime every week. If they are sent out of town to a fire they are on the clock portal to portal which is why we have quarter million dollar fire captains. Granted they give up a lot to get that...21 days away from home, no days off, doubling up in hotel rooms, working at all hours, and no beer or porn videos allowed while on the clock.
I think you can regulate what people view while on the clock or on the employers premises. If they are in their own vehicle at lunchtime, off the clock, then that is their own time.
It comes up in supervisor training because every young firefighter has a smart phone and obviously it's an issue that's come up. I don't have to deal with it because I'm not a fire captain.
Unless his work products are exceptional, I'd let him go. I'm beginning to wonder if surveying attracts porn addicts as I've witnessed something similar in three offices in two different states. It wasn't the porn that led to their dismissal but rather the deceit. If the employee won't be honest about his porn addiction will he be honest when he makes a mistake on a boundary survey?
Butt, on the other hand, I did rather enjoy this when a coworker shared it with me yesterday on his smartphone. I'm not sure what I did to spur his memory that he had this stored on his phone.
[MEDIA=youtube]1OBAP_VMJGE[/MEDIA]
In general, I think it's a bad idea to friend coworkers and business contacts on social media sites; I'm not sure if this generation of people who have grown up with all this technology understand why that would be the case.
Okay, I admit it, I peep at SurveyorConnect while working. I just can't help it!
I'm just going to go ahead and treat that as NSW.
LOL.
Bill93, post: 340252, member: 87 wrote: My 0.04
Anything that routinely takes an employee significantly away from the work they should be doing, such that it reduces crew efficiency or results in less than the claimed hours of actual work, warrants a warning and repeat occurrences a dismissal. Checking in occasionally and briefly with family, setting up Dr appointments, etc. should be tolerated unless it takes serious time, in which case the time should be made up.
If the other employees don't like what he posts, they can "unfriend" him.
If the time stamps say it was when he should be working, then see the first point.
I think lunch and official breaks are his time.
If at any time what he is doing publicly reflects badly on the employer, then you have grounds. Some may argue that the employer can require their employees to maintain a good image on their own time. I don't agree unless it ties back to the company.
Drinking and drugs, of course, relate to safety. They may also cause reduced work performance, but if he can go on a bender at night or otherwise disgrace himself and still be alert to do the job efficiently and safely in the morning then that isn't a matter for the employer.
Official rules may not agree with my opinions, of course.
Official breaks are still the employers time. Lunch is the employees time, but if lunch is in the field in or near a company truck the company has the right to expect behavior that does not adversely effect the companies reputation.
The porn issue should be addressed if it is effecting crew preformance, offending co-workers, or if there is any way to associate it with the company.
Federal labor law would prohibit requiring the time to be made up. All time whithin a work day, except one lunch break of at least 30 minutes, must be compensated for.