Changes at work

[Ostinato Rubato]

So I've had to implement internet and cell phone policies recently and shits been getting real around here. We've been a relatively small company for years and have in the last year gone through a HUGE growth. We are now a much larger company so our years of super relaxed policies just aren't working. There's only been a mild level of backlash to these changes but mostly because I've been the poster boy for the new policies and I'm the most respected authority in the office with the exception of the big boss. But that said, there are some people who better quickly adjust their outward dissatisfaction with the new policies or they are going to be looking for a new job.

Meanwhile, the new policies don't apply to me.

[GuitarBilly]

Yeah it's unfortunate, but it wouldn't be necessary if people didn't abuse their freedom.

[nightflameauto]

Newblet. You obviously haven't grown fast enough. You need an IT director sitting over you overthrowing policies handed down from HR every time someone says, "but, that doesn't apply to me, right?" then not telling you so that you get in trouble when you see the hole in the firewall and go, "WTF? Didn't I close that?" Policies are policies only when we want them to be. And when we want them to be changes based on the weather, the perfume the girl in the back cube is wearing that day, and whether or not the boss remembered to shave his head before he came in that morning.

What I wouldn't give for a tiny little bit of organization and communication. Fuck, overthrow policy, just tell me you did it.

And get off my fucking lawn.

[sleewell]

i find it odd and disturbing that people don't respect someone who implements policies they dont have to personally abide by

[Pepi]

Man! I went through this shit around 3 years ago. Got very ugly due to our company has union workers.

[Harvest]

It's good to be king I guess. One of my clients tried going from a blacklist policy to a whitelist policy about a year ago with little to no research done first as to what needed to be whitelisted. Yeah, they blocked about half the vendor sites that the company needs to use every day

[Ostinato Rubato]

i find it odd and disturbing that people don't respect someone who implements policies they dont have to personally abide by

I'm not the only one who these policies don't apply to. It's duties dependent. If you are on call 24/7 to the boss and his business partners you get to keep your phone at your desk. If your position requires searching google for information and a broader use of the internet then you have unrestricted access. Everyone else can either leave their phone in their cars and use them on their breaks, or use any of the websites that were on our "approved for work use" list.

But honestly, none of that would matter... and it shouldn't really. The terms of one person's employment have nothing to do with anyone else. I've told staff in the past, "Life is unfair. We all know this, nobody will deny it. If you find yourself feeling that work is unfair, at least your getting paid for work being unfair." Despite sounding like a dick with that quote, I have a lot of loyalty from the staff and fortunately there's only been a couple of grumbling attitudes I've had to correct. Management is a lot like raising kids. Like Billy said, it's unfortunate that people abuse things. At home when the kids abuse their privileges they lose them. And while you're living under my roof you will follow my rules.

[Harvest]

Management and especially project management = adult babysitting

[nightflameauto]

Mike, be careful who you piss off with policy implementation. Just saying, as much as you'd like to think some other folks will be out of work if they complain, that's not really the way in works in corporations. IT folks are hot-swapable in upper management's mind. And yes, I use that in the singular sense, since they act like the share one between them all.

[Ostinato Rubato]

Mike, be careful who you piss off with policy implementation. Just saying, as much as you'd like to think some other folks will be out of work if they complain, that's not really the way in works in corporations. IT folks are hot-swapable in upper management's mind. And yes, I use that in the singular sense, since they act like the share one between them all.

I appreciate it Night. We're a medium sized company, like 100 employees or so, owned by one man. So fortunately a LOT of the bullshit that comes with corps doesn't happen here. And at the end of the day I'm the one who decides (with boss approval) who we keep on board. Fortunately I've run things well enough to where I haven't had to fire anyone for almost a year. With this phone-internet issue I don't anticipate any serious reprimanding. Just a couple rough adjustments.

[GuitarBilly]

i find it odd and disturbing that people don't respect someone who implements policies they dont have to personally abide by

I'm not the only one who these policies don't apply to. It's duties dependent. If you are on call 24/7 to the boss and his business partners you get to keep your phone at your desk. If your position requires searching google for information and a broader use of the internet then you have unrestricted access. Everyone else can either leave their phone in their cars and use them on their breaks, or use any of the websites that were on our "approved for work use" list.

But honestly, none of that would matter... and it shouldn't really. The terms of one person's employment have nothing to do with anyone else. I've told staff in the past, "Life is unfair. We all know this, nobody will deny it. If you find yourself feeling that work is unfair, at least your getting paid for work being unfair." Despite sounding like a dick with that quote, I have a lot of loyalty from the staff and fortunately there's only been a couple of grumbling attitudes I've had to correct. Management is a lot like raising kids. Like Billy said, it's unfortunate that people abuse things. At home when the kids abuse their privileges they lose them. And while you're living under my roof you will follow my rules.

That's a dangerous policy to implement. All it takes is one semi-serious family emergency situation where the employee couldn't be reached on his/her phone for the lawsuits threats to start.

I don't know if I would be able to work in a place like that because I really need a phone on me, being a single parent etc..

[Yarbicus]

That's a dangerous policy to implement. All it takes is one semi-serious family emergency situation where the employee couldn't be reached on his/her phone for the lawsuits threats to start.

I don't know if I would be able to work in a place like that because I really need a phone on me, being a single parent etc..

This. I actually had a manager tell me, "I'm going to need some kind of proof" as I ran out the door to get to my son before the ambulance left for the hospital (he was vomiting blood). Fuck that.

[ShaneV]

Also seems like a bunch cell phone thefts are in the future when someone unsavory finds out a bunch of them are unattended in the parking lot

[Steveijobzz]

I've always felt, as both a peon and a supervisor, that if people are dicking away their time on cell phones at work, you're not giving them enough work to do.

[ovid9]

I've always felt, as both a peon and a supervisor, that if people are dicking away their time on cell phones at work, you're not giving them enough work to do.

I'd like to believe this is true, but I'm amazed at the techs who have 15 hours worth of work to do in a day lined up can still find time to text all damn day and then bitch when some of their work gets given to others.

People are stupid, that's all I can figure.

[Casey4s]

How did everyone make it through a workday before we all had cell phones? If your family has an emergency they can surely contact you through your landline work phone can't they?

[Steveijobzz]

I've always felt, as both a peon and a supervisor, that if people are dicking away their time on cell phones at work, you're not giving them enough work to do.

I'd like to believe this is true, but I'm amazed at the techs who have 15 hours worth of work to do in a day lined up can still find time to text all damn day and then bitch when some of their work gets given to others.

People are stupid, that's all I can figure.

He said they all respect management for the most part so I'm assuming they're not all total tools.

But trust me, I've been there too.

[spawnofthesith]

I'd prefer having enough shit to do at work so that I can't be on my phone, but I do end up with lots of down time and shits been particularly slow as of late :Idk:

[GuitarBilly]

How did everyone make it through a workday before we all had cell phones? If your family has an emergency they can surely contact you through your landline work phone can't they?

well, there was also a point in time where people made it through their work day without any phones at all. Or electricity. But that is irrelevant for the way things are today. Cell phones are a life line to a lot of people today. That's just the way things are in 2013. Whatever happened in the 50's -90's is not really relevant.

The work landline would be a valid option if companies didn't have an "all calls may be monitored/recorded" policy. Since pretty much all companies do have that type of policy, they can't demand employees to give their landlines for personal emergency calls, because these are calls the employee might not want the company to monitor or record. I don't necessarily want my boss to know everything that happens to my son or fiancee, yet I need a way to be reached if something happens.

[Sasquatch]

this thread reminds me of how i hate work

[nightflameauto]

On the flip side of this policy thing, we got a new person that INSISTS she be able to watch the live cam at her child's daycare from the moment she gets to work until the moment she goes home, and it appears the boss is going along with it. I asked her, "what if something happens in the time you're driving to or from," as a joke and she looked at me like her head was gonna explode. I honestly think if you're that insecure about your daycare you should probably either look elsewhere, or figure out a way to be stay-at-home. Something there just isn't right.

[sleewell]

this thread reminds me how much i love my job. my boss and I send each other hilarious youtube vids and pics all day yet we somehow make the company tons of money and hit our numbers each quarter. policies like these in my mind would de-motivate more than bring productivity up.

[PurpleTrails]

How did everyone make it through a workday before we all had cell phones? If your family has an emergency they can surely contact you through your landline work phone can't they?

My work has the opposite policy: they don't want us taking or making calls on the office lines. They don't want to have it clogged up with people doing personal business, nor to incur possible charges on outgoing calls.

[Schweezly]

this thread reminds me how much i love my job. my boss and I send each other hilarious youtube vids and pics all day yet we somehow make the company tons of money and hit our numbers each quarter. policies like these in my mind would de-motivate more than bring productivity up.

Yep +1

If I got in trouble for having my phone out at work, I probably wouldn't be working here anymore. Or they better pay me a hell of a lot of money. I can understand why companies do it...but it just rubs me the wrong way.

[ovid9]

He said they all respect management for the most part so I'm assuming they're not all total tools.

But trust me, I've been there too.

Troof.