Home Forums Discussions General Discussion Advice from everyone on important question

I have a question, and I would like to see what everyone thinks. I am sure many of you have run into similar questions.

My staff knows that the computers belong to the office, and anything on them are fair game. Nonetheless, I don't go around checking them and snooping through files. I do have to go on their computers for a multitude of reasons due to being the doctor/IT.

They will leave icons on the desktop that will be called name_resume.docx, etc. I don't open them. I am not naive. In fact, I would expect every employee to always be looking at other jobs. This is a very good receptionist. She makes around $16.00 an hour, maybe less. Anyway, if she found a similar job, paying $22.00 an hour, good for her. Personally, though, I wouldn't leave the resume on the desktop. I would at least take it home. She has a computer there. Or burn it to a CD or leave it on a USB. Or, at least make a folder and call it temp folder or important papers. But, I respect the privacy and just go on about my business.

They generally log off their computers, but on this day, she forgot and it locked. I had to check Windows updates, and when I went on her computer, this time there wasn't just an icon. There was the open file, and at the top of the three page document, was a letter to a local medical office. The letter was your typical letter to Human Resources about her resume and immediate availability, including "Looking forward to meeting you." Now, that may just be something she wrote in there.

Now, I will straight out say that I do not in any way feel guilty for reading the letter. When someone leaves a Word document which is their resume and a letter applying for the job and possibly an interview, it is hard not to read. In fact, while I am not a speed reader, I could read 40% of the letter in less than five seconds.

The ironies is that I wanted to correct the spelling and grammatical errors and that her best reference would be I, which I would be glad to provide given the right way of her handling it, although I still would.

I read this at the same time that we are doing bonuses. Of course, this wouldn't change that. But, we also, due to Obamacare, are no longer offering insurance (which, in and of itself, is something most solo practitioners don't offer). But, my office manager and I were planning on giving those with the plan a pretty good sum of money to help them pay for their first month of insurance, which won't even be due until July of next year. It just stings more when you feel like you provide them with a pretty good job with good benefits (401K, insurance, etc.) and you are planning on doing other things, etc. while they are actively seeking other employment.

The other frustration, while minor when looking at the big picture, is that they are writing these letters on my computer, printing them on my printers, using my paper, stamps and envelopes. Again, maybe $1.50 in cost, but it is time they should be working. Of course, it is dated on my birthday, so I conveniently was not there.

While nothing will likely come of it, I can't help but wonder how stupid one can be than to leave a letter open on their computer.

Now, I have a few options all of which lead to only one correct one. Asking her about it will only lead to her telling me she has applied for a job and that she expects to get it or she doesn't. Or it may be that it is for some part time work. Of course, no matter what I stated above, she will likely be upset that I read it.

Which brings me to the only course of action I find available, which is to do nothing other than to realize, this probably happens more than I think and to be aware that a two-week notice may happen.

Of course, I want to point out that there are few other places that offer the same benefits and good working environment on top of being able to come to me and say I need tomorrow off, can I leave today at 3 pm, oh and by the way, I will be taking college classes starting in two months on Wednesday mornings. Yes, I am a pushover, and I guess they won't realize how much of one I am until they work for another employer.

Advice? Has this happened to others. My staff rarely, if ever, reads the ACUB. In fact, except for the two or three times I wanted them to read a thread that would help them, I don't think they would know how to find it. But, two things: One, I jumped in the phone booth and changed back to anony-mouse, and I may delete this thread after it has died down. Just giving a heads' up in case you plan on writing a novel and don't want it deleted.

Mouse, the way I see it, employees should not be utilizing office computers for any personal tasks, and it is very kind of you to feel that you owe them any degree of privacy. Set aside the fact that your receptionist is working on her resume while you're paying her, when staff place programs or files on your computers, or download images or other data, that puts your network at risk for viruses and other malware that may corrupt your system. I frequently tell my staff to remove any files or programs that they put on my computers. I allow a screensaver or wallpaper image that I evaluate before they use it. As far as how to specifically deal with her? I let my wife/office manager deal with those issues...

Office managers are so helpful. Everything you say makes good sense. It is a small thing, but I agree with using office time to make resumes, etc. is taking advantage of me. Hell, they may not even have Word at home and therefore not be able to make quite as good a resume.

Maybe when and if this all blows over, I can add to office policy that personal work should not be done on office time or computers. On the other hand, finding these little hints of their future plans may be helpful. Thanks.

I have had 2 employees who left for better jobs, and returned because although they were getting more per hour, the distance, the freedom and the job satisfaction were better at my office.

I noticed a long time ago. that most of my employees have their resumes on their computers. At first I became a bit upset, but then I had to look at the bigger picture. The newest of my employees has been with me for over 4 years, so although they are always looking for the next better thing, hopefully they realize how good they really have it.

It's always hard to hire, train and motivate new staff. Perhaps the office manager should question ALL the employees as to what they like and dislike about the office. Perhaps it's also something other than money. (It's always about that)!!! Perhaps, there are other tweaks that can improve employee satisfaction.

I agree that a policy should be set forth stating that personal work is not to be done on office computers or time (I'll have to put that on my list of things to do)

For the time being it should be easy enough just to send a message to "everyone" using Amazing Charts reminding people not to use office computers or equipment for personal use without your OK.

Thanks Wendell and Rando.

I think it is totally inappropriate that they were using your company computers for personal work. You pay for the computer, you pay for the subscription/ownership of Word, you pay the electricity, and you are paying their time. They are probably making a wage on you while they groom their resume to leave you. They are taking advantage of you. Our employee handbook clearly states that phones, copiers, computers, etc are company property and should never be used for personal reasons. Do you have such a policy? If not, I think you should make one and have your employees sign it. (This might also be a nice hint.) My employees are very kind about asking if they even need to copy a page for personal reasons, and I always let them. But, they understand where the line is.

If this happened at my office, I would not want to continue with an employee who is telling other companies she/he is immediately available for hire. This shows there is no loyalty to you or your office, and the employee is not invested in your company mission. Their desktop is no private space, and you should have no problem confronting them about what is on the desktop, which you run across in the normal function of your IT duties.

Chris - absolutely agree.

When I ran IT & Business Services for a sizeable private bank, I actually saw an employee come in his manager's office and complain that we had instituted an edge device that blocked several personal user websites. Turns out it was blocking access to his porn.

SMH. Some people only respond to action, rules mean nothing to them.

At both General Electric Global Nuclear Fuels and Corning Fiber Optics there were well known and well understood rules for using company computers.

You broke those rules at your own peril.

JamesNT

The nerve! ....
I have read that exposing teenagers to porn ruins their sex drive -- maybe it should be a general office policy that all employees must watch porn at breaks and during slow times. Then they might keep their hands off each other, and also cut eliminate personal calls and surreptitious Facebook time??

But that was General Electric Global Nuclear Fuels and Corning Fiber Optics. A far cry from a five-employee operation at Riverview Pediatrics.

Bert,

Company property is company property. As long as you have rules in writing as to what company property can and cannot be used for, you're golden. If you have no such rules, you need to get them on paper and have staff sign off on them. You don't have to be hard about it, you can just say that it's for the protection of company property in light of all the ransomware going around.

Once you catch someone updating their FB status, away they go.

JamesNT

Alright, that has me laughing out loud.

The things employers have to do rather than having folks who don't need near-constant supervision. That same company had folks who would pre-plan their sick days for when they knew they were going on a weekend bender in Vegas. After the military, seeing managers reduced to baby-sitters for 20 and 30 somethings was troubling.

I was mostly concerned about using the computer to type interview letters. Not so much resumes.

If anyone is interested, I have been using a program called Browse Control. It is the best program to block website addresses

You purchase licenses in bundles to put on a computer. I have five. Very inexpensive. You install a small hidden applet that can't be found by a user on any computer that could be abused. For instance, my five computers are reception, checkout, referrals, billing and triage. I don't need to block my computer or the two exam computers.

You have a console where all employees including yourself show up on the left side. You make an admin folder. You drag and drop (myself, my biller and my referral specialist -- they need full access -- and I am lucky enough that they don't abuse the Internet) to the admin folder. They are now excluded. You leave the others as is. When the schedule is on, which is 23 hours a day except lunch, they cannot get to any website.

You then add the sites you want them to get to. Like mainecare.com or ICD10.net. You only need to add the domain name, like ICD10 or medicare. If they go to any other site, it is blocked. Of course, over time, there will be sites they need and they ask for it. You simply add it to exceptions. It is flawless.

You can do it the other way around, in other words, enter the blocked ones, but then you have to keep blocking the ones they used wrongly that day. When you block all sites except the ones they needs, they can't go to ANY other site, like Facebook or a porn site or a download site.

You can block downloads, etc.

I also recently added a feature where every site they do go to is recorded. This isn't just looking through history. This is the site name, the exact time they went on, the exact time they went off, AND the time it was active and the time it was not.

Let's say one of your employees says she needs to look at some realtors because she is buying a new house. So you open her for that day. You tell her not to use Facebook. If you go into history and see Facebook (if she has not deleted it), you will see Facebook. On this program, say at 2 pm, she decided to check Facebook for 45 seconds. The program would record Facebook at 2:15 pm to 4:15 pm, but it may show active for 45 seconds. The other time maybe she opened a new tab and didn't even know it was on. Not saying she should have even been on it.

I have had this program for seven years. The other cool thing is support. Sai is the only support person I have ever dealt with. What I mean is when I call, I get him every time. He knows my network, my version, my stupidity. He fixes the problem nearly instantly. Best support I have ever had.

If anyone is interested in any more info, let me know. http://www.currentware.com. Maybe if we got enough people, we could get a discount. Good vendors like this, I give them the option of having an ACUB presence like with Dragon. I did that with Star Printer. I was hoping they would accept. I don't know why they didn't given it is advertised in AC. And, given it is the most difficult printer ever designed but also the best.

Been in c-level management for many different types of companies. Simple - your computers, infrastructure, and salaries. No personal internet or email during work, breaks/lunch are fine, should be in the personnel manuals. Have IT shut it down as you indicated above and hold people accountable. Side note, I never hunted for info but it is nice to learn of looming personnel issues when employees are looking. Loyalty goes both ways. I never let on that I know that someone is looking, but it is filed away. I will and have gone to the moon and back for an employee, and they know it, but if they are or have a habit of always looking - then I am looking to replace them with someone I have confidence in and someone I do not need to be concerned about. I want to avoid walking in one morning and have them quit that day since it tends to happen at the worst of times. They look, then I look. My 2 cents.