Do not look for another job

An employee will be more attractive to employers when the employee is already employed but that does not mean that the employee should be looking for a new job while at work. This could easily get you fired. You are on your employers time and I know that if I caught an employee searching for another job while at work, that would give me the impression that the employee does not want to stay so I would grant them their wish and let them go. So if you want to look for another job, just do it on your own time at home.

http://www.thirdage.com/your-career/looking-for-a-job-while-on-the-job

Have you ever searched for another job while at work? 

Do not gamble

This should be obvious but people still do it. Gambling can be fun but it must be done responsibly. There is a time and a place for it and work definitely is not the place for it. There are many gambling websites out there and with the popularity of Texas Hold ‘em Poker, one may be more tempted than ever. I know I enjoy playing Texas Hold ‘em but I know better than to play at work because I know if I ever get caught, that will definitely get me fired.

http://onlinecasinosuite.com/casino-blog/baltimore-employees-caught-gambling-at-work/5007/

 

Nice Hand! I'm all in!

Do not shop online

How many times have you been tempted to shop online when you are at work? I know I have but if you want to keep your job, you must stop yourself from doing so.

In the USA, there is a day called Cyber Monday which was created for consumers to shop online and although we don’t have this day to tempt us to shop online while we are at work, we still have Christmas, birthdays and other big online sales events. Is this temptation to do a little bit of shopping that can save you some time and/or money really worth risk of losing your job? I think not.

http://jobsearch.about.com/b/2011/11/28/holiday-shopping-at-work.htm

Do not play online games

Playing online games is always a fun way of passing time but how would you feel if one of your employees were passing time by playing video games? Obviously you would be upset and want to fire this individual. There are many online video game sites out there and it will be very tempting to visit these sites to pass time but if you want to keep your job, then don’t. Not only online games will get you fired, you better think twice when playing fantasy sports at work as well.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10416476-71.html

Have you ever played online games at work?

Do not stream videos

Streaming videos use a significant amount of network resources. You definitely do not want to be caught using valuable company bandwidth to watch videos at work. Most sites are blocked such as YouTube but employers can only block the websites they know about. There are many sites that provide streaming videos of movies and television shows but no matter how quickly you finish your work and no matter how much free time you have, you must not let your boredom convince you to watch some videos. You are at work and you are not being paid to watch television shows/movies and videos. Also, streaming the radio will get you into just as much trouble so just stay away from them both.

http://jobsearch.about.com/u/sty/firedtermination/getting-fired-stories/Fired-for-Personal-Internet-Usage.htm

What is your favourite streaming video site?

Minimize personal internet usage

If your employer has not blocked the internet and you are bored and want to use the internet, you must keep your internet usage at the very minimum. Companies can keep track of your internet usage and if they see that you are using it more for your personal use then work use, they are going to show you the door. Remember that you are being paid on their time so a little bit of personal internet use probably won’t hurt but you have to use your discretion as to when you have overused the internet for your own personal use. In my next few posts, I will mention a few activities you may be tempted to use the internet for but shouldn’t.

Do not send, download, or exhibit pornography, sexually explicit jokes, or inappropriate screensavers

You might think this is harmless and just for jokes between yourself and your coworkers but if someone else sees the joke or screensaver and gets offended, you are definitely going to be in deep waters and will probably get fired. Anything that poisons the work environment is a pretty serious offense. The work environment should be professional.

http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2008/03/11/5-ways-your-computer-use-can-get-you-fired

Do not download

This is something that should be fairly obvious but some people still do it. Obvious things you should not download are copyrighted materials such as movies and music. When you download, you are using valuable bandwidth so if you are using theses resources for your own personal use, and you are caught doing so, you will be fired for sure. But what if you want to download an application that you need to use? The best thing to do is call your I.T. help desk to inquire about the procedures on what would be the right way to get this application installed if possible. Do not simply download and install as some software can conflict with other software that is already installed on your computer.

Be careful of what you post on Social Networking sites or Public Blogs

You have to be careful what you post on these sites as employers do go on these sites and view/read what you say. If you post something insulting your manager or your place of employment and it is seen by the employer, there is a good chance that you will get fired. Also, if you call in sick one day and then go out partying and post pictures of that day, if your manager sees those pictures and remembers that you called in sick that day, that will probably get you fired as well. What you post and the images you post can also determine whether you get a job or not as well so you have to be extra careful when using Social Networking sites or Public Blogs.

Please note that you need a Facebook account and must be logged in to view the contents in the below link.

www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=41821456494

Email usage

Your company's email system is supposed to be used for business purposes only. You should not be giving out your work email address to your friends and family but if you do, keep your personal emails to the bare minimum. But why would you want to use your work email anyway when you have web-based email applications like Hotmail and Gmail to use for your personal emails? Even with these web-based email applications, you should still keep your personal email usage to the very minimum.

The below are a few points on the topic of email usage at work.

• Ask your manager if you are unclear on what is appropriate if you are not sure
• Be careful of junk mail that may contain URL links or attachments. These could easily be viruses that can wreak havoc on your computer or network or even worse, steal confidential information. You should even be careful if the email appears to be coming from someone you know
• Delete junk mail and make sure your trash/deleted folders are emptied as well
• If someone internally sends you an email that is questionable or offensive, delete it without responding. If this is not the first time you received this type of email, you should talk to your manager or HR department
• DO NOT send e-mail that could be considered offensive, angry, derogatory or insulting to someone else either inside the company or outside the company

http://www.itstime.com/nov2005.htm

Have you ever gotten a virus from an email?

Abide by your Employer’s Code of Conduct

It is important that you know your company’s policies on Email and Internet use, especially since you will be required to sign a document stating that you have read and understood them. I am sure many of you have seen these documents and briefly read through them and signed the document but it is important that you understand their policies so you don’t find yourself in a situation where you could be terminated. It will not be possible to say that you didn’t know. Over my next few blogs, I will be talking about how to avoid getting fired over internet use.

Have you or do you know anyone that has been fired due to internet misuse?