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.

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