An individual typing on his computer, his face staring intently at the monitor, is the image that best captures the hardworking employee of the 21st century.
Most of us don’t earn a living by pushing a broom, welding a piece of metal or wielding a hammer, but by pecking away at a keyboard.
But appearances can be deceiving; is your coworker in the cubicle next to you entering work data on his computer or sending an Instant Message to the cute temp in Accounts Receivable?
At work I may be busy typing , and most people would think that I’m an excellent employee, but am I really writing another essay for mensnewsdaily.com?
God bless computers, as long as your supervisor isn’t standing over your shoulder and your company hasn’t installed software that tracks your every keystroke, you can gamble, shop or surf porn Web sites, and still appear to be a model employee.
From the Associated Press (AP) :
“An administrative judge has denied unemployment benefits to a woman who was fired from her job for keeping a journal detailing her efforts to avoid work.”
Avoiding work is an all-American pastime, who doesn’t stretch his break, gossip at the water cooler, play Spider Solitaire online or spend 20 minutes “powdering his/her nose.”?
But only a fool would keep a journal of all the ways that he avoids work on his work computer.
According to the AP, Emmalee Bauer, 25, wrote on her online journal:”This typing thing seems to be doing the trick,” she wrote. “It just looks like I am hard at work on something very important.”
Bauer also wrote: “I am only here for the money and, lately, for the printer access. I haven’t really accomplished anything in a long while … and I am still getting paid more than I ever have at a job before, with less to do than I have ever had before. It’s actually quite nice when I think of it that way. I can shop online, play games and read message boards and still get paid for it.”
When her journal was discovered by her employer, she was of course fired. Ms Bauer had the audacity to apply for unemployment benefits.
The moral of this story is: Fool around, but be discreet. It’s OK to look up images of Britney Spear’s vagina on your work computer – just try not to smile too wide or you will give yourself away.
