They Are Everywhere

[johan]

A friend of mine got accused of viewing porn at the office during work hours. It's the dumbest thing you could ever accuse anyone of where I work, because there is zero privacy in our workspaces. There are no cube walls to even block people's view.

 

He surfs sometimes to break up the day. Everyone does. Probably a picture of some sort came up inadvertently on his screen. An ad on a news site or something like that.

 

So some small-minded person went to HR and dropped the bomb on him. Now he's suspended and there's an investigation and he won't find out the outcome for days. The company is obligated to do this. To presume his guilt. The team loses his contribution. He loses a big piece of his paycheck.

 

Assuming he's cleared, he's not sure he even wants to come back. Clearly there is someone out to get him. And his reputation has taken a hit. These things are never truly confidential on the accuser's side. Only on the accusee's side. Whoever did it probably mulled it over or griped about it to someone else before making their big move.

 

So he's feeling shocked and hurt by the whole thing. And embarrassed. A bit sad I imagine. And probably angry, too. Someone took it upon themselves to threaten his livelihood with a spurious claim the company has to take seriously. Now resources have to be dedicated to the whole mess. Our manager has to go through the process and document whatever needs to be documented. It's a great waste of time and energy and there is absolutely nothing good about it.

 

The world is crawling around with vicious little lice like this. Waiting to nibble away and suck the blood of society. Selfish and mean-spirited. Looking to bring someone else down just because they've been granted the power to do so and the protection of confidentiality. Just because they can't handle life and have only the worst kind of social skills. I hate them for their weakness. These things have a way of coming around on you, and this person isn't going to escape the added burden that comes from failing once again to take the high road.

[tinktronik]

It sounds as if you know who the accuser is.

[johan]

It's probably a bad idea to assume. But there is one natural candidate. Someone who is a bit angry and has proven to be pretty spiteful in the past. I'm willing to give that person the benefit of the doubt though. I'd just like to know, because I can be very pointed and the guilt trip I could bring on would be painful.

Edited December 11, 2010 by johan

[florence of suburbia]

There is so much questionable humor in my workplace, thank goodness, because it makes for a much less boring day. But all of us have said something that is potentially offensive and reportable. We're just lucky no one around us has been offended so far.

[green_tea]

If it was an honest mistake, he shouldn't have a problem. I don't necessarily think it has to be someone who saw it on his screen. Most workplaces have a way of monitoring what people are looking at through logs etc.

[loverofloveandstuff]

I'm willing to give that person the benefit of the doubt though. I'd just like to know, because I can be very pointed and the guilt trip I could bring on would be painful.

 

From what you've written here, I can imagine.

 

People like this annoy the hell out of me. I don't understand why they even bother... it's none of their business and it's not affecting anybody else in the workplace. Also, I'm sure he's not the only one who has a peak at porn during work hours. Ahh well... sh*t happens.

[green_tea]

From what you've written here, I can imagine.

 

People like this annoy the hell out of me. I don't understand why they even bother... it's none of their business and it's not affecting anybody else in the workplace. Also, I'm sure he's not the only one who has a peak at porn during work hours. Ahh well... sh*t happens.

 

Are you joking? You think it's common to view porn at work? I don't think it is acceptable at all, and if the person in question was doing it knowingly then he should face the consequences.

[Art_Critic]

Throwing this out there...

Are you sure he didn't really do it ?

 

We had an employee that use to use peer to peer software to download porn and he was into kiddie porn..

 

We never saw him view it but he had it though.. most likely burned to a cd and taken home.

We put some privacy invading software on his computer and caught him viewing it..

Late at night.. nobody around...

 

One thing is for sure.. it is easy to just run upon porn on the internet by accident too..

But you won't find porn on sears.com.

 

The other day at work I googled for images on some keyword not related to porn or body parts/functions and boom.. what to you know.. some spread wide porn shot came up with a bunch of us in the room at work..

It does happen..

Maybe that is what happened..

 

The other thing too with P2P software is that if you are serving up files as a server people can upload to you sometimes without you knowing what is being uploaded..

Could be that too...

[loverofloveandstuff]

Are you joking? You think it's common to view porn at work? I don't think it is acceptable at all, and if the person in question was doing it knowingly then he should face the consequences.

 

I didn't think it was uncommon but maybe I'm wrong. I don't think it's much worse than surfing the web.

 

I was under the impression that a lot of guys look at porn at work instead of at home when their wife/partner is around.

[Star Gazer]

These things have a way of coming around on you, and this person isn't going to escape the added burden that comes from failing once again to take the high road.

 

This isn't really about a porn accusation, is it??

[johan]

If it was an honest mistake, he shouldn't have a problem. I don't necessarily think it has to be someone who saw it on his screen. Most workplaces have a way of monitoring what people are looking at through logs etc.

 

It was someone who saw it. There's no doubt about that.

 

Throwing this out there...

Are you sure he didn't really do it ?

 

I don't see why he would. I mean, first of all what would be the point? He can get all of that he wants at home. And he has a lot more class and social sensitivity than that. And third, we don't have offices. We don't even have cube walls. I mean, everyone around can see what you have on your screen. It would be the dumbest thing to do ever. There are grouchy women all over the place. And who needs to use the work network for stupid stuff like that? They have firewalls that block most questionable sites anyway.

 

He's a Brit, and he was visiting British news sites. They are a bit more risque than we are. But honestly, who could get wound soup about a single unrevealing picture like that? If that's what it was, it's hardly porn. So someone with a problem or someone especially hyper-sensitive and selfish went to management about it. And they are costing him a lot. His paycheck. His reputation. His peace of mind. It pisses me off.

[desertIslandCactus]

If there are other employees with your company who do personal online stuff and aren't rebuffed, then the company was too rigid with him.

 

The question is, does your employer mind if the employees do web surfing or personal on company time?

 

It would seem that if people take the initiative to do the web surfing on company time, then they would leave themselves open to false accusations of this nature - or in case something of porno nature does come up on the screen.

[johan]

This isn't really about a porn accusation, is it??

 

What do you mean?

 

And can't you stay out of trouble?

[Mary3]

Throwing this out there...

Are you sure he didn't really do it ?

 

We had an employee that use to use peer to peer software to download porn and he was into kiddie porn..

 

We never saw him view it but he had it though.. most likely burned to a cd and taken home.

We put some privacy invading software on his computer and caught him viewing it..

Late at night.. nobody around...

 

One thing is for sure.. it is easy to just run upon porn on the internet by accident too..

But you won't find porn on sears.com.

 

The other day at work I googled for images on some keyword not related to porn or body parts/functions and boom.. what to you know.. some spread wide porn shot came up with a bunch of us in the room at work..

It does happen..

Maybe that is what happened..

 

The other thing too with P2P software is that if you are serving up files as a server people can upload to you sometimes without you knowing what is being uploaded..

Could be that too...

 

Art, I was just getting ready to say Porn is not a problem ( it's not at home ) but not at work then I saw your post about the employee..with kid porn .

 

I hope they Burn him to the stake.

[SincereOnlineGuy]

A friend of mine got accused of viewing porn at the office during work hours. It's the dumbest thing you could ever accuse anyone of where I work, because there is zero privacy in our workspaces. There are no cube walls to even block people's view.

 

He surfs sometimes to break up the day. Everyone does. Probably a picture of some sort came up inadvertently on his screen. An ad on a news site or something like that.

 

So some small-minded person went to HR and dropped the bomb on him. Now he's suspended and there's an investigation and he won't find out the outcome for days. The company is obligated to do this. To presume his guilt. The team loses his contribution. He loses a big piece of his paycheck.

 

Assuming he's cleared, he's not sure he even wants to come back. Clearly there is someone out to get him. And his reputation has taken a hit. These things are never truly confidential on the accuser's side. Only on the accusee's side. Whoever did it probably mulled it over or griped about it to someone else before making their big move.

 

So he's feeling shocked and hurt by the whole thing. And embarrassed. A bit sad I imagine. And probably angry, too. Someone took it upon themselves to threaten his livelihood with a spurious claim the company has to take seriously. Now resources have to be dedicated to the whole mess. Our manager has to go through the process and document whatever needs to be documented. It's a great waste of time and energy and there is absolutely nothing good about it.

 

The world is crawling around with vicious little lice like this. Waiting to nibble away and suck the blood of society. Selfish and mean-spirited. Looking to bring someone else down just because they've been granted the power to do so and the protection of confidentiality. Just because they can't handle life and have only the worst kind of social skills. I hate them for their weakness. These things have a way of coming around on you, and this person isn't going to escape the added burden that comes from failing once again to take the high road.

 

 

Despite all of this writing, not even YOU will deny that your friend was viewing porn on company computer and time.

 

Then you go on to suggest that you don't even know that "your friend" was accused of looking at porn, but that you do, somehow, know who the accuser is.

 

The bottom line is clearly that "your friend" WAS indeed looking at porn on company time and equipment, and your implication is that he did so against company rules.

 

IF as you say, that this thing is confidential on the accusee's side, then there is only ONE way that you even know who the accusee is.

 

Curious bit of writing...

[Star Gazer]

What do you mean?

 

And can't you stay out of trouble?

 

I feel as though I've been scolded.

[johan]

Despite all of this writing, not even YOU will deny that your friend was viewing porn on company computer and time.

 

Then you go on to suggest that you don't even know that "your friend" was accused of looking at porn, but that you do, somehow, know who the accuser is.

 

The bottom line is clearly that "your friend" WAS indeed looking at porn on company time and equipment, and your implication is that he did so against company rules.

 

IF as you say, that this thing is confidential on the accusee's side, then there is only ONE way that you even know who the accusee is.

 

Curious bit of writing...

 

It's not me, Sherlock. I spent yesterday working quietly at my desk yesterday while he sat at home suspended. Waiting to hear his Fate later in the week. And I would bet my car that he wasn't viewing porn. He has more class than that. Even if he was a bit of a freak or a moron, it would still be surprising. A ludicrous activity in our open office environment. If you had no class at all, you'd still have to be almost pathological to 1) view it in our office, and 2) to enjoy it at all. People are so conservative and serious about their jobs it would be like asking to get fired.

 

I don't know how you arrive at your "bottom line", based on what I wrote. Maybe it's because whenever you get accused of doing something stupid, it tends to be true. Other people aren't like that. I don't think you even read my posts, or else you so quickly jumped to conclusions that you only got out of them what supported your broken deduction.

 

But his accuser didn't pull it out of thin air either. He probably hit a website that incidentally had a picture of a woman on it. There are European news sites like that. That's his guess. He says they will find his computer is clean otherwise. So it's still not compliant with company policy, but it's not "surfing porn at work" either.

 

I took another guy aside yesterday and warned him about it. He sometimes sends out (funny but) risky emails that would definitely be offensive. I didn't tell him any specifics but I told him he should be careful about that. Because there's someone making accusations and putting people's jobs at risk. He guessed the accuser was the same one my friend and I think it is.

 

I'm don't feel quite as pissed about it as I was on Friday. But it could all come back if they let him go. I saw the assumed accuser yesterday, and she looked kind of guilty. But she never looks all that happy, so it might have just been that. She started to say Hi to me at one point but then cut it off. Not sure what that was about.

[Taramere]

But his accuser didn't pull it out of thin air either. He probably hit a website that incidentally had a picture of a woman on it. There are European news sites like that. That's his guess. He says they will find his computer is clean otherwise. So it's still not compliant with company policy, but it's not "surfing porn at work" either.

 

If he's a Brit, he could have received an email with a link about the X Factor. The final was this weekend, and there was a big furore in the press about Christina Aguelera doing a performance that was deemed unsuitable for family viewing. If all this happened yesterday, it could have been that.

 

When I'm office based, I'm very restricted in what I can view on the Internet due to the filtering system they use. Sometimes it's ridiculous....eg if you try to click onto Facebook you're informed that you're attempting to access a criminal activity site. Another site I tried to access recently was a perfectly legit research - and I was barred on the grounds of "sexual activity on this site". If I really need to get on a particular site and it's barred by the nannyish filter system, I have to contact the IT dept to get access. Annoying when it's so restrictive, but at least it saves the kind of hassles you're describing in this scenario.

 

Doesn't address the problem of a colleague who's forever snooping around looking for reasons to stir up drama though. Some things it would be wrong to not report. A colleague downloading child porn is an example. Also I could understand one colleague reporting another for downloading violent misogynistic porn of the sort Max Hardcore used to produce before he got banged up. Regardless of how many times I read that it's totally normal for men to sit down and beat off to rape fantasy porn, I absolutely wouldn't want to be working late in an office on my own with a guy who I knew had been downloading stuff like that at work. I wouldn't blame anyone for reporting that.

 

However, that's not what you're talking about here. From the sound of things the guy may have had, on his screen, mildly sexy pictures of the type that often appear in tabloid newspapers? That does sound like totally unnecessary mischief-making on the part of the person who reported your colleague. As you say, with the tabloid press in the UK pics like that are very common. I haven't seen the Sun in years, but I'm pretty sure it would still have a topless girl on page 3...as, I think, do a couple of the other tabloids.

[Feelin Frisky]

In a gig doing CAD work for an industrial plumbing outfit, we had cubicles. I once stood up and looked over the wall of my neighbor's cube and saw a 12-inch tumbler glass emerging from a vagina on his computer monitor (in front of his shiny bald head). But just when I thought I saw it all, a great big fresh orange pushes its way out of the same vagina. I went OHHHHHH! I had to tell him I thought I saw everything with that glass coming out, but I never expected her to give birth to that orange too. Yeah, they're everywhere.

[Mary3]

In a gig doing CAD work for an industrial plumbing outfit, we had cubicles. I once stood up and looked over the wall of my neighbor's cube and saw a 12-inch tumbler glass emerging from a vagina on his computer monitor (in front of his shiny bald head). But just when I thought I saw it all, a great big fresh orange pushes its way out of the same vagina. I went OHHHHHH! I had to tell him I thought I saw everything with that glass coming out, but I never expected her to give birth to that orange too. Yeah, they're everywhere.

 

If she's got oranges and tumbler glasses coming out of her vageeene I would imagine something more normal like a ____ can't stay in there ?

 

Okay back to the subject : Lots of websites seem innocent but pretty soon there are windows popping up of sex related stuff.

 

Unless this guy was on bighotbabe ( made up name ) or a real porn site, it is easy to click on anything on Google and some sex site could come up...Really...

[johan]

However, that's not what you're talking about here. From the sound of things the guy may have had, on his screen, mildly sexy pictures of the type that often appear in tabloid newspapers? That does sound like totally unnecessary mischief-making on the part of the person who reported your colleague. As you say, with the tabloid press in the UK pics like that are very common. I haven't seen the Sun in years, but I'm pretty sure it would still have a topless girl on page 3...as, I think, do a couple of the other tabloids.

 

That's how he described it. A tabloid site. That was the worst thing he could think of that he'd accessed.

 

When you call it "mischief-making" I think of playful little things someone does to stir people up. A little bad but sort generally harmless. In this case my friend is losing days of salary and possibly his job altogether. Not to mention he's feeling a bit down and embarrassed by the whole thing. That doesn't fit my definition of mischief. Malicious and evil are the terms that come to mind.

 

I just feel disgusted by it. If he had really been hitting porn sites, I wouldn't think so much about it. I'd probably be annoyed at him. I recommended him as an employee. But this is essentially slander, and she can get away with it because she has all the leverage in the world. The poor harassed girl who might sue if she doesn't get her meaningless accusation treated seriously.

 

I'll be checking the company policies to find out whether I'm required to have respect for her. I'm pretty sure I'm not. The last thing I need is to be turned in to HR.

[allina]

Can't HR just trace back his history? This would either prove or disprove his story. IT should easily be able to tell if he was looking at porn sites or if this was some pop us issue that he didn't intend on. I have actually had this happen at work. I was looking at celebrity hairstyles (:laugh:) and I got a porn pop up thing. I quickly told IT, they checked my computer for any cookies/viruses and that was it.

[johan]

That's what they are doing. They confiscated his laptop and walked him out the door. They are in the process of scanning it and checking the history. In the meantime he's sitting home with no paycheck for three days. Maybe if they are feeling equitable, they will pay him for those days. Even though he's a contractor. It seems fair.

 

If they clear him, that is. Even hitting British tabloid sites or celebrity hair style sites is technically against policy. If they enforce it like that, it will be more because they don't care about him or prefer to get rid of him.

 

In my opinion he's been attacked. He's the one who will feel uncomfortable and insecure around the office. The idiot who made the complaint can walk around the place like she owns it.

 

I guess it's a learning experience. Unfortunately she's not learning anything except she can use the system to screw up people's lives.

[florence of suburbia]

I completely understand where johan is coming from and how he could predict the identity of the accuser. When you've worked in a place long enough, day after day, you start to get a feel for the quirks and foibles of the people around you.

 

At any office, I'm sure people could match the name to the inappropriate behavior:

 

Was it George, Biff, Penelope or Candy who...

 

A. Came in late and left early every day for the last month

B. Used foul language and made joking threats of physical violence

C. Gossiped about other employees constantly behind their backs

D. Insisted on taking every correction and recommendation as a personal insult

 

I'm sure you all know who the culprits are at your offices.

[SincereOnlineGuy]

These things are never truly confidential on the accuser's side. Only on the accusee's side.

 

 

Dude, we all read your post as plain as day. It is permanently etched in stone here.

 

According to your post, penned by you:

 

nobody knows who the accusee is, yet you claim it is "your friend".

 

 

and everyone knows who the accuser is (yet you neglect to even reference him/her)

 

 

So, maybe it is the meaning of the word "confidential" which is over your head.

 

Otherwise, if nobody else but you knows who the accusee is, then there is only one rational conclusion.

 

In short: STOP looking at porn on your company's time and equipment if it is against their rules.