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Slashdot Asks: Should an Employee Be Fired For Working On Personal Side Projects During Office Hours? (quora.com)

Posted by msmash on from the let's-get-this-going dept.

An anonymous reader writes: I found this article that talks about whether an engineer should be fired if s/he is working on a side project. Several people who have commented in the thread say that the employer should first talk to the person and understand why they are working on personal projects during the office hours. One reason, as many suggested, could be that the employee might not have been fairly compensated despite being exceptionally good at the job. In which case, the problem resides somewhere in the management who has failed to live up to the expectations. What do you folks think? Let's not just focus on engineers, per se. It could be an IT guy (who might have a lot of free time in hand), or a programmer.

11 of 405 comments (clear)

  1. You were hired to work for THEM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not for yourself. You want to work on your projects, do it on your time. Why is this complicated? It's not.

    1. Re: You were hired to work for THEM by saloomy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Employer here. If my employees tell me in advance (and a few of them have), that they need to respond to a personal project when coding for me if there is a critical issue when on the clock, then I have no problem with it, provided they "clock out" during that time, and it doesn't severely impact the work they provide me, and my requirements are not urgent (like a pressing bug). I think having open and honest conversation is the best way for me and personally I think it helps me retain ambitious and entrepreneurial talent, but I'm a small time employer, and I imagine large HR departments can be PITAs and unaccomodating.

    2. Re:You were hired to work for THEM by networkBoy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      /topic

      It is *that* straightforward.

      Add to that, if they're paying for your time while you're developing something, then there is legal precedent that they actually *own* what you developed.

      --
      whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
    3. Re: You were hired to work for THEM by networkBoy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      you are a *rare* employer.
      My hat's off to you for being transparent on your expectations. I hope your business flourishes.

      --
      whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
    4. Re:You were hired to work for THEM by fluffernutter · · Score: 3, Insightful

      HR will just tell you what is best for the company, not what your rights actually are.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  2. OMG by QuietLagoon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...One reason, as many suggested, could be that the employee might not have been fairly compensated despite being exceptionally good at the job. In which case, the problem resides somewhere in the management who has failed to live up to the expectations. ...

    What sort of clap-trap is this excuse. If an employee tries to use it, I'd consider it more evidence that the employee should be fired.

    .
    Bottom line: if you don't like the management of the company, then leave. If you are doing side work on the job, that is the equivalent of goofing off.

    Quit your whining and get back to working the job you are being paid for.

  3. Re:2-3 hours a day! by orgelspieler · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Oh please. I'd be surprised if my salaried employees didn't "steal" 2 hours a day; BSing with co-workers, checking the news, running an errand on the way back from lunch. They more than make up for it with after-hour calls, weekend site visits, etc. The hourly guys is a slightly different story, but as long as their 15 minute scheduled breaks don't turn into half an hour or so, that's fine. It's not like I pay them enough to actually give a shit whether they "steal" 20 minutes here or there. Maybe if my company didn't hand out 2.5% raises every two years, all the while jacking up insurance premiums, we might all pull a little more weight.

    Honestly, the the only "time thieves" I have a problem with are the smokers. (And that one guy who would go fishing down the road, and claim to be doing his safety audits; fuck that guy.)

  4. Re:2-3 hours a day! by drakaan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I agree with pretty much all of that. As an ex-smoker of around 5 years, I'll say that while taking a smoke break meant I wasn't working, it was not without it's benefits to my work process. Stopping for a smoke was something that often let me go from a tangle of competing thoughts to a solution. It also often led to conversations about work that might otherwise not have happened and that helped move things forward on projects.

    I'm not saying that there aren't alternative ways for similar interactions to happen, but there aren't many other generally-accepted ways to say "I'm going to stop working for 5 minutes and let my thoughts settle or mingle with some folks".

    --
    "Murphy was an optimist" - O'Toole's commentary on Murphy's Law
  5. Quit your whining and get back to working the job by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ... says the guy posting on a forum during work hours.

  6. Re:Well, sadly, probably.... by HornWumpus · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Easier than that.

    Just say: 'I'll have my attorney look it over and get back to you', then never get back to them.

    Five years later, during your exit interview, someone will say: 'Oh, you never signed your employment agreement, can you sign that now?' To which you say: 'I'll have my attorney look it over and get back to you', then never get back to them.

    HR is universally INCOMPETENT. Use it.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  7. Re:2-3 hours a day! by SuricouRaven · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If your employees aren't allowed to steal some time at work, they'll burn out after a few months.