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Australian Man Uses Snack Bags As Faraday Cage To Block Tracking By Employer (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: A 60-year-old electrician in Perth, Western Australia had his termination upheld by a labor grievance commission when it was determined he had been abusing his position and technical knowledge to squeeze in some recreation during working hours. Tom Colella used mylar snack bags to block GPS tracking via his employer-assigned personal digital assistant to go out to play a round of golf -- more than 140 times -- while he reported he was offsite performing repairs.
In his finding against Colella, Australia Fair Work Commissioner Bernie Riordan wrote: "I have taken into account that Mr Colella openly stored his PDA device in an empty foil 'Twisties' bag. As an experienced electrician, Mr Colella knew that this bag would work as a faraday cage, thereby preventing the PDA from working properly -- especially the provision of regular GPS co-ordinate updates Mr. Colella went out of his way to hide his whereabouts. He was concerned about Aroona tracking him when the Company introduced the PDA into the workplace. He protested about Aroona having this information at that time. Mr Colella then went out of his way to inhibit the functionality of the PDA by placing it in a foil bag to create a faraday cage."
In his finding against Colella, Australia Fair Work Commissioner Bernie Riordan wrote: "I have taken into account that Mr Colella openly stored his PDA device in an empty foil 'Twisties' bag. As an experienced electrician, Mr Colella knew that this bag would work as a faraday cage, thereby preventing the PDA from working properly -- especially the provision of regular GPS co-ordinate updates Mr. Colella went out of his way to hide his whereabouts. He was concerned about Aroona tracking him when the Company introduced the PDA into the workplace. He protested about Aroona having this information at that time. Mr Colella then went out of his way to inhibit the functionality of the PDA by placing it in a foil bag to create a faraday cage."
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I can't call him a hero, but I definitely can't call him a bad guy. If you can play golf all the time and the only way the boss knows is by tracking you, the boss doesn't know much about what proper productivity can do. Follow this by the fact that so much "work" done these days is pointless BS anyway. He's only half a hero though--because his work probably isn't pointless BS if it's maintenance that's not initially noticeable but will later cost clients money or perhaps even lives.
To be a full hero, do your job. If your job is being a boss, consider doing it without being big brother. Then you'd both be good regular guys, who are so scarce these days that they look like full-on heroes.
It would be different if he was meeting all his goals and requirements. Gundecking is a serious offense being a breach of trust and can be straight up dangerous. It should generally always be met with termination if not a lawsuit or fraud complaint.
It is the reverse: you don't need to be an experienced electrician to know, but being an experienced electrician means you most certainly know.
It means that he can't feign ignorance.
Also, while it is a well known fact that metal blocks radio waves, there are some details you need to know in order to use this technique effectively.
He was claiming to have performed work that he never actually did. He was caught out when it was shown that he hadn't serviced the equipment he was claiming to have done. basically unless you expect the manager to be running to every site and inspecting the equipment after it is supposedly serviced I am not sure what you think the Manager could have done. The guy lied his arse off, eventually these sort of people get caught but it isn't realistic for a manager to be standing over a supposed professional workmans shoulder all day every day.
Using a chip bag as a faraday cage to block your employer's tracking device from communicating with satellites in order to goof off isn't interesting to you?
Turn in your nerd badge immediately. And don't try to snack-bag your way out of this one.
Seriously, what the fuck? Are slashdotters so miserable that we're more interested in cheering someone getting punished than an amusing hack?
Seriously, what the fuck? Are slashdotters so miserable that we're more interested in cheering someone getting punished than an amusing hack?
Posting AC to avoid burning modded posts.
Yes, altogether too many Slashdotters er bitter-ass gits. Where we were once home to technologists, we are mostly just pissed off trolls now who worship 1950.
No, they'd just have more time to focus on the aspects of management other than supervision.
I have a manager. She deals with shit so that I don't have to, argues with HR and her manager to get me pay rises, and lets me know the things she's being asked to help with.
In return I sometimes help her with them. Sometimes I just do my own thing and let her know. Sometimes I don't let her know; I tend to be rather good at getting credit for the work I do anyway, without needing the shameless self promotion.
It would be trivial for a manager to camp out at the Coffee Club across the road from a job site one day and observe that Mr Colella never turned up on that day despite having logged an 8 hour time sheet for it.
I suppose you could run your business so that the employee was 100% physically monitored during work hours by a manager, and then a senior manager 100% physically monitored the manager and so on up to the CEO who would be shadowed by a non-executive member of the Board, who would be shadowed by the Secret Service or something.
I think productivity might take a bit of a hit though.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it