Having read the following article, I wonder; where has the sense
of PRIORITY of younger workers / employees gone to?
What do you think? Do you think, you SHOULD BE allowed, or are
somehow ENTITLED to chat on Instant Messaging program while working
for someone? Will you feel that it's wrong if you are the
boss?
I think people these days are taking things for granted - things
like their RICE BOWL!!!
===========================================
Woman quits job after boss' warning on Instant Messaging
I'M HOOKED ON IM
IT'S something that many do quietly on their office computers -
chat using instant messaging (IM).
And some are so hooked on it that work becomes secondary.
One 25-year-old professional was so addicted to IM she quit her
$2,500 job last month after her boss told her not to spend so much
office time on it.
'It's more like a habit to log on and be connected every day,' said
Joanne (not her real name), whose job was in the creative
industry.
Every morning, the first thing she would do when she stepped into
her office was to sign on to MSN Messenger. Without it she would
feel uneasy all day.
While she claimed that texting with friends during office hours had
not affected the quality of her work, she admitted that whenever
her group of buddies were not online, she would feel very sad and
not in the mood for work.
She had an on-line network of more than 100 people, including
friends, ex-classmates, colleagues and clients.
'I don't usually initiate chats, but when I do chat (usually with
my friends), we could talk about anything under the sun,' said
Joanne, who describes herself as a good multi-tasker.
It was not unusual for her to have four or five chat boxes flashing
on her screen at any one time. And that was what made her boss
unhappy.
'On two different occasions my supervisor told me that my boss
asked that I don't message so often.
'I was upset because everyone in the office was using it too. And
there was no company policy banning it,' said Joanne.
'My boss told me that as my desk was near the entrance, visitors
could see what was on my computer screen, and it was not very nice
for them to see me chatting online.
'If my boss had put a ban on IM officially, I wouldn't mind. I
don't think I did anything wrong by engaging in IM at work. I still
completed my work on time. I quit because I was unhappy with the
double standards.'
LOOKING FOR JOB
She asked The New Paper on Sunday not to publish her real name
because she is now looking for another job. One that perhaps allows
her to message her friends, she says.
IM, which was started almost a decade ago, and used to be
associated with teenagers, is now being used by some companies as a
communication tool.
But it is hard for bosses to check if employees are using it for
personal chats on company time.
A survey of 300 global organisations by IT research firm Meta Group
shows that IM is already being used at work more than it is at
home.
And 57 per cent of the respondents said they use IM at work for
personal reasons.
Marketing executive Lee Mei Mei, 27, spends most of every morning
on IM and begins real work only after lunch.
She said: 'Not all the time is spent on personal chats. Sometimes I
chat with overseas clients. It's part of my networking
effort.
'I like to start my day with IM. It's like a kind of warm-up before
I start my day's work.'
Said another IM addict, who wanted to be known only as Yi Mi: 'I
have to be perpetually connected. Even when I'm on sick leave, I
log on at home.
'I'm lucky my company uses IM for internal communication. We have
offices overseas and IM helps to cut down our communication
charges.
'It's less intimidating than phone calls and faster than e-mail and
faxes.
'I could be on the phone with a client and instant messaging my
friends and overseas colleagues at the same time. With IM I've
learned to multi-task.'
The 30-year-old accountant also confessed that there have been
times when she spent her whole day engaging in IM and without
getting any real work done.
'IM can be very addictive. You just let your fingers do the
'talking'. I rely heavily on it to keep in touch with my wide
circle of friends,' she said.
BANNED
'It is easier to pass time in the office when I'm on IM.'
It may have its uses as a communication tool, but some companies
are banning IM.
Mr Jeffers Tan's company allow its employees to use IM on a case by
case basis, he told The New Paper on Sunday.
'I've sought permission from the IT department to install the
software,' he said.
'I told them I needed to use it to communicate with overseas
clients. It helps to cut down costs on long distance phone
calls.'
Miss Lee is not sure of her company's policy on IM.
She said: 'Whenever I downloaded the software, the IT guys would
delete it from my computer the next day.
'So I started making friends with the IT guys and now they leave my
computer alone.
'Although I spend long hours on IM, I do it discreetly.'
Administrative executive Kelly Tan's boss banned IM when he noticed
his staff spending too much time on it during office hours.
'My boss told the IT engineers to block access to all (such)
websites and links. But my colleagues and I are constantly
searching for new websites.
'Now that I have found a new website, I no longer share the
information with my colleagues. The more people know about the
website, there's a higher chance that the IT guys will find out and
block it.'
Miss Tan has managed to remain 'connected' for the past three
months.
But a 28-year-old customer service officer, who gave her name only
as Miss Lim, has not been so lucky.
'I never get to be connected for more than a day. The IT engineers
in my company are very efficient.
'They always manage to block whatever new (IM) access websites that
I find,' she said.
'It's like a cat-and-mouse game. I have given up trying to find
alternative ways to log on. I just stick to mass e-mailing my
friends now.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A communication tool, say some firms
INSTANT messaging (IM) can be addictive and takes one's focus
from work easily, said psychiatrist Lionel Lim.
'Psychologically, it is very similar to people who are addicted to
surfing the Internet or playing computer games.
'It's constantly interactive. If you have a chat box popping up
every five to 10 minutes, it's no different from having someone
walk in to your office to chat. It'll be difficult for the person
to concentrate on his or her work,' explained Dr Lim, who has been
practising for 20 years.
If the person really has to use IM, Dr Lim's advice would be to use
it only during a certain time of the day, like lunch time.
'I've advised one of my patients who is easily distracted by
incoming emails, to put an arrow pointing at his desk. This is to
remind him to return to his actual task instead of attending to the
emails,' said Dr Lim.
More companies are using IM to communicate with their overseas
offices and clients, instead of relying on e-mail, faxes and phone
calls.
'The cost of IM is very low, compared with making long-distance
calls.
'Communication is also faster and response is almost immediate,'
said a spokesman for homegrown brand Crocodile International.
'There are bound to be people abusing it. Chatting and gossiping
with their online friends during work hours.
'But as long as they don't overdo it, we are fine. We trust our
staff and give them the benefit of the doubt.'
Few companies have laid down proper guidelines on IM usage. Some
simply ban its use for fear of virus attacks or staff
abuse.
