Advice for the employed: Focus on work while you’re at work

One of the smartest things you can do in your career is to learn from the mistakes of others. The latest lesson comes in the form of the Delta pilots who used their laptops during a recent flight, which was against FAA regulations.  Their licenses have been revoked and they are dealing with serious consequences, just like countless other people who have made the mistake of doing things at work other than working.While many of us don’t have to worry about the FAA, if you are employed you need to be aware of what’s acceptable, and what is not, to your own employer and/or regulatory agencies. 

I’ve met too many people who have ended up without a job based on misjudging this.  With social media fast emerging, companies everywhere are evaluating their policies around things like what social media to block and what to allow in their environments, and employees are making decisions on what they can/can’t/should/shouldn’t do while at work.  In the early 1990’s, companies faced this same issue as they evolved from mainframes to PCs and the fast advance of the internet.  Companies had to decide whether to allow access to the internet in the workplace, and employees with access either used good judgement or abused the privilege by doing things like visiting x-rated websites.

Before we go blaming technology, consider that even in the pre-tech world, probably since the dawn of employment, employers have had to rely on employees’ good judgment and work ethic.  When I started my career, I worked in labor relations in a manufacturing facility, dealing with all sorts of employee issues and researching arbitration and legal decisions.  One of the issues I found the most fascinating was “sleeping at work”.   Why was this so interesting?  First, because it’s just wrong – you’re being paid to work, not sleep!  But more importantly, it’s interesting because it turns out there are gray areas in sleeping at work.  Was the person nodding off at a desk, or were they “making a bed” in the plant which consisted of finding/making a nice comfy spot to take a nap.  And is there a difference between that and someone resting in a break room at lunchtime, or a person who is paid for what they deliver (i.e. a writer being paid by the article) taking a nice long nap mid-day?

While not sleeping at work may be an obvious one, I worry that today’s employees may make those crucial misjudgements in different ways if they’re not careful.  Is it ok to blog about your company?  Should you and your manager be friends on Facebook?  If you can run a quick errand at lunch, can you do the same thing virtually and do some online shopping?   Can you read articles during the work day?  Can you tweet?

In my next post I”ll talk about the gray areas, and how you can stay out of trouble.