This morning’s Express regaled the story about a Mr. Edward Greenwood IX (yes, IX) being fired from New York City’s legislative office in Albany because NYC Mayor Bloomberg saw a game of Solitaire running on his computer screen.
Harsh, man. He was working there for six years and only earned $27,000. And got fired. Mayor Bloomberg, a former CEO, is known for his “all work, no play” ethic in running the NYC offices. But still, who’d want to work for a guy like that? What if Mr. Greenwood was a good employee? He had to be, if he was working there for six years. It’s difficult to find good workers with six years’ accumulated knowledge of how things work. A glance in the wrong direction, and the father of a toddler is now without a job.
I’d like to think bosses could be a bit more compassionate than that. The office doesn’t have to be a frat-boy party like on last night’s Desperate Housewives episode (can someone really survive eating one pound of raw bacon? If it’s anyone, it’s Lynette), but workers do need a mental break every now and then.
I’m going out on a limb here because my supervisors definitely read this blog, but I’ll own up to it. (note to self: Boss Day is October 16.) I play games at work sometimes. I do. Maybe like once or twice a week, for a few minutes each. Snood, in particular. It’s a good stress reliever.
Yes, my office environment is definitely a bit more relaxed than the typical D.C. corporate powerhouse. We get to have a dog here, for example. And this blog is, in fact, part of my job. So I’m relatively confident that should I be busted for playing a game, I’d either get a disapproving glance, or maybe even a verbal warning.
But get fired? I can’t possibly imagine. Like Mr. Greenwald, I contribute to the company’s bottom-line (and if I didn’t, I shouldn’t be here anyway). I know it’s not kosher to slack off at work, but everyone does it and that’s because everyone needs to.
It’s the employer’s job to accept that inability of their employees to focus on their jobs 8 hours straight, and avoid creating such an oppressive work environment where employees are forever fearful to open a blog or start up Solitaire - because they could lose their job. I imagine productivity and morale would plummet. The bottom line would not be met. Happy employees equal happy supervisors.
Mayor Bloomberg may be all that (and he’s leaning liberal these days) but he’s definitely not getting a Boss Day card from me. Screw that.
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There has to be more to the story that we don’t know about.
Good managers do not get caught up in little things like that. I’m generally good with my team members. They can surf the net all they want or make whatever doctor appointments they need to make. They just need to be good producers and put in the necessary effort to deliver results and get things done.
However, each workplace is different. I admit it can be damanging to the work environment that you are trying to promote. There is a woman here at work that plays solitaire half the time whenever I walk by her office, and I find it somewhat discouraging when I have my team busting their butt on the other side of the office. I think there has to be some level of sensitivity. If you are going to take a break, don’t do it in front of everyone.
Was chatting with an attorney friend of mine and gleaned the following information:
Playing online games, no matter how short the duration, is a perfectly legitimate nondiscriminatory reason for firing someone. And airing it in public does not help the cause of the poor overworked employee. There are cases out there where the employer decides not to promote someone because of his/her tendency to play games.
Also - playing Solitaire for about 10 minutes translates into about an hour a week or a day every other month. Or roughly a whole week of a year. Could the action of playing Solitaire then be interpreted as being “theft?”
I read that article as well and couldn’t believe he got fired over that.
Granted, some workplaces are more “lax” than others. But, hey, aren’t we allowed breaks now and then? After all, we’re not robots.
A little game here and there, I think, is alright. I mean, how is that different than those who have cigarette breaks (and some of them have them frequently)? Bosses don’t really get on their backs for going out for a smoke. How is that different than secretaries visting other secretaries (or co-workers for that matter) for a little chat here and there?
Maybe some people just prefer a little solitary moment and a game is the way to ease one’s tension/mind. So, I don’t see what the big deal is with playing a round now and then. Of course, it’s a different story if one has been playing games “practically” all day long.
Mr. Greenwood is undoubtedly an hourly employee … he is not being paid to play a game. By playing a game instead of working; he is in fact stealing from the State of NY. You are not an hourly employee and have more flexibility and I’m reasonably confident that you would stay late if there was work to do. Firing was harsh; but, I find it hard to be sympathetic with Mr. Greenwood… What was he thinking??? Having solitaire running while Mr. Bloomberg was in the office might merit firing or at least an honorable mention in the next addition of the Darwin Awards. Relative to smoking breaks… trust me… I pay attention to who is working and who is outside communing with nature and in the past I’ve spoken with smokers who abuse the priviledge.
Solitaire is a boring game. I would be embarassed to be caught playing this game anywhere.
Excessive Internet usage is also a problem… oops!
Rob - I think we’ve been playing too much online scrabble in the past year. :-)
I hate some companies provide subsidized gym memberships yet penalize people who try to be healthy and take 10 minutes longer lunch break than they’re supposed to so they can shower. Yet these same companies allow several 10-15 minute ciggarette breaks in a day.
Thank God DC is so close to banning smoking in restaurants and bars. For all the leisure they get at work, they deserve it. ;)
In reference to the statistic provided by Rob - “playing Solitaire for about 10 minutes translates into about an hour a week or a day every other month. Or roughly a whole week of a year” - doesn’t personal email fall under the same category of slacking on the job? How many of us read our personal emails and respond to them during work hours? How many are using corporate email accounts for personal use? I wouldn’t want to see those statistics! It’d probably put most of us to shame!