Amateur Megalomania

Employees are thinking twice about working for companies that restrict net access.

Microsoft says that many employers need to free up their Internet access policies in order to appear more attractive to potential hires. That’s the message coming from the Microsoft Tech.Ed 2006 conference in Sydney, where Microsoft Senior Design Anthropologist Anne Kirah recently spoke. Kirah claims that many job candidates are turning up their noses at the prospect of working for an employer that restricts Internet access. While some bosses are nervous about productivity being lost to websurfing and instant messaging, she dismisses such attitudes as “digital immigrant ideas.”

I guess the economy is in pretty good shape then.

My own personal experience tells me that my net access is one hundred percent work related and I wouldn’t think of using it any other way…ahem.

In the past year or so, my company has rolled out WiFi access for work issued laptops. Those lucky enough to have them are now completely untethered from the cubicle. It is possible for many people to work a whole day from the cafeteria/Starbucks in the main building. Whenever I walk through there, I’ll see a good 10-20 people scattered about with lattes and laptops.

Pretty much all of them are surfing something clearly unrelated to work.

Not that I’m jealous or anything.

If the HR department contacts me, I’ll be glad to pass along names. Unless someone has the pull out there to get me the same access.

In which case I’m sure I completely misinterpreted the browsing habits of my colleagues.

Filed under: Science and Technology