Some of you may know that I've been involved with several community initiatives within my hometown of Saint John and also a few initiatives that have a wider provincial focus. My motivation is simple - I've lived here my whole life and I want to do my part to help the place I call home to thrive and grow into the future.
I spent this past Friday evening and all day Saturday at a special planning session called "Imagine the Possibilities" which was organized by Enterprise Saint John. You may have seen some coverage of this event in the Telegraph Journal.
There were about 140 of us who gave up part of our weekend to participate in this event, but it was well worth it. As I've been involved with initiatives like this, I've found its really helped me to understand that there are a lot of people within our community that are working hard to make our communities better. (This has been a real fringe benefit of my community involvement - I've met some wonderful people, many who have become good friends, who I may not have met otherwise.) I've also gained an understanding of the part I can play to help my community become a better place.
There are initiatives like this going on throughout New Brunswick, and I encourage you to get involved, to see what you can do. I know there are groups and projects that could use your help within your community, and they will appreciate it.
I guarantee that if you take part, you will find many opportunities, much satisfaction and a real sense of accomplishment. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Common sense when using the Internet, Facebook, e-mail, etc.
I'm a big fan of the new communication tools we have at our disposal. Obviously, I think this website is a great way to keep members informed, but I also like the whole concept of "social networking". Once a day I'll log on to Facebook and check the status updates of my friends -- I can keep up to date on everyone, and every now and again I'll connect with someone I haven't seen in years.
Having said that, I think it's also important to point out what I think should be obvious -- even the best tools, if used improperly, can lead to trouble.
First and foremost, you need to know that any e-mail or other messages, or websites visited using the employer's computers or other communications equipment, is not private. Your employer has the right to look at e-mails you've sent or received, and any websites you've been visiting using their equipment. What you may not know is that e-mails, even if deleted, can be retrieved, and all of the websites you visit can be tracked automatically.
I know all this first hand, because on more than one occasion I've had to sit with members who were facing discipline, in some cases very severe discipline, because of inappropriate use of the internet and e-mail. I've seen how easy it is for your boss to track and view all of your e-mail, the websites you've been on and even the phone calls you make.
There was a case in Ontario where an employee was fired for sending "Playboy magazine" type photos to his girlfriend using the company's e-mail. She didn't complain, and in fact was a willing recipient, but the company took a stand on e-mailing even "soft core" pornography with their computers.
Most employers have a policy that allows minor internet use for personal business, and I've never seen issues because someone logged on to check the weather or do some on-line banking. That minor usage is not what I'm talking about. The problem is when people do inappropriate things, send inappropriate e-mails or spend excessive amounts of time on the internet.
There have also been cases where people sent inappropriate messages using e-mail or chat lines to coworkers that crossed the line on appropriate workplace behaviour. And in those cases if the recipient brings it to your employer, it won't matter if it was sent after hours or from your home computer.
Some employers have blocked access to some social network sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Our members aren't blocked from these sites and although I haven't yet had to represent a member who has gotten in trouble for excessive use of these sites at work, I expect it will happen any time. I've heard rumours of members spending long periods of time chatting and surfing on Facebook while at work, and if this is true it is just a matter of time before someone gets in serious trouble.
As I said at the start of this post, I like these new tools, but they're best used at home, after work.
My strong advice is to follow some simple rules I've always followed during my career. Give a solid eight hours work for eight hours pay and don't do anything at work that you wouldn't be willing to do if your boss was looking right over your shoulder.
Having said that, I think it's also important to point out what I think should be obvious -- even the best tools, if used improperly, can lead to trouble.
First and foremost, you need to know that any e-mail or other messages, or websites visited using the employer's computers or other communications equipment, is not private. Your employer has the right to look at e-mails you've sent or received, and any websites you've been visiting using their equipment. What you may not know is that e-mails, even if deleted, can be retrieved, and all of the websites you visit can be tracked automatically.
I know all this first hand, because on more than one occasion I've had to sit with members who were facing discipline, in some cases very severe discipline, because of inappropriate use of the internet and e-mail. I've seen how easy it is for your boss to track and view all of your e-mail, the websites you've been on and even the phone calls you make.
There was a case in Ontario where an employee was fired for sending "Playboy magazine" type photos to his girlfriend using the company's e-mail. She didn't complain, and in fact was a willing recipient, but the company took a stand on e-mailing even "soft core" pornography with their computers.
Most employers have a policy that allows minor internet use for personal business, and I've never seen issues because someone logged on to check the weather or do some on-line banking. That minor usage is not what I'm talking about. The problem is when people do inappropriate things, send inappropriate e-mails or spend excessive amounts of time on the internet.
There have also been cases where people sent inappropriate messages using e-mail or chat lines to coworkers that crossed the line on appropriate workplace behaviour. And in those cases if the recipient brings it to your employer, it won't matter if it was sent after hours or from your home computer.
Some employers have blocked access to some social network sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Our members aren't blocked from these sites and although I haven't yet had to represent a member who has gotten in trouble for excessive use of these sites at work, I expect it will happen any time. I've heard rumours of members spending long periods of time chatting and surfing on Facebook while at work, and if this is true it is just a matter of time before someone gets in serious trouble.
As I said at the start of this post, I like these new tools, but they're best used at home, after work.
My strong advice is to follow some simple rules I've always followed during my career. Give a solid eight hours work for eight hours pay and don't do anything at work that you wouldn't be willing to do if your boss was looking right over your shoulder.
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