Site Admin Busting My Balls

[shelbyGT]

So they all had their hands in the cookie jar, and then the big brother made Nielsen take his hand out so he could put both hands in. I'd be pissed, too, and go tell Mom.

[Supreme2k]

LNielsen76,

Go ahead and do what you need/want to do. Whatever the outcome will be for you, and not for anyone on this message board.

No one here is in your shoes, thus they aren't getting the full story and emotional/psychological imapct of it. You need to weigh all your options and make the decisions on your own.

Just like you can disregard my entire post.

[LNielsen76]

Big Brother not only pulled my hand from the jar, he pushed me down when he did it. I should tell Mom, but I will turn the other cheek.


Better yet.

Big Brother pulled my hand from the jar and when I told Mom, she slapped my hands and told me to leave my Big Brother alone. You see, Big Bro is Mom's favorite and I am Dad's favorite. I guess I could tell Dad, but I will turn the other cheek.

[Shadowmistress]

Cookie jar... I love that analogy.

You did go tell mom... by writing that email to your boss. Ok, nothing wrong with that.

Correct me if i'm wrong but it seemed to me that you felt mom didn't dish out enough punishment on this guy and that you were considering informing the software companies of the piracy going on here. That is what I was taking issue with.

You say you want to protect your company from guys like him. I believe you. But your blowing the whistle on this guy would have brought major grief on this company that you so wish to protect. That would have made you a hypocrite had you proceeded. That's what I mean by the ends not justifying the means. ("I want to protect you guys so I'll go and get you in massive trouble" <---hypocritical.)

But it seems to me that you get what I was trying to say anyway now.

EDIT: Damn, forgot to refresh and missed your edit above. No matter, my opinion still stands.

[Shadowmistress]

Supreme, I was wondering how long before you showed up.

I happen to agree with you on this one 100% though. He shouldn't care what my opinion or others is. It's just offered for the taking if he wants it.

[LNielsen76]

I am not looking for punishment against this guy or against the company. I am only asking that if policy is going to be enforced against me, as it should, then it should be enforced across the board as NOT to discriminate and as to truly PROTECT the company. That is all. I was not looking for him to loose his job or to jeopardize the company. However, I was concerned when the company refused to hear what I had to say about further illegal activity in the company, especially when it implicated their watcher. If the company want to eradicated corruption, as I assume the do with the new surveillance, then fine, but let's not discriminate and let's not cover up our own guilt. That is all.

[SquirrelDip]

I don't see anything wrong with them making you sign the letter... As long as the same letter is to be signed by absolutely every employee that has internet access. If it isn't then you are being discriminated against. Rules in place must be the same for all.

I was working for a company a while back that had an Internet Access Agreement that all had to sign - if not you weren't permitted internet access. The company is just covering it's ass because you open a fair bit of liability to the firm for where you browse and what you look at.

[Shadowmistress]

It concerned you (outraged?) that they were playing favorites and weren't being fair. The problem is that it's their prerogative to do so. They are the bosses and they can run their company as they see fit and it is not your place to tell them what's right or wrong. That's why in the end you would lose.

You don't like working for them? It's your choice. Forcing them to comply to your morals or wishes isn't. Just be carefull of what rights you think you have.


I used to download all kinds of stuff from work once and was told to stop even though I knew the person telling me to stop was downloading stuff too at the time. I felt just like you did. I thought it was done to protect the company from software litigation but I was wrong. It turned out that company secrets were being shared with a competing company and nobody knew who the "Judas" was. They were watching more than my downloads trying to figure out if it was me. I didn't know any of this untill well after the fact, when it was revealed that one of the top CO's was fired because he'd done it. Once the details were shared it all made much more sense as to why they were being covert.

Just food for thought.

[LNielsen76]

They are the bosses and they can run their company as they see fit and it is not your place to tell them what's right or wrong. That's why in the end you would lose.

You don't like working for them? It's your choice. Forcing them to comply to your morals or wishes isn't. Just be carefull of what rights you think you have.

Ok. Now you are rationalizing. Breaking the law is breaking the law. If the law says it is illegal to download pirated copyrighted material then regardless their morals or mine, it is ILLEGAL and so I do have a say, especially when they put Company Policy in writing for me, but noone else. That IS discrimination. Our circumstances and experiences, yours and mine, are different.

[shelbyGT]

Just let us know if you get fired

I'm crossing my fingers nothing happens, though.

[LNielsen76]

They already promised me that they would not fire me. They just put new Company Policy in writing for me because I got caught, but everyone else still operates on trust. So I am not really worried about it or the written policy change for myself, even if it is discrimination.

[Shadowmistress]

Ok. Now you are rationalizing. Breaking the law is breaking the law. If the law says it is illegal to download pirated copyrighted material then regardless their morals or mine, it is ILLEGAL and so I do have a say, especially when they put Company Policy in writing for me, but noone else. That IS discrimination.

Dude, it's their choice whether to take the chance of getting caught and face the consequences just like it was your choice before you clicked the button to download that 800MB movie. How would you have reacted then if some do-gooder told you not to do it? Wouldn't you have told him to mind his own buisness and that it's your choice because they're your consequences? (This reekes of hypocracy.)

Discrimination?
You got caught. You got punished. Has he gotten caught yet and not punished? If he has, it's still their prerogative since they sit in higher management than you. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying that's how it is. If you don't care about your job then knock yourself out and go after every last one of em, but don't go crying if they search your house and find pirated movies in your library also (since of course you're starting a feud here for which there will be retaliation) cause you're bringing heat down on everyone including yourself.

Is losing the bloody download worth starting this war?

[LNielsen76]

How would you have reacted then if some do-gooder told you not to do it? Wouldn't you have told him to mind his own buisness and that it's your choice because they're your consequences?

If these "do-gooders" of employers told me that they are monitoring the network because NEW company policy is that illegal downloads are prohibited, then I would certainly NOT tell them to mind their own business. Any do-gooder who wants to tell me that downloading is illegal is well accepted in my department because (s)he would be correct. Whether I listen or not is, of course as you state, my "consequences." But I would certainly encourage any do-gooder to keep on doing good so they remain protected. Chance and gambling are always a risk and I have no problem with anybody who refrains from doing so, I only have a problem with people who DO NOT refrain from doing so telling me that I cannot do it. After all, the difference between the do-gooder and the hypocrite is that the do-gooder SUGGESTS that I do not do it because it carries consequences and the hypocrite DEMANDS that I do not do it regardless the consequences.

You got caught. You got punished. Has he gotten caught yet and not punished?

Absolutely. I made the company of illegal activity in his department and it has been confirmed by another employee in his department. The company failed to do anything about it--not that I was asking that they punish him anyway, only that they make him clean up his act.

Is losing the bloody download worth starting this war?

I didn't start the war. I offered a treaty. They started the war by discriminating against me and other employees by 1. Writing company policy out on downloads for me only and 2. by authorizing the monitoring of workstations by the admin without requiring the monitoring of the workstation of the admin. I offered a treatise in which they could eliminate discrimination and bring to the forefront a WRITTEN company policy on downloads that extends to ALL employees. Again, I am trying to protect THEM rather than using all this to destroy them. I tell them to get rid of pirated software and to issue a written policy to all employees, to monitor all employees, including the Site Admin. In this way THEY are protected. I made no threats to turn them in or report them and I made no attempt to get the Site Admin fired. Why are they so upset? Maybe cause I am right eventhough I committed a wrong?

To be frank, everyone was just recently issued the same policy as myself, even though they have not been made to sign anything. So in retrospect, the discrimination charge is out unless we can consider the fact that they monitor all employee workstations except that of the watcher, the Site Admin who is a known culprit in downloading and pirating software.

[LNielsen76]

1. I asked that the Watcher be watched because it was discriminatory not to do so.

While I do not know if anything has become of this, I am sure that one of the owners will work more closely with the Site Admin. Why am I so sure? Well after implimenting my suggestions two and three, I am led to believe that they will do something about suggestion one.

2. I asked that a thorough investigation be made on all computers to eliminate pirated software being used by the Company.

The Site Admin has been out and about requesting pirated software that the company needs to buy in order to maintain successful operation of departments.

3. I asked that a written policy be in place and extended to all employees as not to discriminate.

A formal memo was sent out to all employees putting a no pirated downloading policy into written effect.


If I was wrong then none of this would have taken place. However, when everthing is put into its proper order, I will have nothing to safeguard myself from being fired. This is a risk I was willing to take because I DO care about the company and the employees. You can say that I DON'T care about the employees because I have made things more difficult for them, but I have not taken away their jobs by having the company shut down by reporting it to the BSA. There are more important things here than myself and being vindictive. Their jobs are more secure now AND they are being treated fairly and if I lose my job over that, then IT IS WORTH IT!

[Shadowmistress]

After all, the difference between the do-gooder and the hypocrite is that the do-gooder SUGGESTS that I do not do it because it carries consequences and the hypocrite DEMANDS that I do not do it regardless the consequences.

When I first read this I was all ready to say 'there, you just made my point'. I thought you were angry enough to continue this as far as it would lead you meaning that you'd report the company. I was trying to tell you to temper your anger a bit because that might be seen by some as demanding and make you look hypocritical.

Then I reread it and saw how you really meant it, and he is a hypocrite for demanding this of you from a co-workers standpoint. But he is not wrong for demanding it of you as the site admin. I know, I'm splitting hairs but it's a fine line here.

This just goes to show how the situation can be seen as opposite from different perspectives.

I don't think you did anything wrong so far. In fact, the stuff you helped put in place benefits everyone. I only took issue with 'how far are you willing to go'.

Peace. It's been a pleasure sparring with you.


P.S. You're lucky your bosses have scrupples. They could have just as easily ignored your suggestions and labelled you as a trouble maker making all this not really worth it.

[ZAPPER]

I am smart enough to know that I should keep out of this but too stupiud to stop myself

Actually you both are kind of right in your own twisted logics. Like I said before, there are no innocents here (meaning the place you work and what is going on) I would be a little pissed if they said I couldn't do what they are doing themselves, but then again in real life two wrongs don't make a right. You should know how best to interact with your employer and fellow employees. You know these people and what you can tell them and what tone to take and so on. While the official tone of this site is not to promote any form of warez, I would have to tell you that if you are going to do it anyways, don't come crying when the stuff does hit the fan! If you play with fire you are going to get burned. Whether the fire is warez or messing with your employer. I can offer advice all day long and it doesn't mean that anyone includeing myself would follow it. To each his own.

[LNielsen76]

I suppose I could have explained less why I wanted a tool to monitor the network and requested specifically for a tool to monitor the network. After all, I was not asking for advice on company drama or how I should go about dealing with it, only for a tool to facilitate what I had intitially decided to do about it. But I have since changed my mind and appreciate everyone here for taking the time to give me advice and help me through this frustrating time.

VIDEOHELP is my new DR. PHIL!

[Shadowmistress]

I am smart enough to know that I should keep out of this but too stupiud to stop myself

That was my problem too. :P

I totally agree with everything you said. 8) Next round of beers at the pub is on me.

LNielsen76 join us, I'm buying.
(click the rose in my sig pic to get to the pub.)

[Ward River]

Here's a novel concept: When you're at work, just do your ******* job. Or is downloading illegal movies actually part of your job and I'm just missing something?

You are in breach of the forum rules and are being issued with a formal warning. Bashing? Whatever! That was uncalled for.
/ Moderator offline

[LNielsen76]

Here's a novel concept: When you're at work, just do your ******* job. Or is downloading illegal movies actually part of your job and I'm just missing something?

Noted and I have made sure to tell the site admin of your advice.

[ZAPPER]

I suppose I could have explained less why I wanted a tool to monitor the network and requested specifically for a tool to monitor the network. After all, I was not asking for advice on company drama or how I should go about dealing with it, only for a tool to facilitate what I had intitially decided to do about it. But I have since changed my mind and appreciate everyone here for taking the time to give me advice and help me through this frustrating time.

VIDEOHELP is my new DR. PHIL!

<In my best Sigmond Freud voice> "And how does that meke you feel?"

No harm, no foul. I kind of wish something this exciting would happen at my workplace Nobody here is really all that holier than thou, but if we are going to kick someone it is easier if they are already down You are not the first to post work troubles here and I doubt that you will be the last. And whether you ask for them or not you are going to get opinions

[LNielsen76]

I think I will take you up on the invite to have a beer at the pub. Nothing like taking a load off.

BTW, nice site!

[ZAPPER]

Here's a novel concept: When you're at work, just do your ******* job. Or is downloading illegal movies actually part of your job and I'm just missing something?

Thats too easy. We need replies with bible quotes and "What I would do" answers. I mean really, some people

[ZAPPER]

I think I will take you up on the invite to have a beer at the pub. Nothing like taking a load off.

BTW, nice site!

Stop on by, I am sure that everyone will welcome you with a toast. But don't think that we won't bust your balls for fun :P

[offline]

@Mods: this will not degenerate into a religious conversation (I won't let it)

ShadowMistress, pleeeeease give us mods some credit
for having a discerning eye re post lock requirements.

BTW I happen to agree with your points.

[reboot]

We had a policy at a shop I worked in.
If a computer came in for repair, and there was anything illegal on it, and we could prove it, it was our right to refuse to work on it.
It was also our legal duty to report it, at least to the boss, at which time, a decision was made to report it to some authority, or not.
Each case was treated individually.
Shareware past the demo period was usually ignored.
Obviously pirated software usually resulted in refusal of service.
Illegal porn was reported to the authorities immediately.

One would think this could seriously hurt business, but the opposite was true.
Our reputation for integrity got us more business from other, legitimate businesses, and the scriptkiddies and pornmongers just stopped comming in.
Our competition could take those customers, and they're welcome to 'em.

I say kudos for that letter. Keep the same standards for everyone employed.