co workers

You could face arrest for snooping

Judi Hasson — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:30:20 -0400

CIOs must make sure that employees are given clear policies when it comes to workplace e-mail--what is permissible and what is not, and the risks of violating the rules. It's not only what is written in the e-mails, and it can involve some unexpected activity with serious consequences like snooping through the e-mails of co-workers.

Take the case of a Philadelphia TV news anchor Lawrence Mendte who was criminally charged last month for secretly accessing one work and two personal e-mail accounts of co-anchor Alycia Lane more than 500 times. It is also alleged that he shared private and legal information from the stolen e-mail documents with a reporter from the Philadelphia Daily News.

"I don't think people are of the understanding that this type of conduct is a crime," Scott Christie, a former New Jersey federal prosecutor told Computerworld. "What you're doing when you're accessing e-mail is affirmatively exceeding your access to electronic documents and systems.''

For more on e-mail snooping:
- see this ComputerWorld article

How to avoid career suicide

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Computerworld has some career advice that applies to IT professionals as well as anyone else trying to avoid getting in trouble with the boss when making use of the office computer. To stay out of the doghouse and protect yourself, don't send inappropriate emails that might contain off-color jokes or hasty, insulting replies and don't even think of sending emails putting down co-workers. Be careful not to contradict your CIO in public, approaching him privately and quietly if you think he has made a mistake. And for goodness sake, don't commit social blunders at a company event, being sure not to drink too much or say something that will come back to bite you later. And if the job in your IT department becomes too much to take and you decide to jump ship, don't burn bridges.

For more details on office etiquette and common sense behavior:
- See this ComputerWeek article

Tapping into the world of social networking

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 19:01:39 -0500

Social networking--like the MySpace account your kids insist on getting or the Friendster account your friend talked you into signing up for--is beginning to infiltrate the workspace. While you don't have to worry that your employees will beg you for a Facebook account, you should be aware that social networking--a system that expands the number of contacts by making connections through a common interface--will eventually come to your organization in one form or another. Since it's inevitable, consider it a valuable marketing tool. Social networking can be used to share important information with co-workers and that content becomes a permanent record that can be useful for other projects. Here is just one example: say your IT manager is spearheading a campaign for Linux within your company. If that manager becomes part of a social networking community, he or she can use the knowledge gained to further the goals of the company.

Learn why social networking will infiltrate the enterprise and how to benefit:
- read the article at Optimize

Dealing with jerks in the workplace

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 19:01:35 -0500

As a manager, dealing with difficult co-workers and diffusing tense situations is part of your job description. CIOs also find themselves in a unique position to take heat from both sides--from other managers and the board of directors as well as the IT department. The truth of the matter is that dealing with difficult interpersonal situations is simply an occupational hazard that comes with the territory. The other side of the coin though, is that being able to deal with such situations is basically a job requirement for a CIO. And if you don't learn how to deal with workplace "jerks" properly, they could sap the productivity of your entire IT organization and might even affect the bottom line. To that end, Robert Sutton has written a book, colorfully titled, The No A**hole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't. In an interview with the author, ComputerWorld reveals a few tips for dealing with difficult co-workers and building a stronger IT team.

For more on dealing with jerks:
- see this ComputerWorld article

Editor's Corner

Thu, 29 Jun 2006 20:01:40 -0400

It makes complete sense that healthy people are more likely to be productive and innovative than those suffering from physical ailments and stress on the job. Now a new study from a team of Canadian researchers proves the point on a medical level. It seems that low job stress translates into better blood pressure readings. Workers with high stress and little social support within a company environment will suffer from higher blood pressure than those who are less stressed and have more productive relationships with co workers and bosses. High blood pressure typically leads to other health issues, which obviously leads to lost work time and productivity levels.
- Judy