Goofing Off at Work
Posted in Workplace Advice
Most companies would like to maintain an atmosphere of balance. They ascribe to the idea that if they are able to introduce passion, balance and a relaxed work environment in order to motivate their employees to work with the idea that they are in a stress-free environment. This is accompanied by the premise that employees are able to do anything as long as it does not interfere with their work.
However, given this particular type of atmosphere, there are those people who might naturally tend to abuse it and cross the line. There is one story of a stamping press operator who boldly brought golf clubs to work one day and began swinging at some rolled-up work gloves while he was about his duties. This is where that operator crossed the line. At first it could have been funny but that particular outlandish behavior seriously distracts people far above the levels of noise, news, weather or workplace blackouts.
Such behavior may garner some humor from your colleagues but it will never be as amusing to your superior. You would probably be lucky enough to not get a pink slip after such an incident. The rule of thumb is you should err on the side of caution. When in doubt, simply ask.
Distractions in the workplace are common enough for you to be adding another layer atop the already existing one. The traditional horseplay on the floor, Blackberries continuously ringing and the gossip that happens around the coffee machine are enough to keep one preoccupied to lose a significant amount of work time. There are those employees who happen to get by with their exceptional time management skills but there are those who are always caught goofing off at work. Sooner or later, they get what they deserve.
There was a story of a middle manager who spent 40%-50% of his time disturbing employees, surfing the Web, paying bills and reading industry magazines. Your superiors might find it great that you're keeping up with the industry but that should be done on your own time. It won't be as productive for the company if you use their time for you to be able to skip work and relax on your own to do your personal calls and leisure reading. What's important is that you are able to finish your work and do what they hired you to do.
American business lose an estimated total of around $650 billion per year through the different workplace distractions. These businesses could be saving more or be producing more if only they had the manpower who were responsible enough for them to be able to do their job and skip the distractions that they have in the office workplace. Whatever it is that you do, be sure that you're not stepping crossing the line. Whatever it is that your boss says you can do, be sure that you're within limits. And if you are not, then make sure that you adjust accordingly and talk to your boss if there's anything that you think he can do to help you sort yourself out.
