I'm totally innocent!!!

[susandennis]

I hit reply this morning on an email that my brother sent to me. His email to me was about an article about a couple who had to keep the bathroom door closed because their cats had figured out how to flush the toilet.

He was at Mom's over the 4th and discovered that her Encarta is just not happy with her new operating system and it's old anyway (the Encarta) so I had a new one sent to her. He and I had discussed how to get it installed and figured that if she could get the CD into the drive, I could work the rest from here.

Oh and he also, while he was there, got a can of air and got behind Mom's CPU and got the surface dust off.

Soooo my note to him today was to report that Mom mentioned in passing that she installed Encarta yesterday. All by herself and with no problems. I was very impressed. But, warily added "I hope you hid that can of air you bought. No way do we want her doing her own blow jobs!"

And I hit Send.

About 15 minutes later I get a note from Prudential (where he works) that says:

Your message will not be delivered to a Prudential associate because it contains explicit language.

If you believe this message was denied delivery in error please forward the message in question to abuse@prudential.com.

I wanted to write to them and say 'but I was only making fun my Mom is 79 and single and not dating... the blow job I meant was really different than the blow job you mean' but, somehow, I thought that might net me more trouble.

My poor brother. I had to get rather clever in explaining what my original note said to him without saying the words... I forwarded the original to his home email.

I'm sure Prudential is a fine company and I totally understand the need for rules and the email system belongs to them as well as the computers he used to send and read my email, but even knowing all of that, it's still kind of creepy that some guy cares about my Mom's blow job or lack thereof. (I know it's automated but the bounced dirty mail has to go somewhere and I get this picture of a little nerdy guy reading it all.....)

Comments

[judith.livejournal.com]

I hate that companies can snoop on personal email. Do you think it would be okay if supervisors eavesdropped on conversations in the restrooms? Or break room? I can't see what the difference is.

[susandennis]

Actually, I think I fall on the other side of the line. When you use a company's computer and a company's internet service (or phone or anything else for that matter) for personal business, I think they get to set the rules.

And, honestly, I think they get to eavesdrop on conversations that take place on real estate they pay for. Especially amoung employees who's time they are paying for.

I really think if I want privacy, I need to make sure I am outside of the workplace and off the company time.

[judith.livejournal.com]

While I fundamentally agree with you, I see two things: 1) less attention is paid to the conversations in the break rooms or restrooms than to what is said online, and there is fundamentally no difference - just different media. 2) I do not believe we can or should try to divorce our "real life" from our "work life" entirely. We are kidding ourselves when we think we can. I don't advocate wasting company time but I do advocate getting real. We are not machines who operate entirely in one mode for eight hours and then switch to another. We think of personal things while at work and of work things while at home. In that context, I think it's healthy to ask a co-worker about her child or her mother's illness, and similarly to send a quick email to a family member about his computer. If we are getting the work done then there should be no complaint.

I recognize I have not made a complete case here. It would take too long and I'm tired. And I certainly don't want to get into an argument, because as I said I do fundamentally agree with you. (I also use web-based email when I want to write personal email at work...)

[susandennis]

Oh! I'm not talking about reality... I'm talking about rules. In reality, I use as much company time for personal stuff as the next guy. And, while I do keep my personal email separate from my business email, I do use company assets to read and answer personal email and check and post on LJ and order stuff online.

My company is very small and we don't have these rules written down anywhere but we do generally operate on the assumption that everyone knows who owns the stuff and pays us for our time and we should respect that and we do. In return, we get leeway in how we handle it all.

I have no qualms about coming in to work during my personal time and my company has no qualms about my using company time/equipment for personal reasons as long as no one takes advantage and no one does. But the rules are important, I think. And if push came to shove, what happens on the company assets during company time is part and parcel of what the company has every right to.

Now, it's also important to know that I was raised in the household of Management (and that's with a capital M). I spent my formative years hearing about the evils of unions. Much to my father's regret he somehow ended up raising a died in the wool Democrat. But, much of our dinner time conversation did manage to sink in.

[judith.livejournal.com]

Well, we're pretty much saying the same thing, then. I understand "rules" and rights of owners. I am happy that I work for a small governmental agency where we know each other and where some flexibility is accepted.

[joyofmacs.livejournal.com]

HAHAHA! What a funny story.

Good thing you hadn't sexed your goldfish or worse HAMSTERS!!

[susandennis]

And two funny follow ons:

1. Turns out he totally forgot to get Mom the canned air anyway. So blow jobs are out of the question until we get her some.
2. Bill (my brother) reports that he's mighty proud to have a sister 'on Art Ryans' questionable citizens list'. And, frankly, I'm proud to be on it.

But, I don't think I'll be sending him any email about hamster nooky anytime soon. No sense in pressing my luck.

[teasdale.livejournal.com]

*giggles* nice to know that Prudential has a Net Nanny. :)

[susandennis]

Ok, that's really hilarious. I should send that email address a nice note saying that I'm sorry for upsetting their Net Nanny... I'll bet that would really get 'em.