If You Carry A Blackberry And Are Paid Hourly, Do You Count Checking Your Email As Time Working?
from the does-checking-your-Blackberry-count-as-work dept
We've talked about the question of the work-life balance plenty of times, as people begin to recognize that "life" (such as personal surfing) is showing up in the office and "work" (such as checking your email) is showing up at home. However, that's leading to a few problems with some legacy systems. For example, what does it mean for workers who are paid on an hourly basis, with the potential for overtime? That problem recently came up when ABC News tried to make it clear to new staff writers that they couldn't count time checking their Blackberries as being work hours for overtime purposes. While the two sides settled this issue internally, it does raise plenty of questions for other hourly workers who are still expected to "check-in" from time to time outside of the office. This might not be a huge problem, as many jobs that require a Blackberry tend not to be paid hourly -- but these types of issues are likely to keep showing up as workplaces struggle to deal with changing work and lifestyles.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: blackberries, checking email, email, hourly workers, overtime
Companies: abc
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Getting an Email Notification
This would be important for Lawyers who would know WHICH client to charge it to
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Another option
For futher info, check out the book Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It or visit www.culturerx.com.
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Balance and reason
It'll take a while for the general sentiment catch up with always on, always available technology - but the key remains to be reasonable.
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Give up
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To put an inverse on this: Should you be considered at break if you happen to check your personal email while at work?
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Re:
Those who look to squeeze every penny out of the workplace had better make sure the workplace doesn't look to do the same...
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Re: Re:
Idle chatter around the water cooler or getting coffee are generally O.K. but, if paid hourly, you should clock out for 15 minutes or, if salaried, you should limit how often you do this and return to work promptly upon completing your drink. Not focusing on your work depends on the circumstances... If you're not focusing on your work because your wife called to let you know she can't pick the kid up from school and your mentally shuffling your schedule around in your mind to find time to pick him up yourself, that is acceptable. If you're not focusing on your work cause you're day dreaming about golf with Tiger Woods later or playing solitaire on your computer, then that isn't. Ignoring a phone call is never ok unless its clear that you are not expected to be working right then (like after office hours and when not on-call).
Technically it can be said that checking personal email at work technically does not profit the company and should not be done on company time. However, in the long run allowing employees to check their personal email, and other small trivial personal tasks, when kept in moderation, CAN improve company profits. Forcing employees to put their noses to the grind stone and never stop except when they take their one or two clearly defined breaks each day will serve only to wear them out and leave them incapable of being as productive as they otherwise would be. Not all people are capable of switching into one-track-mind mode. Those people need a little bit of distraction here and there just to clear their head. That way when they return to the work at hand they can focus and do it right.
Taking long breaks to call up your drinking buddies and shoot the breeze, answering all of the 15 chain emails from family and friends, updating your myspace profile, or otherwise blatantly goofing off in a manner that takes significant amounts of time away from your work is not appropriate. However, taking just a moment to see if that important email from your ebay purchase has been answered yet (but not necessarily acting on the results) shouldn't be a big deal and can be beneficial in the long run.
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Sorry to be a pain...
Nope, not affiliated (at least not directly).
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Re: Sorry to be a pain...
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Re: Re: Sorry to be a pain...
ConnectToSession()
MoveToNextRequest()
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WHOA THERE!
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Re: WHOA THERE!
What about the fact that friends of mine email and/or call me on my "work" BlackBerry?
My work isn't just something I spend 8 hours a day doing and then I shut off at night. Just the same as my life doesn't shut down during the 8 hours I spend in the office.
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Re: Re: WHOA THERE!
Perhaps, but many employers would rather that it did.
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Re: Re: WHOA THERE!
It's called overtime for a reason, remember.
While my private life doesn't cease between 8am and 4pm there are a grand total of three people outside of my workplace that know my corporate email address and understand that it's for emergency use only.
Kinda the same as what I do with my company cell number, which also rings in on the BlackBerry.
I've found over the years that sanity is best protected and improved by the following:
1) I have a work life.
2) I have a real life.
3) They are NOT the same and in the end #2 is what's really important and makes it possible to do #1 well.
Friends can and do call my home number during the day and leave messages. It doesn't seem to be any problem for them.
Anyway, it's a real pain trying to talk to a friend or family while I do what I do where it's required that I concentrate on the task at hand.
ttfn
John
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Re: Re: WHOA THERE!
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Think like that
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Re: Think like that
Here are some words to live by:
Don't ever work for free.
Don't accept promises or handshakes -- get it in writing.
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Re: Think like that
As that would mean a cut in base pay, a loss of responsibility and influence I think I'll pass.
If I wanted to push paper I'd be salaried.
I don't. I'm a technician, craftsman and tradesman all wrapped into one and I am damn good at what I do.
Anyway, there's much less stress in turning it all off at the end of the day and having a real life.
ttfn
John
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Re: Re: Think like that
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Re: WHOA THERE!
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Re: WHOA THERE!
So...
If he receives a work e-mail or telephone call during non-business hours, and sometimes he does, it's billable time at overtime rates. This ensures that he's not bugged by idiots who are ZOMFG!!!!!!!11eleventyone!!!11!!!! important without good reason.
If he receives a personal call during working hours, it would not result in any sort of sanction of his paycheck, provided that it doesn't interfere with his work. For instance, he calls me quite a bit when he's driving to long-distance locales.
HOWEVER, these rules were set when he took the job. His last job was not as complacent about personal calls during business hours but did NOT provide the BlackBerry, although one was required. Once again, those rules were set when he took the job.
So basically, I don't believe there is, or should be, a set rule throughout the business world. I think it should be something discussed at the beginning of the employment relationship, because circumstances differ entirely too much.
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Should I get paid for responding to this blog?
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FLSA - Fair Labor Standards Act
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no point in this argument
It's been proven before that people's minds wander sometimes and you need to step out for a minute to regain full productivity. If a company is nitpicking this far then they have way more problems than nickle and dime-ing their employees.
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I'm hourly
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I personally don't have a problem putting in a little extra time and not reporting or getting paid for it, as long as it's not something I'm forced to do. If I check my work email on my own time, which I can already do via our VPN system, that's my business, and I wouldn't dream of reporting it for overtime. As I said, I can already check my work email through remote access, even from my iPod Touch, and I have been issued a company cell phone for work use. How is having a Blackberry any different? The bottom line is that it's stupid black & white policies dictated by an HR department that doesn't have a clue.
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I have a question
If my boss said that I must keep up with my E-Mail at home than I'm going to expect some compensation, but I don't expect overtime pay just because I decide to look ahead. I also wouldn't expect overtime pay for something as simple as checking E-Mail just relaxed beginning and end times.
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Re: I have a question
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lmao
I DEFINATELY COUNT THIS TIME. I ALSO TEXT, EMAIL, SNEAK IN A FEW PHONE CALLS (I'M NOT REALLY REALLY SNEAKING.)
I deserve it. CORPORATE SUCKS!
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Re: lmao
And this, my friends, is why all our technical jobs are being sent to India.
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Re: Re: lmao
Outsourceing is about corporate GREED.
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Ugh.. BlackBerrys
In case of emergency they can call on my freebie phone phone they procured from a Cracker Jack box, just to spite me not taking a BlackBerry.
Anyways, kudos to the hourly brave who bill out their BlackBerry time at home. It's exactly what I'd do...
DS
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As an hourly employee w/blackberry...
It's better than getting a monthly bill.
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Overtime
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Re: Overtime
And it does depend. Regulations don't answer the questions raised by this thread. For example, if work gives me a BlackBerry that I check outside of work hours but I've not been mandated to do it, should I submit that time?
I don't actually see why there needs to be any regulation around this issue. Either I'm working and the law requires me to be compensated, or I'm not and I'm "voluntarily" checking those emails.
If I take a manual home and read it on my own time, should I be compensated? Answer: it depends.
If I log in to my email from my home PC and check the same emails my coworkers get on the BlackBerries? Answer: it depends.
If I attend a work-relevant convention over the weekend, should I be compensated for my time? Answer: it depends.
I take great joy in my profession. I do work outside of work because I like it, I do it because it takes the pressure off (well, okay, brings it down to a nearly survivable level) when I'm in the office, I do it because it allows me the flexibility to do other things during standard "work hours" (something I rarely take advantage of, but do when I want to).
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Paid
But, I can deal. I mean I would rather know what the hell is going on and be able to correct any mission critical issues asap. So I would rather check email for free then walk into an office building that has ground to a halt because the system is down.
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Re:
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Charge
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Whether it's email or raking your yard.
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as we
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Hell yeah
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RE: IMAO
But if things go terribly wrong, I would hope you would care enough about your work and company to want to be in the know.
As far as "deserving" anything, I don't think anyone- companies or their employees- deserve anything less or more than the law, whatever is in the employment contract, and fair treatment. Getting paid to update Facebook statuses is not fair treatment.
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blackberry repair toronto
blackberry repair toronto
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