Michael Specht

15 responses so far ↓

• 1 Robin Capper // Mar 3, 2009 at 6:31 pm

  Yes, it’s good or bad, like any technology. Depends who is using it, how and why

• 2 Kevin Howard // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:21 pm

  Well in this case social media has clearly been bad for everyone involved in this sorry tale.

  I wonder how long it will be before IT curriculum in schools includes a few lessons on the perils of social media and how it can damage your career prospects!

• 3 Valencio // Mar 3, 2009 at 7:28 pm

  I actually believe that Facebook is great. In addition, I would like to condemn the company for firing an employee for saying that her job is boring. Facebook is a personal forum and not a professional one.

• 4 Kate // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:25 pm

  Having a boring job is something about 90% of the population experiences on a daily basis. Admitting it is a sign of intelligence and honesty. Firing someone for being honest and intelligent is a mark against that company who obviously needs to start dealing not with threats to its “image” but with its reality as an employer.

• 5 Michael Specht // Mar 3, 2009 at 8:57 pm

  @Robin very true!

  @Kevin again spot on, the result is just as bad for all concerned. Interesting is it an IT subject to teach people how to operate online? Or is it an induction process for companies hiring new employees? Or parents?

  @Valencio but where does the boundary lie between work and personal? Is Deloitte not pushing FB to be a professional tool? Here in Australia we have several companies engaging staff through FB.

  @Kate my thoughts exactly! I was talking with a very senior employee of one of the largest software vendors globally who was amazed at the amount they could learn from the 25yo they were mentoring. They said at one point they wondered how the person got any work done due to the continual multi-tasking but eventually figured that the 25yo was more productive than they were at 60+. Interesting perspective.

  Thanks all for the comments.

• 6 NathanaelB // Mar 4, 2009 at 2:42 pm

  Well you know how much I rant about my job on Twitter – and that’s completely public! But I don’t believe I’m breaching any codes or policy. I do not slander my employer – but I have bad days and I share those. I also have good days too which I share. I don’t see a problem with it. Employers shouldn’t be so narrow-minded.

• 7 Jim Benson // Mar 5, 2009 at 3:56 am

  There’s a local Twitterer here who is also an efficiency consultant. She argues *for* restricting access to social media by business because she feels people “waste” too much time on it.

  In the days before the net, I recall bosses walking the halls listening for people taking personal calls on work time.

  They seldom showed up at my house at 2 am to make sure I wasn’t thinking about work.

  I fully agree the correct action here (esp with someone who is 16) is to say “aww shucks, you’re bored? What wouldn’t make you bored?”

• 8 Kevin Howard // Mar 5, 2009 at 9:06 am

  @Michael – They said at one point they wondered how the person got any work done due to the continual multi-tasking but eventually figured that the 25yo was more productive than they were at 60+. Interesting perspective.

  I believe this is misguided. It’s not just about what you do, but also how well you do it!

  People can’t truly multi task at work (doing multiple things at the same time). What is really happening is best described by a digital communications term, called Time Division Multiplexing. Meaning that you are dividing your time, and your attention, between multiple tasks. The result is likely to be that you don’t do any of them as well as you might do if you concentrated on one task at a time. In fact it may be even quicker to do that as well. So while you think you might be working well by trying to do multiple things at once, you are probably working inefficiently and at a sub standard level.

  Email is a well recognised efficiency sapper. Couple that with Twitter, IM and SMS and it’s a wonder how people who are interacting with all these channels can get anything done.

• 9 Prakash // Mar 23, 2009 at 6:19 pm

  Being discreet is a good strategy to employ. Why add needless risk to your job in this market.

  But companies seem to be over reacting to such statements . Its almost like being in China where any negative statement about the govt can put you behind bars.

  One can only imagine how open these firms would be for feedback from within if such is the reaction for an innocuous statement – like feeling bored.

• 10 H R Recruitment // Apr 14, 2009 at 5:21 pm

  Many firms have their pages on facebook and other social networking websites,i guess this was done to protect the company.It is agreeable that 90% experience boredom at their workplace,Steve Ivell surely experienced the same.but to display it publicly can threaten both the employer and the employee.

• 11 More social media and workplace firings // Apr 19, 2009 at 10:47 pm

  [...] the reputation of a large company? The potential PR storm you could have as took place in the UK is a bigger issue I would think. Take this further I know a public officer of a multinational who was alleged [...]

• 12 chloe // Oct 28, 2009 at 11:42 pm

  REALLY? got fired for saying her job was boring?!?! the company has some serious problems! so what? she was bored and she told people! lolz the company needs to get a life! i love facebook i talk to all my friends n i love love love sorority life lloolz

• 13 azzam zhafir aulia // Nov 29, 2009 at 10:43 pm

  yeah,, the point is facebook is good not bad.. if u can use facebook carefully, u’ll not get into a jail.. u can makes a lot of money, hahaha.,.. ^_^

• 14 mark // Jan 11, 2010 at 4:05 pm

  Friends are amazed I’m not on FB. I don’t get it: I’m not selling anything, not looking for work, & not trying to make friends other than face-to-face. Is there any other reason to be on ? Email & texting works well enough…or am I missing something?

• 15 frank wuo // Feb 19, 2010 at 12:23 pm

  i think facebook is good

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