At every place I have worked in the past 7 years (2 museums, 2 private
consulting firms), what was on your computer was considered the property of
and accessible by your employer.  These are work tools purchased by the
company for company use and benefit.  If you are doing personal work with
them than you are using company resources for personal gain.    The same
with your desk; you may need a place to lock of personal items (purse,
wallet, etc.) during work hours but the bulk of the objects in the desk are
work tools purchased by the company for the benefit of the company, not for
the personal benefit of the employee.  This is not to say that I welcome
people to come scrounging through my desk or my hard drive (I've had too
many pairs of scissors missing over the past year to not feel at least a
little territorial) but I consider it my supervisor's right to examine
anything in or on either place.  I also expect to have access to any of my
employee's desks or computers.

I also think that playing games at work is bad form.  Even if you are on
break it still looks bad when people walk by and see you doing it.  They
don't know if you are on break or just goofing off.

----------
> From: Hervé Gagnon <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: personnel policy on computer use
> Date: Wednesday, October 14, 1998 9:16 AM
>
> I agree with Ross on this one: a computer is a personal tool and, as long
as you
> use it in your employer's best interest, it should remain personal. Two
years
> ago, I was confronted with a new and inexperienced board president who
had
> decided she was the real director of the Museum and wanted to know
EVERYTHING
> that was going on. At least that's how she justified looking through all
my
> drawers, filing cabinets and computer files on week ends... It turned out
she
> wanted to find some dirt that would justify firing me and allow her to
become
> president-director and be paid for it...  At least, that was the plan.
> Fortunately she antagonized everyone and didn't last nine months in
office, but
> need I say that my computer is now equipped with a password?
>
> Hervé Gagnon