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Employers are mining the data their workers generate

wsj.com

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Re: Employers are mining the data their workers generate

#111

Post by QuickToBan »

dang wrote: post #109
QuickToBan wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All I wanted via my original comment in this thread is the workaround. People like others and you offer a lot of advice, but not the workaround I sought. I don't want to have to read ten pages to find the workaround either.

> All I wanted via my original comment in this thread is the workaround In that case you could simply have asked for it.

I effectively did ask for it. You're no less useless than the other person. I recommend you stop wasting people's time on this board, and learn to be helpful when help is asked.

Re: Employers are mining the data their workers generate

#112

Post by trilila »

WrtCdEvrydy wrote: post #91
trilila wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the UK almost all offices are open offices. I am not sure of the benefits of a cubicle as i never worked in one.

Mostly sound suppressing, but does guarantee privacy (I've had to tell someone to fuck off as I'm doing managerial work)

Thats a good point re managerial stuff. So did i and i always had to sit in a corner or somewhere secluded.

Re: Employers are mining the data their workers generate

#113

Post by dang »

QuickToBan wrote: post #111
dang wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> All I wanted via my original comment in this thread is the workaround In that case you could simply have asked for it.

I effectively did ask for it. You're no less useless than the other person. I recommend you stop wasting people's time on this board, and learn to be helpful when help is asked.

"How am I supposed to read this paywalled article? I'm not paying for it." read like a complaint to me, rather than a question. Now that you say that, though, it's clear that I could have read it the other way.

I'm a moderator here, so it's my job to make sure the community follows the site guidelines. That includes not posting personal attacks, which you just did again. If you keep doing that we're going to have to ban you. Would you please read https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and use this site as intended?

Re: Employers are mining the data their workers generate

#114

Post by brokenmachine »

dhruvmittal wrote: post #28
ziddoap wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is what I really am having trouble understanding. How disconnected from reality do you need to be to think surveillance and converting to an open office is going to somehow increase retention of employees?

A surprising number of people in management seem to think "Oh, that'll make us very silicon valley and signal how cool & hip we are!" And a surprising number of people who haven't had to work in open offices before think "Oh, that'll be cool: social, innovative, and collaborative!"

I've never worked in an open office precisely because I am certain that I'd hate it.

Re: Employers are mining the data their workers generate

#115

Post by torified »

debt wrote: post #56

Hopefully this is just US-based employee surveillance as this type of employee-data data mining is strictly illegal in Germany.

It's a pity that a country needs a Nazi holocaust to realize that mass surveillance is a bad thing.

The US will learn, as will the UK and Australia.

Re: Employers are mining the data their workers generate

#116

Post by RIMR »

Working for a startup that gave me a blank laptop and told me to set it up the way I liked is wonderful.

I think most Software Engineers don't have to worry as much about the spying, as we have full control over our system.

Corporate users, with locked down machines, however, should be wary.

Re: Employers are mining the data their workers generate

#117

Post by RIMR »

MegaButts wrote: post #39
jedberg wrote: post #14

People keep forgetting that equipment and subscriptions are your employers property and data, not yours. They have the right to access anything they pay for without telling you. It's important to remain aware of this any time you do anything for work. Back before we had computers, there was nothing stopping a company from opening every memo that came through the mail room and recording every phone conversation and op…

> there was nothing stopping a company from opening every memo that came through the mail room I hope I'm misunderstanding this, because I read it as saying they can open your mail...which I thought was a felony taken very seriously.

No, you're exactly right.

If someone sent a letter to me, but they accidentally put your address on it, you would be committing a felony against me if you opened the letter, even though it was delivered to your address.

You would know it wasn't your letter to open by the fact that someone else's name was on it.

Your employer can forbid you from using your work address to receive deliveries (even sending UPS and FedEx packages back when they aren't addressed to the company - or penalizing you for requesting shipments to the company address).

But if they ever interfere with a USPS delivery, or confiscate or destroy and UPS or FedEx delivery, they would be committing mail fraud.

If you are legally employed for a company, and someone sends you a letter via USPS to you business address, and someone at your company interferes with the delivery of that letter to you in any way, they are committing a felony. Doubly so if they open the letter to see what's inside.

Re: Employers are mining the data their workers generate

#118

Post by MegaButts »

RIMR wrote: post #117
MegaButts wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> there was nothing stopping a company from opening every memo that came through the mail room I hope I'm misunderstanding this, because I read it as saying they can open your mail...which I thought was a felony taken very seriously.

No, you're exactly right. If someone sent a letter to me, but they accidentally put your address on it, you would be committing a felony against me if you opened the letter, even though it was delivered to your address. You would know it wasn't your letter to open by the fact that someone else's name was on it. Your employer can forbid you from using your work address to receive deliveries (even sending UPS and FedEx…

> If you are legally employed for a company, and someone sends you a letter via USPS to you business address, and someone at your company interferes with the delivery of that letter to you in any way, they are committing a felony. Doubly so if they open the letter to see what's inside.

Are you saying they are required to accept your mail, and any company policy forbidding this is loosely connected with committing a felony?

Re: Employers are mining the data their workers generate

#119

Post by RIMR »

MegaButts wrote: post #118
RIMR wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, you're exactly right. If someone sent a letter to me, but they accidentally put your address on it, you would be committing a felony against me if you opened the letter, even though it was delivered to your address. You would know it wasn't your letter to open by the fact that someone else's name was on it. Your employer can forbid you from using your work address to receive deliveries (even sending UPS and FedEx…

> If you are legally employed for a company, and someone sends you a letter via USPS to you business address, and someone at your company interferes with the delivery of that letter to you in any way, they are committing a felony. Doubly so if they open the letter to see what's inside. Are you saying they are required to accept your mail, and any company policy forbidding this is loosely connected with committing a f…

Yes.

If you work at an address, and someone tries to contact you via the mail at that address, and they put your work address and name on the envelope, then there is a legal obligation that you receive the letter, or the post office be informed that you are unreachable at that address so they can return to sender.

If your company receives a piece of mail with your name on it, and they prevent its safe delivery to you or safe return to the sender, then they have committed a felony against you.

It is a serious crime to interfere with the delivery of the mail.

Even just opening your neighbor's mailbox to give them a note is TWO felonies.

One felony for invasion of privacy from opening a mailbox that wasn't assigned to your address or an address you are authorized to collect mail for.

One felony for bypassing the USPS system and defrauding them out of postage by using mailboxes for private parcel delivery.

Do. Not. Fuck. With. The. Mail.

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