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“I monitor my staff with software that takes screenshots”

bbc.co.uk

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Re: “I monitor my staff with software that takes screenshots”

#171

Post by whack »

zenincognito wrote: post #5

I once went to court against a client who wouldn't pay his bills. The sum more than 35K. It took over 9 months to get to court ( as the court wouldnt give a date ) and countless docs and hours spent to come up with evidence folder. In Australia, a citizen can argue their case which I did without using any lawyers. Finally, we both argued our case to a point where the client's defence was that there was no time log fo…

> Pay for work not time spent on the computer.

Consider the unintended consequences of what you're proposing. Most software projects end up taking far longer than initially estimated. If you tell your manager that you can have something done in one month, and it actually takes you two months to do it, does that mean you should take a 50% pay cut for those 2 months? Or that you should work 80 hours weeks to get it done in 1 month?

If you're a freelancer who doesn't charge by the hour, more power to you. But most people prefer the stability of a fixed monthly paycheck, regardless of how productive/unproductive they may be

Re: “I monitor my staff with software that takes screenshots”

#172

Post by jl2718 »

zenincognito wrote: post #5

I once went to court against a client who wouldn't pay his bills. The sum more than 35K. It took over 9 months to get to court ( as the court wouldnt give a date ) and countless docs and hours spent to come up with evidence folder. In Australia, a citizen can argue their case which I did without using any lawyers. Finally, we both argued our case to a point where the client's defence was that there was no time log fo…

Unfortunately the abstract nature of our craft makes hourly pay nearly inevitable. If you want a new engine in a $50k car, you can roughly understand the difficulty and cost of that, but software just seems like magic that appears out of nowhere for free.

Re: “I monitor my staff with software that takes screenshots”

#173

Post by C1sc0cat »

Aeolun wrote: post #158
C1sc0cat wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You just have to remember to slow down when the time and motion person is monitoring your work - its I known way of gaming the system. There's a lot of unwritten rules in factories - I recall being told about how when a big heavy engineering turbine or what have you was close to being delivered ,work slowed right down until the magic brown envelopes arrived. And my source commented even the tea boy got £750 - this wa…

Why would people get envelopes with money if a turbine was delivered?

They went on a go slow - company paid under the table to hit a delivery date.

Re: “I monitor my staff with software that takes screenshots”

#174

Post by ehnto »

faebi wrote: post #136
ehnto wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reminds me of a friend who currently leaves a heavy object on his spacebar inside a text doc at night, so that it shows him active all the time. That way they won't see when he clocks in. It's one of those jobs where it doesn't matter when he does the work, but the silent judgment of the clock causes stress anyway and people make comments.

Does it ever crash?

I asked the same thing and he hasn't had an issue yet, I guess the key press rate is slow enough that it never reaches any issues.

Re: “I monitor my staff with software that takes screenshots”

#175

Post by [deleted] »

whack wrote: post #171
zenincognito wrote: post #5

I once went to court against a client who wouldn't pay his bills. The sum more than 35K. It took over 9 months to get to court ( as the court wouldnt give a date ) and countless docs and hours spent to come up with evidence folder. In Australia, a citizen can argue their case which I did without using any lawyers. Finally, we both argued our case to a point where the client's defence was that there was no time log fo…

> Pay for work not time spent on the computer. Consider the unintended consequences of what you're proposing. Most software projects end up taking far longer than initially estimated. If you tell your manager that you can have something done in one month, and it actually takes you two months to do it, does that mean you should take a 50% pay cut for those 2 months? Or that you should work 80 hours weeks to get it don…

[deleted]

Re: “I monitor my staff with software that takes screenshots”

#176

Post by cutemonster »

lostlogin wrote: post #111
hnick wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Interestingly enough if was always the British employees who would do things like steal customer contact lists when they left or do deals on the side, so I suppose they had a reason to not trust people. If you're already treating me like I've done you wrong, then trust is gone and it wasn't by my choice. That cuts both ways. If someone feels like they are being treated as though they've already broken a social cont…

You see this with children (and some adults if I’m being honest). Being told not to do something makes it more appealing.

And/or do other things one was not told not to do?

Re: “I monitor my staff with software that takes screenshots”

#177

Post by webmaven »

debtitor wrote: post #160
dspillett wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The one we were told at University was the contractor who charged £5,000 for a few hours work fixing a design, which in the end took five pencil marks. When asked to break down the costs of the job he resubmitted the invoice as: 5x 1 pencil mark = 5x £1 = £5, 1x knowing where to make the marks = 1x £4,995 = £4,995, with an offer of a discount on future pencil marks if the invoice was paid promptly.

Also told as “$5 for the hammer, $4,995 for knowing where to hit it”.

> Also told as “$5 for the hammer, $4,995 for knowing where to hit it”.

Is that the one about the carpenter fixing the squeaky floorboard?

Re: “I monitor my staff with software that takes screenshots”

#178

Post by webmaven »

lostlogin wrote: post #108
eequah9L wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kinda tricky to scale that kind of network ;)

There are a lot of humans.

> There are a lot of humans.

Unfortunately, each has to be trained separately.

That said, the fact that producing additional untrained neural networks is often done recreationally by unskilled labor has to be factored into the unit economics.

Re: “I monitor my staff with software that takes screenshots”

#179

Post by neilwilson »

nip wrote: post #36
zenincognito wrote: post #5

I once went to court against a client who wouldn't pay his bills. The sum more than 35K. It took over 9 months to get to court ( as the court wouldnt give a date ) and countless docs and hours spent to come up with evidence folder. In Australia, a citizen can argue their case which I did without using any lawyers. Finally, we both argued our case to a point where the client's defence was that there was no time log fo…

One day you come home and realize that you locked yourself out of your home. You call the locksmith. He arrives, looks at the door, fiddles with the lock for one minute, opens the door then leaves. The next day you receive the bill, 150€. Are you mad for spending so much for one minute of work? You shouldn’t: you paid for the experience that allowed him to open it in 1 minute. — Recalling it from a discussion with a…

£1 for hitting it with a hammer

£999 for knowing where to hit and how hard

Re: “I monitor my staff with software that takes screenshots”

#180

Post by dspillett »

rvnx wrote: post #163
dspillett wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The one we were told at University was the contractor who charged £5,000 for a few hours work fixing a design, which in the end took five pencil marks. When asked to break down the costs of the job he resubmitted the invoice as: 5x 1 pencil mark = 5x £1 = £5, 1x knowing where to make the marks = 1x £4,995 = £4,995, with an offer of a discount on future pencil marks if the invoice was paid promptly.

Why should knowledge or experience be charged ? Isn't it in the interest of the whole humanity to be able to charge only for materials ?

My job does not require materials as such. Should I work for free for the good of mankind? How would I be able to obtain sustenance and shelter?
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