We hear through the upper-level grapevine that Governor Steve Beshear and COT are removing the block on blogs for state employees beginning this afternoon.
Our source tells us a strict policy will be implemented to keep state employees from wasting time during working hours. We’ll keep track of traffic over the coming weeks to determine if there’s a huge flood of state worker readership.
The big thing here is that the administration finally realizes a lot of people need access to blogs like this one to get news they otherwise wouldn’t have access to.
11 responses so far ↓
1 Daniel // Mar 19, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to read what Jay said about the weather.
2 Steve Magruder (I, not D or R) // Mar 19, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Excellent news…
I hereby invite state workers from the Louisville area to check outLouisville History & Issues.
(Were discussion boards blocked too?)
3 anonymous // Mar 19, 2008 at 9:55 pm
This is truly terrible news for all of us concerned about state workplace efficiency.
If people so badly need to read blogs, they can do it at home.
But be warned — the filters may be coming off at the COT level, but in some agencies reading blogs is still against policy and offenders are subject to dismissal from employment on first offense.
So to any state employees out there — play it safe and don’t blog on state time. Wait till you get home to read this and other blogs.
4 David Adams // Mar 19, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Jake,
If you talk to Governor Beshear, please ask him to keep the block on Kentucky Progress and Bluegrass Policy Blog.
5 Dome Dweller // Mar 20, 2008 at 2:05 am
This is a no brainer. Of course, I love reading the political blogs and occasionally posting on them. However, it is any employer’s right to restrict what employees are doing on their (company) time. It’s no different with state employees. In fact, we should be concerned when in fact, state employees spend much time on blogs. I do have a problem with that withholding on my check each pay day going toward paying an employee in the education cabinet to follow the latest political news and innuendo, or a revenue employee doing the same, or a highly paid person like a chief of staff or special assistant in the capitol , the tower, or kytc building spending much of their time blogging or voting on polls. That is not why we’re paying them is it?
6 Steve Magruder (I, not D or R) // Mar 20, 2008 at 3:41 am
Employees have a lunch period and two break times — there should be no reason they can’t check news sites, blogs and discussion boards during those times. To expect anyone to work straight through without breaks is actually illegal. If somebody chooses to spend their break doing a bit of web surfing, there should be no issue. The cost of a few minutes of surfing is minuscule.
7 Dome Dweller // Mar 20, 2008 at 7:24 am
Still state computers and state network. Why should state government allow access to such sites on its equipment. Of course, they shouldn’t. Under that logic, then state government should ensure that state employees have access to any web site so long as they look at it during their time…problem is that that still not their equipment. sorry, still a no go!
8 Steve Magruder (I, not D or R) // Mar 20, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Dome, that’s just being unrealistic. Yes, it’s technically state computers and state networking equipment. So what? So, you’re saying that they shouldn’t allow web access during breaks as a minor perk? That employees should be 100% cut off from the world for 8 straight hours every weekday?
Your position is very untenable, and if you’re thinking you’re “protecting the taxpayer”, no you’re not. The costs don’t go up measurably because employees web-surf during breaks. So, you’re splitting financial hairs.
You must be a manager type, as you appear to want an oppressive world of work. I do not.
9 Dome Dweller // Mar 20, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Magruder,
you wrongly assume that they’ll only surf during breaks. if that’s your position, then you wouldn’t mind at all standing with state government when they discipline an employee for surfing outside of breaks right?
10 jake // Mar 20, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Dome - Who in their right mind would condemn punishment or a reprimand (or even firing) for breaking the rules?
Further, if you don’t think many employees are spending hundreds of hours per month surfing sites like ESPN and CNN each month, you’re crazy. Might as well be able to surf blogs and such.
11 Steve Magruder (I, not D or R) // Mar 20, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Dome, I am assuming nothing. I have not approved of employees web surfing when they are supposed to be getting their job done, although I think we all know the real world of employment, where occasionally there are periods of nothing to do. The employees may as well learn something while they’re awaiting their next task assignment.
If somebody is truly abusing their privileges, certainly management should deal with that. I don’t support immediate canning for it, but there are procedures for ratcheting up punishments, up to and including termination.
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