When is too much too much? I figure its too much when it hurts job performance. But who am I to say?
I know I use the Internet a lot at work. I admit it. It’s nothing I try to hide. I know there are limits to usage and I measure that by getting my job done. Without the Internet I may have never learned all I could learn about VBA or excel functions like =sumproduct or formula arrays. By learning these things, I’ve actually sped up nearly all my job processes when it comes to financial analysis.
I’d die if I didn’t have the Internet. It keeps me going. The constant feed of information, the constant access to anything from the definition of a medical term like “AICD” or a word I hear on the radio like, “unctuous”, to finding what traffic looks like before I head home or what the Dodgers are doing next to destroy their chances of winning the division. If I didn’t have the Internet available, I’d best be doing a job like filling shelves with books at Barnes & Noble or serving French Roast coffee and Vanilla Latte’s at Starbucks. Some may laugh at my mention of these jobs, and those that do laugh may not understand that I’d rather be a bookseller and/or barrista at Starbucks than a financial analyst. Maybe I’ll do both at the same time - the book and coffee thing, not the analysis and book/coffee thing. So a job without Internet access, to me, is a job that I probably will end up hating till the day I quit or get fired. So thank goodness I have access to the Internet.
That being said, I got called into the CFO’s office due to an email he sent titled “Internet Usage” followed by, ‘See me regarding.’
Uh oh…
I’ll preface this by saying, my boss has been one of the best bosses I’ve ever had. There’s no doubt that my boss has gone above and beyond the call of duty to make me feel I am doing a good job (unlike the other two places I worked at) from getting a completely unexpected raise, encouraging my continued performance and support of my analysis, and giving me days off and telling me to go home early. You can’t ask for anything more from a boss. The bottom line, he respects me and my work and in turn I try desperately to give him a product that he can rely on. I DO NOT want to be a manager, I DO NOT want to be the ‘director’ of my department as I currently am filling the role as the ‘Interim Director of Managed Care”, and I DO NOT want to be a CFO. I am happy with my position, which keeps me on the even playing field of hopefully making it in FILM someday. Every position I advance to in this industry just means the Film career is getting further away.
I hate my job but I don’t ‘hate’ it. I don’t like what I’m doing that much but how can you hate it that much when you’re given so much for doing it? A good salary, praise and recognition, free lunches at month end and job flexibility.
That being said, I am prepared to leave my job in pursuit of a Barnes & Noble or Starbucks employment or pursue an Independent film on my own if I have to.
Back to the subject of Internet Usage.
I walked into my boss’ office and asked if I was in trouble for using the Internet. He said, ‘no’, he just wanted me to be aware that my usage was double compared to everyone else. I was like, do you want me to stop? He said, and I quote, “No, you don’t have to do that,” - just be careful to close up the websites and to monitor usage and don’t go to ‘bad’ websites (in not so many words). He mentioned he was ‘completely’ satisfied with my job performance and really just wanted me to be aware and sent me on my way. No warnings (although I heed this as a warning but he could have said, don’t use the Internet and didn’t), no real repercussion (yet), he even went as far as saying, quote, “I’m the same way myself.” Yes, I’ve walked into his office and saw him managing his Fantasy Baseball team, and the Associate CFO has sent me websites with cars on it when I mentioned I liked a specific vehicle. I’m not taking the attitude that if they do it so can I, I’m taking the attitude that if I can’t, I’ll just probably die and have to find another means of income. Is it Internet addiction? Or is it information addiction? Maybe a little bit of both. The bottom line, I need the Internet. It keeps me sane and aware there is an outside world out there other than my world of financial analysis in a small office with half a window and a view of the parking lot accompanied by the constant roar of the 101 freeway fifty feet from my window.
(I believe its measured by bandwidth and I uploaded a bunch of pictures to my photo gallery
last week)
So there you have it. I knew eventually someone might say something, I knew that I am capable of spending my whole lunch period reading articles, visiting sites, and reading my email on the Internet. But when a deadline for work has to be met, it’s going to be met. I guess… and I hope… that’s really the bottom line.
Damn… I need a raise - and an iced mocha frap with a book to read.
