NationStates Jolt Archive

seeing as how your all too lazy to read: an employee has been fired for looking at porn at work, trick is he suffers from PTS and claims that he is addicted to sex especially adult chat rooms (the chat forum)

"A man in the US is suing IBM for $5m (£2.5m) in a wrongful dismissal case after he was fired for visiting adult internet chat rooms while at work.

James Pacenza, 58, says he was addicted to online chat rooms and that IBM should have offered him sympathy and treatment instead of firing him.

The Vietnam War veteran says he has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder since 1969.

He argues that he used the internet to control his psychological problems."

BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6682827.stm)

now I personally think he should be able to go on any website barring chatrooms (which most places ban for some reason?) and not just him how about everyone

what the worst that could happen? why can't he just do a myspace?

I think the problem is that he was doing it at work, so perhaps he should have been working instead?



What?
<.<
>.>

I think the problem is that he was doing it at work, so perhaps he should have been working instead?



What?
<.<
>.>
Your logic arguments have no place here! Be gone, heathen.:p

You should work when you are at work, not surf the net. However, that doesn't stop me from emailing hubby like twice a day.

You should work when you are at work, not surf the net.
Oops. Sorry, Mom :(

Oops. Sorry, Mom :(
sorry doesn't work anymore mister, you either change your behavior or I am going to assume you are lying to me.

Are you a liar?

do you know what happens to liars in this house?

http://209.85.12.232/4228/55/emo/icon_smackbutt.gif

sorry doesn't work anymore mister, you either change your behavior or I am going to assume you are lying to me.

Are you a liar?

do you know what happens to liars in this house?

http://209.85.12.232/4228/55/emo/icon_smackbutt.gif
Spanking, obviously. And after that it is time for the oral sex?

Spanking, obviously. And after that it is time for the oral sex?

*lies to find out*

*lies to find out*
Sir Ghalahad will arrive shortly.

It wasn't Ghalahad, I know, but I forgot who it really was.

Sir Ghalahad will arrive shortly.

It wasn't Ghalahad, I know, but I forgot who it really was.

DINGO:
And after the spanking, the oral sex.
GIRLS:
The oral sex! The oral sex!
GALAHAD:
Well, I could stay a bit longer.
LAUNCELOT:
Sir Galahad!
GALAHAD:
Oh, hello.
LAUNCELOT:
Quick!
GALAHAD:
What?
LAUNCELOT:
Quick!
GALAHAD:
Why?
LAUNCELOT:
You are in great peril!
DINGO:
No, he isn't.
LAUNCELOT:
Silence, foul temptress!
GALAHAD:
You know, she's got a point.

You should work when you are at work, not surf the net.

By the same token, work should provide work to do during the day. If they don't, I see no harm in a little web-surfing or IMing with the wife.

This guy, though? He can take up his little hobby at home and find himself another thing to do at work. I hear paper football is a very pleasant diversion.

Aha, I couldn't think of Launcelot's name.:p

By the same token, work should provide work to do during the day. If they don't, I see no harm in a little web-surfing or IMing with the wife.

This guy, though? He can take up his little hobby at home and find himself another thing to do at work. I hear paper football is a very pleasant diversion.
If you don't have enough work to do, you should help others or pick up new projects. You are being paid to work. While I don't see the problem with an occasional call home or answering emails, surfing porn and posting on forums is way over the line in my book.

If you don't have enough work to do, you should help others or pick up new projects. You are being paid to work. While I don't see the problem with an occasional call home or answering emails, surfing porn and posting on forums is way over the line in my book.

I am basically paid to help others. If there are no issues, and i try to take on something new, it's fruitless. I do what is needed. Beyond that, it's either sit at my desk with my thumb up my butt, bug my wife constantly, or come here. Guess which I've chosen.

I am basically paid to help others. If there are no issues, and i try to take on something new, it's fruitless. I do what is needed. Beyond that, it's either sit at my desk with my thumb up my butt, bug my wife constantly, or come here. Guess which I've chosen.

tech support?

So, I could look up porn at work(you know, if I had a job), get fired and then sue for millions? Sign me up baby!

"Anything's okay as long as you don't get caught..."

But when you do get caught, you'll suffer the consequences and shut up about it. The thing I mostly roll my eyes at is his claim of "addiction" - that would need psychiatric evaluation to prove true. Otherwise he's just like any other guy: lying sack of shit drooling after sexual fantasies.

1. Yes, I'm female.
2. Yes, I sometimes surf the net for hot guys' pictures.
3. Yes, I do it on my own time. :p

seeing as how your all too lazy to read: an employee has been fired for looking at porn at work, trick is he suffers from PTS and claims that he is addicted to sex especially adult chat rooms (the chat forum)

"A man in the US is suing IBM for $5m (£2.5m) in a wrongful dismissal case after he was fired for visiting adult internet chat rooms while at work.

James Pacenza, 58, says he was addicted to online chat rooms and that IBM should have offered him sympathy and treatment instead of firing him.

The Vietnam War veteran says he has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder since 1969.

He argues that he used the internet to control his psychological problems."

BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6682827.stm)

now I personally think he should be able to go on any website barring chatrooms (which most places ban for some reason?) and not just him how about everyone

what the worst that could happen? why can't he just do a myspace?
They pay for his time they pay for the bandwidth and they own the computer he was doing this on they have the right to set acceptable usage of their resources and he failed to abide by them.

I think the problem is that he was doing it at work, so perhaps he should have been working instead?



What?
<.<
>.>

Like some other people here... uhmm.. me?

But I work and do this simultaniously.

Call me backwards, but it seems to me that if you're at work you should uh... work and not look at p0rn. NSG is one thing, chatrooms and p0rn are another...

Call me backwards, but it seems to me that if you're at work you should uh... work and not look at p0rn. NSG is one thing, chatrooms and p0rn are another...

Indeed.. my work does not forbid the use of message boards and such as long as we remain productive. But porn is expressly forbidden.

Call me backwards, but it seems to me that if you're at work you should uh... work and not look at p0rn. NSG is one thing, chatrooms and p0rn are another...

Agreed not only do they have to worry about comfort of the other employees but loss of time

seeing as how your all too lazy to read: an employee has been fired for looking at porn at work, trick is he suffers from PTS and claims that he is addicted to sex especially adult chat rooms (the chat forum)

"A man in the US is suing IBM for $5m (£2.5m) in a wrongful dismissal case after he was fired for visiting adult internet chat rooms while at work.

James Pacenza, 58, says he was addicted to online chat rooms and that IBM should have offered him sympathy and treatment instead of firing him.

The Vietnam War veteran says he has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder since 1969.

He argues that he used the internet to control his psychological problems."

BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6682827.stm)

now I personally think he should be able to go on any website barring chatrooms (which most places ban for some reason?) and not just him how about everyone

what the worst that could happen? why can't he just do a myspace?

someone who uses porn (sexual arousal) to medicate his post traumatic stress disorder sounds like someone who is going to turn into a dangerous pervert. I'm sorry but a man who has to be sexually stimulated or else he starts acting like he's in a war zone sounds like sexual assault waiting to happen. god, the army fucks people up.

"Anything's okay as long as you don't get caught..."

But when you do get caught, you'll suffer the consequences and shut up about it. The thing I mostly roll my eyes at is his claim of "addiction" - that would need psychiatric evaluation to prove true. Otherwise he's just like any other guy: lying sack of shit drooling after sexual fantasies.

1. Yes, I'm female.
2. Yes, I sometimes surf the net for hot guys' pictures.
3. Yes, I do it on my own time. :p

sex addiction is real...its scary, I've bought porn before (its a waste of money) and sites have offered me discounts when I make purchases in excess of $300...wtf, who spends $300 a pop on porn? sex releases some of the chemicals, albeit on a smaller scale, that drugs do...it's quite possible to become addicted to it.

Am I the only one who looks at the title and interprets it as 'fighting in pornography has some beneficial effect?'

sex releases some of the chemicals, albeit on a smaller scale, that drugs do...it's quite possible to become addicted to it.

so is star wars one of the withdrawal symptoms? :p

Am I the only one who looks at the title and interprets it as 'fighting in pornography has some beneficial effect?'

I read it about like that. My train of thought was more like "Fighting over pornography has some benefit," and I imagined two brothers playing tug-of-war (this is not a euphemism) over an adult DVD.

I don't understand how this guy thinks he's gonna win the case. Alcohol and drug addicts aren't allowed to drink/shoot up at work, why should he be allowed to watch porn? He doesn't need fucking money, the man needs therapy.

Screwing around at work is one thing, but when its porn, you start getting into sexual-harassment territory, and that's a whole lot worse.

He was at work. Work at work. Trabaja en trabajo. Arbeit an der Arbeit. There is no excuse for him looking up porn at work. If he wanted to look up porn, he should've done it on his own time.

I'm sorry but a man who has to be sexually stimulated or else he starts acting like he's in a war zone sounds like sexual assault waiting to happen. god, the army fucks people up.

Couldn't agree more... Chemical castration FTW! :p

sex addiction is real...

Yes, but Post-Traumatic Stress disorder isn't "healed" with porn addiction... I'd understand _sex_ addiction, but anyone crazy/addicted enough to risk their work to surf for porn doesn't deserve that job in the first place.

And he says they should have helped him cope with it - did he _ask_ for help in the first place? Or was he just caught with his hand in his pants?

If you don't have enough work to do, you should help others or pick up new projects. You are being paid to work. While I don't see the problem with an occasional call home or answering emails, surfing porn and posting on forums is way over the line in my book.

It depends on the policy of the company.

I have no problem with my engineers taking time out playing a computer game and what not; especially when they are hung up on a problem.

You want 8 hours of constant work; install robots.

BTW: Can you tell that to the corporate execs?

Having worked the security world for awhile; I have found some of the biggest violators of policy are the policy makers.

I don't see the problem with an occasional call home or answering emails,

You know you have violated policy in many companies right?

I am basically paid to help others. If there are no issues, and i try to take on something new, it's fruitless. I do what is needed. Beyond that, it's either sit at my desk with my thumb up my butt, bug my wife constantly, or come here. Guess which I've chosen.
One and three?
Agreed not only do they have to worry about comfort of the other employees but loss of time
That's the real issue I think. Dead time is dead time. We all have it at work, it happens. Sometimes you're just faster than what people thought you'd be or it's a slow day or whatever. Dead time happens and you fill it one way or the other. A cubicle filler isn't going to grab a vacuum because he managed to get his whateveritiscubiclepeopledo done.

However, looking at porn at work can cause some pretty uncomfortable situations for co-workers and if the dude is in a situation where he needs to look at porn (I'd like to see the medical basis for that...) it's a special need that might not be accomodatable.(screw you Firefox spell check).

Dude, as a certified porn freak, I can say that guy's nuts. And definiteely should have asked for help. I love looking at porn. But would I risk my "job" by looking at porn on the school computers? Nada.

One and three?

That's the real issue I think. Dead time is dead time. We all have it at work, it happens. Sometimes you're just faster than what people thought you'd be or it's a slow day or whatever. Dead time happens and you fill it one way or the other. A cubicle filler isn't going to grab a vacuum because he managed to get his whateveritiscubiclepeopledo done.

However, looking at porn at work can cause some pretty uncomfortable situations for co-workers and if the dude is in a situation where he needs to look at porn (I'd like to see the medical basis for that...) it's a special need that might not be accomodatable.(screw you Firefox spell check).

Agreed there should be reasonable flexibility for dead time, but I think a good employer should make a best effort to also provide direction during dead time

I know we do here we have a LOT of research topics for our student workers as well as knowledge base stuff to do during dead time. Not all employers do this but we are paying our workers and when they are not answering the phones our out fixing infrastructure at least a good part of that dead time should be on something productive and hopefully interesting for them

It depends on the policy of the company.

I have no problem with my engineers taking time out playing a computer game and what not; especially when they are hung up on a problem.

You want 8 hours of constant work; install robots.

BTW: Can you tell that to the corporate execs?

Having worked the security world for awhile; I have found some of the biggest violators of policy are the policy makers.
I agree.

You know you have violated policy in many companies right?
none of the ones I have worked for.

A good boss keeps his employees busy doing something productive, a good employee doesn't surf porn at work.

Am I the only one who looks at the title and interprets it as 'fighting in pornography has some beneficial effect?'

...Is that why you came to this thread?

DINGO:
And after the spanking, the oral sex.
GIRLS:
The oral sex! The oral sex!
GALAHAD:
Well, I could stay a bit longer.
LAUNCELOT:
Sir Galahad!
GALAHAD:
Oh, hello.
LAUNCELOT:
Quick!
GALAHAD:
What?
LAUNCELOT:
Quick!
GALAHAD:
Why?
LAUNCELOT:
You are in great peril!
DINGO:
No, he isn't.
LAUNCELOT:
Silence, foul temptress!
GALAHAD:
You know, she's got a point.

"Let me face the peril!"
"No, it's to perilious!"

"Anything's okay as long as you don't get caught..."

But when you do get caught, you'll suffer the consequences and shut up about it. The thing I mostly roll my eyes at is his claim of "addiction" - that would need psychiatric evaluation to prove true. Otherwise he's just like any other guy: lying sack of shit drooling after sexual fantasies.

1. Yes, I'm female.
2. Yes, I sometimes surf the net for hot guys' pictures.
3. Yes, I do it on my own time. :p

4. Yes, you are sexist.

You should work when you are at work, not surf the net. However, that doesn't stop me from emailing hubby like twice a day.

Aye. And...well...I'm on here all day.

I agree.

none of the ones I have worked for.


Actually you probably had ones that were not enforcing it. Many companies have a policy about using company assets for personal use. Telephones and email fall under that.

Again it's up to the company.


A good boss keeps his employees busy doing something productive, a good employee doesn't surf porn at work.

Ahh a "good" boss is a broad definition.

Surfing porn at work. No argument. However, you mentioned surfing in general.

For me meh. Management takes breaks so should the grunts. It's a matter of definition of waste. A worker posting here could be considered wasteful and yet the exec checking his portfolio is not.

But hey! That's what work schedules are for. Too bad many managers think they should not have to monitor them.....

So, I could look up porn at work(you know, if I had a job), get fired and then sue for millions? Sign me up baby!

I support this plan.

I think the problem is that he was doing it at work, so perhaps he should have been working instead?



What?
<.<
>.>

If his productivity was sub par, that's a valid point. Reminds me of a line by some comedian whose name escapes me.

"my boss was yellin' at me 'why aren't you doin' any work?'
'cos there's nothin' to do!'
'well you could pretend you're workin'
'why don't you pretend I'm working?'"

A lot of bosses think that work is supposed to be a religious thing. If you produce then what's the problem? If you think that a guy who produces X widgets per day while working like a dog is preferable to a guy who produces 2 or 3 X widgets but only works half a day and spends the rest of his time drinking in the closet, well you're a moron.

I don't know for a fact that the guys productivity didn't suffer. But he wasn't fired for being a bad worker. He was fired for having a sex based hobby that he pretty much kept to himself.

We don't fire people for participating in office fantasy football games. Or playing minesweeper between phone calls. But you can be fired if you have a glass of wine on your lunch break because you're "drinking on the job."

He wasn't fired because he was at work and not working. He was fired because his boss thought he was icky and was confident that he would be an unsympathetic figure if other people thought he was icky too. That's why the article points out that even though he's a potential pervert, he's a Vietnam vet. Because it isn't about whether or not he's a good worker. It's about whether or not he's gross.

You should work when you are at work, not surf the net. However, that doesn't stop me from emailing hubby like twice a day.

But not all jobs demand constant attention. Plenty of in-house IT guys have nothing to do most of the day. Their job is to sit around and wait for someone to have a problem, then fix it. No problems, no work. No work, no problem. Why is sitting around bored out of your mind a better use of that guys time than sitting around chatting in pornrooms?

Now if he doesn't respond when called because his online dominatrix told him not to move until he starts to wet himself, then he's a bad employee and should be fired. But he still shouldn't be fired for sex chat. He should be fired for not doing his job and pissing on company property.

My current job demands almost constant attention, but in the scant few minutes of downtime I have my boss does not object in the slightest if I pull out a magazine. I opt for Time instead of Hustler, but if I had a more enclosed cubicle I would expect the choice to be mine.

My previous job our work was measured in units. I produced 1500 when "Far Exceeds Quota" was considered 800. My boss didn't really care if I took the occasional nap at my desk. I produced more in my 6 hours of work than any two of my coworkers produced in 8. My boss understood that if I didn't put my head down every now and then I'd get tired, sloppy, and error-prone.

My boss at the time told me that the other managers on the floor thought he was nuts for letting me "slack off" but as long as I kept up those numbers I could do as I damned well pleased. For his careless attitude my boss was promoted. I had to transfer because my next boss did not share the previous one's enlightened attitude, and thus lost what was essentially two workers for the price of one.

It's necessary for people to take breaks, and if that's what helps him......
...but he should not be doing it so much that someone feels the need to fire him. And he probably should have gotten help himself (then he could have a psychotherapist/psychiatrist saying that he requires it at the moment and get excused due to a disability so long as he did in fact work as well and did not make other workers uncomfortable). The fact that someone noticed enough to get him fired suggests that he *probably* went too far in his "self-help."

So if I claim I'm addicted to setting fires and they catch me burning my desk, I can sue them?


And what does PTS have to do with porn addiction?

So if I claim I'm addicted to setting fires and they catch me burning my desk, I can sue them?


And what does PTS have to do with porn addiction?

Of course you can!
You just are unlikely to win anything.

Apparently for him, the porn reduces his stress, which calms the symptoms of PTSD. This led to addiction.

I don't know about anyone else, but when I read the thread title I imagined people beating eachother up with risque magazines to settle some sort of dispute.

I don't know about anyone else, but when I read the thread title I imagined people beating eachother up with risque magazines to settle some sort of dispute.

No, that's friday. Didn't you get that memo I sent ya?

I don't know about anyone else, but when I read the thread title I imagined people beating eachother up with risque magazines to settle some sort of dispute.
Not just that, I was expected to read about how that has been scientifically proven to be the most effective and satisfying way of settling disputes of any nature.

4. Yes, you are sexist.

That goes naturally with #1, being a female. :p

That goes naturally with #1, being a female. :p

Just as it would if #1 had been being a male. :)