Thursday, March 21, 2013

Is Cyber-Loafing for You?

Are you sitting comfortably? And is your comfort conducive to making a good job of whatever it is you’re doing at the moment?

It has recently been revealed that the founder of Facebook likes to keep the office temperature down at 15C/60F in order to encourage productivity. This is a whole degree below the office legal minimum - apparently intended to keep us jiggling about in our seats, brains palpitating in sync and pouring forth ideas and Stuff of brilliance.   Instead of enjoying ourselves.


For researchers at Kansas State University have shown that 60-80% of internet time in the office is spent Cyber-Loafing

If I knew what it was I’d have a go – it must be a Lot of Fun...  but is it fair? 

Lucy Kellaway of the FT refers to such dilly-dallying as Theft of our employers’ time. Well I feel bad about that already, but it was suggested that some kind of public shaming was needed - stocks were mentioned (would there be enough room in the car park for them all?). 

Or simple discomfort might suffice - Ms Kelloway tried standing up all day at work and didn’t Twitter once…

When I last worked in an office, mere email was a thrilling new world (‘oh god – where the hell’s that one gone?’). Surrounded by the webly temptations of today, it might be difficult to Just Say No

I mean, having a free moment before Rummikub club, I’ve just checked today's HuffPost, some favourite Twitterings, then I've googled - the musical group of the son of someone I met at the bus stop; a youtube vid on how to streak your hair with a hat full of holes and a crochet hook; and routes from France to UK for imminent visitors. 

And every google offered multitudinous sites, all of which led to countless other fascinating sites, and eventually answered every question in the universe.

Apparently in the harmonious period BeforeCyberloaf, people were sometimes encouraged in the workplace to put their All into actual Work by inducements of luscious fruit or zumba classes or the like - merry distractions to bring a beam to your face and to gird your loins for plunging back into the fray.   

Meetings BC (it is written) were more likely to carry on ad infinitum because everyone would get comfily ensconced round the table as they were plied with tea and coffee. 

Well  NO MORE!

SinceCyberloaf   it takes more than a chocolate bourbon to wrench us away from our personal diversions - it takes punishment!

At 15C (and chairless), people in meetings will no doubt be battling to get their word in and jog briskly off, woolly hats askew.



Coated at our desks, we'll try anything to keep warm...
...though I think that's going a bit far and just LOOK at those trainers! 
 
Anyway, Is Cyber-Loafing for you?
 
Yes! Oh yes! - it's a Drug, it's an Obsession, it's a Joy!
 
And it's in the back bedroom with the rest of our office space.
 

 
 

10 comments:

Expat said...

How did you get that photo of me! Have you hacked into my Skype account and installed a bug that catches me in the wee small hours in my unmentionables? Well, all morning, actually, but that's just between us. I will have to pay more attention to that little green light in future.

I don't consider what I do to be loafing. It's more an earnest search for universal truth. And I will find it eventually, buried among the lying ads for banana skin teeth whitening, space travel deals, and anything put out on a political website.

Besides, in my home office anything under 69F is considered inhumane and reason to strike.

Dolores Doolittle said...

Hee Ho Expat and I'm sorry! (We have the same dressing gown & everything...)

Am hugely encouraged by your thoughts on Universal Truth. Hence I felt it my duty just now to unearth the "Charlie Bit My Finger" youtube heard on Radio4 last sleepless night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW4n6vDJg78

Hilarious, and years later now, Charlie is still revelling in the pain he inflicted.

The clip's had seventy billion views and Fascinatingly, it's been exceeding lucrative for them - such is advertising.

Would they be interested in the broken leg vid I sent to far-off brothers, one wonders...?

No.


Canary Islander said...

This is a test - from a hotel lobby
:-)

Canary Islander said...

Hey yippee !!! It worked - and I'm not even in my dressing gown and slippers (or in the buff, which is the way home cyber-loafers in the Canary Islands like to do it. And it is better to have cyber-loafed and lost it, than never to have cyber-loafed at all - and unlost it.

Lovely happy blog, Dolores ...
:-)

Dolores Doolittle said...

And Yippee to see you CI! - if not dressing gown, slippers or buff, I'll picture you in james bond evening suit and bow tie, perhaps set for a spot of casino-loafing...
Have fun!

Expat said...

Cyber loafing has its rewards! As does Facebook. I learned that our dear friend Constance is tweeting on twitter!

https://twitter.com/lemonfool

I don't tweet myself, but I might have to get one of them fancy phones and start.

Canary Islander said...

Canaries, of course, invented tweeties. And pies.
:-)

Dolores Doolittle said...

Oh Expat & Tweetie Pie, isn't that Fab! And having just flurtled over there, I see she's started blogging again:

http://www.penguinusablog.com/constance-harding-a-day-in-the-life-by-ceri-radford/

Hurray!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Expat said...

Blog is now up and running and receiving visitors.