IT Work - Question about illegal tasks

[dsity]

Sift through the emails. Accidentally sift through your bosses emails and see what they've said about you 😉 .

Honestly, stick with the job until you can find another.

 

[Mide]

Yeah go through the emails as told. It all belongs to the company. Also, your company sounds quite unstable if they got rid of 80% of the IT staff. Obviously the uppers knew that you were competent, but they see it as you being able to do a ton more work for the same salary. You're being used man. Start searching for a replacement job to jump to.

 

[StarsFan4Life]

Originally posted by: Mide
Yeah go through the emails as told. It all belongs to the company. Also, your company sounds quite unstable if they got rid of 80% of the IT staff. Obviously the uppers knew that you were competent, but they see it as you being able to do a ton more work for the same salary. You're being used man. Start searching for a replacement job to jump to.

This I realized after the second round of "promised" promotions. At 25, I was looking to hold a career orriented job to start my family off strong. What happens now is I come home in a pissed off mood and it hurts our relationship and personal lives.

You guys have convinced me, I am done with this company. I found it on Dice.com, time to hit it back up. Such a shame.....I really love the people there (other than my superiors).

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Originally posted by: Descartes
I'm not going to comment on the legal aspects, because I'm not a lawyer.

My advice with respect to IT: Quit. Banging your head against the same wall won't do anyone any good. The problem is that you think the VP, your boss(es) or anyone else actually cares. The cold reality is that they don't, and to be quite honest, unless their business is in IT support, they shouldn't.

The point is, you could spend years trying to show your value to whomever but it won't make a big of a difference. Climbing the corporate ladder doesn't make sense when the ladder is flat on the ground, and for most IT folks it will forever remain just like that.

So, to summarize: Quit. Quite worrying about the silly title and treating it like it has some intrinsic value. Do what you need to do to take care of your family, but find a path out and move up in your career. That's truly the only way in IT.

So enlightened self interest has no place in your view of the business world?

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: mugs
Employee e-mails are company property. Even in Texas, I don't think you're doing anything illegal.

not necessarily. Depends on the usage rules the company has provided.

Likewise phone monitoring usually has to be bailed out of once you can recognize it may be a personal call.

 

[hellokeith]

Originally posted by: mugs
Employee e-mails are company property. Even in Texas, I don't think you're doing anything illegal.

This.

The whole Texas law change occurred because private investigators, law enforcement, and other related occupations were outsourcing the IT portion of forensics to "Bob's PC Repair" and saving big $$$, instead of doing it the right way (using a licensed computer forensics company).

As mugs said, employee emails are company property and can be looked at by anyone in the company at any time during or after employment.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: hellokeith

Originally posted by: mugs
Employee e-mails are company property. Even in Texas, I don't think you're doing anything illegal.

This.

The whole Texas law change occurred because private investigators, law enforcement, and other related occupations were outsourcing the IT portion of forensics to "Bob's PC Repair" and saving big $$$, instead of doing it the right way (using a licensed computer forensics company).

As mugs said, employee emails are company property and can be looked at by anyone in the company at any time during or after employment.

you'd be wrong most of the time. It really depends on a lot of things and the type of emails.

Voice recording is even more strict on this, yet some 'bosses' insist that it's their employee and their phone so proceed carte blanche.

 

[StarsFan4Life]

Accomplishing a few things this week:

* Meeting with VP to discuss my 2 promised promotions (set deadline on when I can expect - in writing)

* Turn my resume into the recruitment office tomorrow (ended up playing Whirlyball with her and her husband tonight and we talked about it)

* Throw my resume on dice.com, monster.com and CB.com

I am standing up instead of taking it up the butt....

 

[MedicBob]

Good for you!! Let us know how it goes.

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: StarsFan4Life
Accomplishing a few things this week:

* Meeting with VP to discuss my 2 promised promotions (set deadline on when I can expect - in writing)

* Turn my resume into the recruitment office tomorrow (ended up playing Whirlyball with her and her husband tonight and we talked about it)

* Throw my resume on dice.com, monster.com and CB.com

I am standing up instead of taking it up the butt....

Sounds like a good start... Although in the future you should never try to do "10X times the work" of your other employees, because:

1) The other employees will think that you're a suck up and hate you for it. They might even start blaming you when things break if they REALLY dislike you!
2) In most corporations, the only reward for hard work... is more hard work. If you're doing twice as work as everyone else and still making your deadlines, expect your bosses to start giving you even MORE work until they figure out what your breaking point is.
3) Working hard isn't going to get you promoted into management in most places, although it might help your boss get some nice bonuses off of your hard work. Keep in mind that most people get promoted through attrition (i.e. the old boss quit or got promoted, so you're the new boss) in corporate America nowadays.... actual merit based promotions are somewhat rare.

 

[hellokeith]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
you'd be wrong most of the time. It really depends on a lot of things and the type of emails.

Voice recording is even more strict on this, yet some 'bosses' insist that it's their employee and their phone so proceed carte blanche.

While Sarbanes/Oxley has changed laws and regulations regarding records retention and their related company policies, company property is company property is company property. Pretexting can be illegal, but that is from external sources. Phone monitoring and even keylogging is well within a company's right. Employees do have a right to "reasonable use" of electronic resources, but that does not imply an extent to which those resources reach nor does it prevent electronic logging. If an employee seeks privacy, about the only safe place on company property is in the bathroom.

 

[Bignate603]

You need to contact your superiors again and explain your concerns, especially about the lack of any change in your title and pay.

 

[robphelan]

i presume you're in Dallas, but we have some positions open here in SA if you're looking..

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: StarsFan4Life
Accomplishing a few things this week:

* Meeting with VP to discuss my 2 promised promotions (set deadline on when I can expect - in writing)

* Turn my resume into the recruitment office tomorrow (ended up playing Whirlyball with her and her husband tonight and we talked about it)

* Throw my resume on dice.com, monster.com and CB.com

I am standing up instead of taking it up the butt....

I am in this same boats sort of now. About 18 months ago I went to the powers that be basically telling them I was walking. I was and still am severely underpaid. I single-handly created their online sites along with an application portal that now accounts for 40% of all contracts. Customer sat. scores are through the roof and most have flat out stated it's the best out of all of our peers. At the time they wanted me to wait to 'year end' reviews stating they would have an easier time wrapping a nice raise and promotion into one. Then the mortgage market died and I was told 'mid-year' when I went to a full 3 years with the company...

I have been here 4.5 years, work entirely independently, and they still classify me as a Junior. My boss asked on Friday if I have ever written a VBScript from scratch (my code is all ASP/JScript/VBScript)...I was like "what do you think I do here everyday?"...her response was she thought I just downloaded all that code...😕 She has stated openly she would never trust anyone that worked for her or around her and other drivel.

She being paid an insane amount of money for her job and I think she feels no one else is worth anything.

I wrapped up my resume this weekend and will be getting it out and about now.

I don't think I am giving any notice here. Just walking, my excuse will be I have been told I was not important so I didn't think it was any kind of issue moving on immediately.

It's screwed up.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: hellokeith

Originally posted by: alkemyst
you'd be wrong most of the time. It really depends on a lot of things and the type of emails.

Voice recording is even more strict on this, yet some 'bosses' insist that it's their employee and their phone so proceed carte blanche.

While Sarbanes/Oxley has changed laws and regulations regarding records retention and their related company policies, company property is company property is company property. Pretexting can be illegal, but that is from external sources. Phone monitoring and even keylogging is well within a company's right. Employees do have a right to "reasonable use" of electronic resources, but that does not imply an extent to which those resources reach nor does it prevent electronic logging. If an employee seeks privacy, about the only safe place on company property is in the bathroom.

I am well aware of SOX. However, while I am free to monitor / log everything, as soon as I can identify the dialog is non-work related I am forced to bail. Also as far as I know you still cannot open audio/video record employees unless you have a release from them.

SOX is very specific to the rules being not for any kind of personal/invasion of privacy methods.

 

[freegeeks]

there are only 2 ways to make more money in IT
1)become an (IT) manager
2)become a freelance consultant

I was stuck for more then 7 years in an IT/network admin job. Everyone was praising me that I did a great job but the pay raises were far and few between. Lot's of promises but no bling bling. I left that company, started my own company and started doing consultancy. There is no way that I'm ever going back to a fixed position.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: freegeeks
there are only 2 ways to make more money in IT
1)become an (IT) manager
2)become a freelance consultant

I was stuck for more then 7 years in an IT/network admin job. Everyone was praising me that I did a great job but the pay raises were far and few between. Lot's of promises but no bling bling. I left that company, started my own company and started doing consultancy. There is no way that I'm ever going back to a fixed position.

depends.

My brother's company has excellent salary increases for even entry level. I need to get my CCNA to be eligible there (I may end up doing this, but I have been in school/learning stuff for so long now I just want to do...).

About $65k to start, quarterly bonuses of $5-6k, yearly bonus of 20% of your W2 earning contributed directly to retirement (100% vested), free healthcare for entire family, 15 days vacation + 1 day per year additional up to 30 days total. Can be cashed out or unlimited rollover.

Easy advancement through additional certs. Each being $10-20k additional. Education covered by the company.

The end of year party usually is a cruise where they invite the entire family out as well.

 

[freegeeks]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: freegeeks
there are only 2 ways to make more money in IT
1)become an (IT) manager
2)become a freelance consultant

I was stuck for more then 7 years in an IT/network admin job. Everyone was praising me that I did a great job but the pay raises were far and few between. Lot's of promises but no bling bling. I left that company, started my own company and started doing consultancy. There is no way that I'm ever going back to a fixed position.

depends.

My brother's company has excellent salary increases for even entry level. I need to get my CCNA to be eligible there (I may end up doing this, but I have been in school/learning stuff for so long now I just want to do...).

About $65k to start, quarterly bonuses of $5-6k, yearly bonus of 20% of your W2 earning contributed directly to retirement (100% vested), free healthcare for entire family, 15 days vacation + 1 day per year additional up to 30 days total. Can be cashed out or unlimited rollover.

Easy advancement through additional certs. Each being $10-20k additional. Education covered by the company.

The end of year party usually is a cruise where they invite the entire family out as well.

maybe it's different in the USA

on our side of the ocean it's very simply, if you have 10 years of experience in IT/networking and you are still in a fixed position then you are a moron 😛

for comparisons, my own little company (just me) had a turnover of 198k euro last year most of this being profit because as a consultant you don't have a lot of costs. In my last job as a fixed employee, I was making around 65k euro + a company car and this was already for a senior position (not a lot of possibilities anymore for promotion or I had to go into management)

 

[BTA]

That's pretty much how IT jobs go.

You usually don't get promotions or big raises at the same company unless you get pushed into management (and even then sometimes your pay wont go up much).

You're just gonna have to change jobs. Be sure to ask for alot more than you make now.

 

[torpid]

Here's the law. I read it a few times and can't tell for sure since I don't know the legal definition of "engages in the business of". To me that implies that it is your primary activity at the business, but it could mean anyone who ever does that.

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/t...text/html/HB02833F.htm