This blog focuses mostly on the value to organizations of allowing their employees to access the social web. It is equally important, though, to grasp th degree to which employees are desperate to use these tools — not to waste time, necessarily, but in many cases because they help employees do their jobs.
The “Government of Canada 2.0″ blog recently published an instructional guide to help employees of Canada’s government get unblocked. The blog is hardly an official government vehicle. In fact, it’s upfront about being “in no way endorsed by the Government of Canada.”
The post, “Strategy to get your Internet unblocked,” is “a bullet-point strategy to possibly unblocking Internet sites. I’m taking a business-oriented approach here, and broad general steps.”
What follows is a guide to overcoming a staggering government bureaucracy that involves sending requests to the Help Desk to determine whether an unblocking process exists and taking appropriate steps based on the answer. The author — Douglas Bastien from Ottawa — also offers tips, like articulating the business case for access in writing, communicating the business need to higher-ups, and asking for the rationale behind the blocks that do exist.
Bastien also refers to policies addressed in an earlier post, a 1998 policy on the use of electronic networks and a 2003 policy on management of information technology. Bastien writes,
I’m actually convinced that the TBS policies don’t block access; it’s restrictions from the department, exerted through Deputy heads’ (continuing) implementation of these policies because ”Deputy heads have a responsibility to put in place policies and practices that promote the appropriate use of electronic networks… consistent with the operational needs of the workplace”.
Beyond working within the system, though Bastien doesn’t see much hope of getting access to employees — access he believes employees need to do their jobs. “Your only last option is leaving to go elsewhere,” he writes, acknowledging that for many, it’s just not an option. He does, however, point out that some corners of government are beginning to recognize the relevance of unfettered employee acccess.
There are those who work corporately toward a balanced use of Government network, such as my blogging mentor Etienne Laliberté, whose post “Facing Facebook” communicates the trust position he pursued for his department on Facebook (applicable to other social networks). Please read the article, we need more managers like this paving the way for acceptable use of social networking, than just blocking it outright, or not blocking it and pointing fingers at those who break the rules.
Bastien also lists some means by which employees can simply route around the blocks, but clearly he’s more interested in employees en masse making the case for access.
Hat tip to Donna Papacosta for pointing me to Bastien’s post.
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New post on StopBlocking.org: A guide to Canada government employees on how to overcome blocks and get Net access. [link to post]
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Shel Holtz, Jacklyn McCann. Jacklyn McCann said: Nice! RT @shel New post on StopBlocking.org: A guide to CAN. gov. employees on how to overcome blocks and get Net access http://bit.ly/ouWOL [...]
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RT @shel New post on StopBlocking.org: A guide to help Canada government employees overcome blocks and get Net access. [link to post]
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RT @shel: New post StopBlocking.org: A guide to Canada government employees how to overcome blocks and get Net access. [link to post]
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Nice! RT @shel New post on StopBlocking.org: A guide to CAN. gov. employees on how to overcome blocks and get Net access [link to post]
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Awesome. RT @JacklynM: A guide to CAN. gov. employees on how to overcome blocks and get Net access [link to post] (via @shel)
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RT @shel: New post on StopBlocking.org: A guide to Canada government employees on how to overcome blocks & get access. [link to post]
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Are you fucking shitting me? Gov’t of Canada employees want to surf the net on MY dime? What? Can’t get enough porno at home that they have to do it at Health Canada? How about the employees there who logged 220 hours of surfing in ONE month! Nothing but a bunch of Me Generation little Princesses and spoiled brats who think they have the right to everything on the planet. If this is the generation that will be running the country, I’m leaving Canada to self-destruct.
Elizabeth, your offensive language aside, I have to ask if you bothered to read ANY of the posts on “Stop Blocking” or if you just saw a headline and reacted? I suggest you study the issue and stop jerking your knee. Your beliefs are uninformed and have been proven wrong time and again. You’re reading to FUD — fear, uncertainty and doubt that is promulgated by companies that make money selling software that blocks access. The quick summary:
* Employees with access are MORE productive than those without. Multiple studies have confirmed this.
* Abusers should be managed by exception. It’s a supervisor’s responsibility.
* Xerox and Humana are among companies that have found immense value in employees’ social networks. The problem is that many organizations react like you — they’re too stupid to see past their fears and tap into that value, which far exceeds the risk.
* Decision makers in organizations make faster, better decisions when they’re able to tap their social media peer groups to test ideas. Again, there’s research to support this.
As for your 220 hours of surfing in one month, do you know how many hours these employees spent doing work from home? How many hours beyond eight they put in during the day? How much of that surfing produced work-related value?
Okay, Elizabeth. I’m done with you. Come back when you’ve studied the issue for at least three minutes before spouting off.
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