They're Watching You

They have this silly piece of software at work called Scotland Yard, or Sherlock Holmes, or Sherwood Forest. Whatever. It's this stupid electronic dot-board on the network server where you sign in and out. You can look at everyone else's name to see where they are, and of course management can run reports to see what time people sign in and out, how long they are away, etc.

It was already in place when I started, but I don't think it had been around for very long. Just long enough that most people have managed to come up with, and obtain official sanction for, excuses not to use it.

In addition to In or Out, there are icons for Lunch, Dr. Appointment, Vacation, Out Sick, In a Meeting, In the Field, Training, etc. There's even a restroom icon. But our employer doesn't use that one. Who would?!? They'd need to add an icon for "at an interview for a job where they don't make us use this stupid program."

I'm pretty sure that's where my supervisor usually is.

Most people don't bother setting a password and just leave it as the default, which is their first initial and last name. You can log into their accounts and change their status to "Working From Home" and type amusing comments. But it turns out this is not as good an idea as it sounds like, because Scotland Yard is no laughing matter.

There isn't a break icon, though there's a general "away from my desk" one we are technically supposed to use for that purpose. As if! Maybe if the icon were a picture of three martinis, I'd think about it. As it is, I see no particular need to call any more attention to my breaks than I already do, what with me being the Break Fairy and all, making the rounds of the department, scattering my glitter dust and singing my siren call to cast off the bonds of toil and drudgery for (ahem) fifteen minutes or so, twice a day.

Pay no attention to the security camera trained on the break area.