is this stealing

[RacersEdge]

I think the whole 40 hour week is a little whack. I think it was "established" by an industrial psychologist studying facory workers in the 1930s. It really applies to task-oriented jobs.

[Dominic]

[ QUOTE ]
if i pay you to watch something for eight hours. and you only do it for four but dont tell me and take my money is that stealing.

if i pay you for eight hours work and assign you a task and you finish sooner but then do something else for your own benefit. is that stealing.

is surfing the net while at work stealing if the boss doesnt know you are doing it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes to all three. But I'm guilty of it.

[CCass]

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This is really an oversimplification wrt many types of jobs. The higher you go responsibility-wise, the less important hours become and the more important results become. I've always managed my teams based on results and they've always come through for me. Only when people underperform do the things you mention become issues.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well put.

I am in Upper Management, and I am definitely paid to do a job, not by the hour. I surf the net at work when time permits (such as right now). I also am on call 24/7, without additional compensation. I do what it takes to get my job done. Sometimes that means 30 hours in a given week, sometimes 60.

[OtisTheMarsupial]

[ QUOTE ]
if i pay you to watch something for eight hours. and you only do it for four but dont tell me and take my money is that stealing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes. and lying.

[ QUOTE ]
if i pay you for eight hours work and assign you a task and you finish sooner but then do something else for your own benefit. is that stealing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends on your employee contract or work environment.
Yes, could be. But if that's the case, you ought to work elsewhere b/c you're too efficient for that place.

[ QUOTE ]
is surfing the net while at work stealing if the boss doesnt know you are doing it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Only if boss has a problem with it. Most companies allow some surfing, they just all have different limits on it.

[andyfox]

All 3, as phrased, are stealing. One has contracted to work x hours and doesn't do it, yet takes the money for doing it. That's stealing.

Your second paragraph, however, is a bit ambiguous. If I hire somebody to do a task, and estimate it will take 8 hours, I might pay him based on 8 hours work, with the understanding that once the task is completed, he is free to go and I will still pay for the 8 hours. If, however, I have an hourly employee and I assign him a task to complete, I expect him to come to me when the job is done for another assignment, not to goof off for the remainder of the day.

[andyfox]

You're fired.

[turnipmonster]

I think this question is yes on all 3 counts for any job that is time-based pay (for example if you are billing a client). the 3rd question is probably a no for salaried employees whose compensation is task based.

the flip side of question 3 is, if your boss asks you to work overtime to finish a project without any additional pay, is the company "stealing" from you? if the answer is no, then the answer for question 3 should also be no.

--turnipmonster

[Ray Zee]

if your boss asks you to do it and you do it as an agreement. if he requires it or implies such and you are not salaried and that is part of the package. yes he is stealing from you and is illegal.

anytime someone is paying for 8 hours work they are entitled to that much less legal breaks. if there is a policy written or understood that if you finish your work early you can break than thats part of the aggreement. but if the boss isnt around or doesnt know you are not at your job you are basically stealing time that you are being paid for. if your agreement at work is different of course none of this applies.

[Ray Zee]

if the car dealership has a sign that says 60 dollars an hour rate. and they do a job in two hours but the flat rate manual says it should take 4. if they bill me for 4 they are cheating me. if the sign says we bill at what they flat rate manual says then put that up on the sign and then the bill is that. you dont get to see what is the highest bill after the job and bill the customer that way.

if a person is paid by the hour he should work a full hour and get paid for each hour he worked. there are small breaks in any job. what i was getting at is if the boss doesnt know you spend time surfing or at the watercooler you may be stealing depending on many factors and how much time it is of course. but he is knows then he can let it go or stop it as he sees fit. but if you do not tell him and he isnt aware you must be guilty of some moral kind of offense as you are using time you are paid for to do something for personal benefit.

if a person were making deliveries to my house and told me it was an hour round trip and would charge me as such. then found a shortcut and didnt tell me and still charged the same rate, i think i would be cheated. because the price was based upon that situation. but if i agreed to a flat charge without him putting a time on it and then he found a way to do it more cheaply. good for him and my mistake for not seeing it and bargaining properly.

if you take a rock from a public beach it is stealing. the convention is no one cares that much but you took public property for yourself. in national parks it is stealing and banned. many things are just a matter of degree.

i do think the 40 hour work week is a lousy deal for someone. flex hours and getting the job done makes for better lives for everyone.

[BadBoyBenny]

No, it isn't. People can listen to streaming music and watch streaming video online.