Japanese Bureaucrats Shirk Duties for Wikipedia

Surfing the net at work is nothing new. However, is surfing becoming more important than getting our work done? Many people participate in forums and social communities, update blogs, check personal email, and even work part-time online while at work.

According to the Seattle Post Intellengencer and the Associated Press, a Japanese bureaucrat may have spent a little too much time making contributions to Wikipedia about toy robots. His name has not been release, but the agricultural ministry did state that the official in question has contributed 260 times on Gundam.

The ministry official, Tsutomu Shimomura, said, "The agricultural ministry is not in charge of Gundam", according to the Seattle PI and AP. Apparently, these contributions were more important to the bureaucrat than his duties. However, he was not alone in his Wikipedia contributions. Five other employees were also reprimanded. The Seattle PI and AP stated that all six contributed 408 entries since 2003 on various topics from ministry computers.

We all seem to believe that it doesn't hurt to spend a few minutes taking advantage of the company internet. However, we quickly become addicted to stealing a few minutes away from our duties. Those few minutes quickly turn into hours and soon we are staying late or working weekends trying to meet deadlines.

Many companies monitor their employees' computer usage. This includes sites browsed, time spent per site, total time spent on the internet, and other programs and files used. Most employers do not mind if employees spend a few minutes here and there. We are human and naturally we will get distracted. The best thing to do is to know your companies' computer usage policy and ask any questions you may have. This can prevent trouble later.

With so many people unemployed, it is hard to believe that everyone from secretaries to government officials tend to let work slide for playtime on the internet. Granted, not everyone is guilty, but quite a few are. People take company time and property for granted and seem to believe they are always owed something.