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Surely that entitles you to a company-paid subscription to Lynda.com and various other video learning resources, since you can't access the free resource that is YouTube, correct? 
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I'm chicken I'll wait till I get home to find out what Lynda.com is !
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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 It's nothing you would have worked on in the past (assuming I'm remembering your "interesting" past correctly). It's a professional learning site. Their main thing is high quality videos that teach you various software products (e.g., all the Adobe stuff, such as Photoshop). They also have files to download (like Code Project) and transcripts (in case you want to search for text that was spoken in the video). If I had more time, I'd be on there constantly.
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Now that I think about it, I think I was thinking about Marc Clifton in my previous message. Or maybe not. I don't know. 
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I imagine Marc knows all about that site!
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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I strongly hate when someone blocks the access to any internet site (or protocol for that matter). 
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Mine is. To complete the double-whammy they are also want to pipe Radio n int the office, where n < 3. The worst outcome would be Radio 1 being piped, and frankly don't Radio 2 either, not if I'm forced to sit and listen to it for 8 hours a day.
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The manufacturing job I worked at between when I graduated and got a programming job banned music about a week and a half before I left because production rates had dropped (the fact that they'd just sacked about 70-80% of the midnight shift and replaced them with newbies obviously wasn't a factor  ) and told us we'd be allowed to have our CD players back when the numbers improved.
My comment (to coworkers, not the pointy hairs) was the standard 'the beatings will continue until morale improves'. I'm not sure what eventually happened since we were even farther from the (virtually impossible to meet) nominal quotas my last full week there.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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I have to say, I disagree with the controls listed here. I just finished my MBA and work for a company with unfettered access to internet, social media, etc. Productivity is fine. Especially with smartphones, people will access facebook, twitter, etc. if they want. Unfortunately, access is slower on a smartphone, so it takes even longer to waste time. The theory is that, if you treat the employees as adults, they'll tend to act like adults. Some basic monitoring is okay, then address any outliers as needed.
The only thing I would consider restricting would be obvious pornographic/gambling sites (just for your network's sake) and streaming media sites like Pandora, but only if you have a bandwidth concern. Judge the employees based on their productivity, not necessarily how they achieve productivity.
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PraneethNSubasekara wrote: restricting access to social networking sites will definitly show a boost in effeciency and performance in the work they do
I don't agree with that one because:
1 - Employees that tend to engage a lot in social networking will still do it in their smartphones which will make them lose even more time with it.
2 - Social networking is just one part of what employees that like to drift away from work will do. Ban social networking they will just keep on browsing something else not work related. You have to fix the culture, not ban social networking. Monitoring employees internet usage and warning employees would be a much more effective way to boost productivity.
3 - I believe social networking can actually improve productivity as it is a good way to relieve stress sometimes and to take your mind away from a profession that is very brain intensive. Having a few minutes of relief in social networking can give the brain a break so it can have a fresh start in a few minutes. This of course works if the employee does not overuse social networking and uses common sense, which brings back to point 2.
PraneethNSubasekara wrote: The company aspect is that its preferable that employess dont missuse company bandwidth for personal tasks.
I agree, but I don't think banning it altogether is any good. Video streaming of course shouldn't be allowed as it can compromise the bandwidth other employees might need. But some personal tasks should be allowed so the user does not have to leave the office just to pay some bills. This can be really bad for the employee's motivation. Small personal tasks like internet banking and others should be allowed IMO, as long as it does not compromise the client or the company's security and NDAs.
To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems - Homer Simpson
----
Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction - Francis Picabia
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Pardon me, but that's not my experience.
Programmers work with their brains, not their hands. The brain has a mind of his own, and doesn't react well to monotony or any kind of restrictions. Also, the brain doesn't stop working on job stuff when you go home - unless you hate your job. Therefore, in order to get a high productivity and quality code from programmers, you need them to love their job, nothing more.
You can chain a programmer to his keyboard in an empty room for ten hours a day, and he may be producing more lines of code than someone working from home, or working only when he pleases to, but that's not what you're after. You want as much functionality delivered each day as possible. A bored or annoyed programmer may deliver more lines of code, but these lines will definitely implement less functionality, contain more technical debt, more bugs and require higher costs for maintenance.
Trying to get programmers to be more productive by using restrictions is like pulling a plant by its leaves to make it grow faster.
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I cannot say better! +1000 to your karma!
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PraneethNSubasekara wrote: most programmers work better while blasting some tunes in their ears 
Personally, I don't. I do tend to zone out and not listen to outside activities. So I think either it lets them do the same or gives an excuse why they weren't listening.
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Quote: restricting access to social networking sites will definitly show a boost
... blah-blah...
Total BS. Restriction just makes your employees more restricted, not happier and not more productive.
Just imagine you spend 9 HOURS(!!) of your best day hours in an office. What a benefit you have (above money) sitting like in jail? Internet is one of valuable stuff (after printing personal stuff on company's paper ) that you can afford. If I feel tired, I f** your restrictions and just play Solitaire. What you win, stupid? Nothing except opinion "my boss is a jewish greedy". Will I work after hours on you? NOT.
Nowadays Internet doesn't and shouldn't be a way of manipulating people. Internet is YOUR RIGHT to read, to watch, to listen and to express.
Think twice before you "tie" conditions: you saw the bough which you sit on. THEY, your developers, do real things which you sell. Without happy, motivated developers your company slowly slide down like a sh**. Cost of your failure.... yep, ridiculous $1000 you "save" on their limitation.
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Now I know what you mean by internal law...
As relaxed as possible, with the understanding that everyone has work assigned to them, and are expected to finish it on or ahead of schedule, or shout REAL EARLY if they have an issue. This should be easy to monitor if you are using agile (as you should find out from the scrum meetings)
So, if a dev has a task to do that is estimated by consensus to be about a two day job - if (s)he wants to spend one day chilling and the next working like a dog, into the evening, to finish on time, then that should be fine. Similarly if he finishes a day early it should be acceptable for them to 'slack off a bit' (after all, the alternative is rewarding finishing ahead of schedule with more work to do!)
in my experience, the good devs will not take advantage ( by overestimating and then cruising) and, when all is done, you (the company) want the job done to schedule - and as long as it is, I'd leave everything as loose as possible.
The only caveats to all of that is the expectations should be well understood
- you consistently under-perform, you're out.
- you will be present at the office for meetings/discussions when requested (with sufficient notice) so if they work from 11-7 they may have to come in occasionally at 9 for a meeting.
I would also expect all employees to ensure I am kept caffeinated at all times.
.\\axxx
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Internal Law - wtf? your majesty royal arseness you would like your *underling* to serve you like a King don't you. I treat even my domestic helper with respect and I don't write little red book what's permitted and what's not. where the hell do you come from man?
dev
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Wow! who got up your chuff this morning!
.\\axxx
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Getting up on the wrong side of the bed?
You need to chill, man! 
Either that or you have a very high spec for your sense of humour that it all flew over our heads...
Anyway, what the OP means by "law", I think, are company rules.
I don't think he wants to play being a tyrant but wants to make it clear what time his employees should turn up for work and how they get paid etc.
Almost, but not quite, entirely unlike... me...
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PaulowniaK wrote:
Anyway, what the OP means by "law", I think, are company rules.
I don't think he wants to play being a tyrant but wants to make it clear what time his employees should turn up for work and how they get paid etc.
it'd be fair to layout generally accepted demands such as work days vs paid leaves or normal working hours (which is not observed anyway)
but "Internal Laws" does sounds "House Rules" along the lines "One shall not leave office sooner than your commanding officer."
dev
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While I do get where you're coming from, I'll put this down, just in case...
Chris wrote:
7. Not everyone's first language is English. Be understanding.
Almost, but not quite, entirely unlike... me...
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PaulowniaK wrote:
7. Not everyone's first language is English. Be understanding.
fair enuf cheers
dev
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You want to be as flexible as you can – the best developers are creative people and will be stifled by aggressive monitoring or timekeeping rules.
At my company we have a guideline number of hours we should do each day, and moderately flexible times (as long as you are around 10-4, you can extend your day at either end); we don't have strict Internet usage rules and although we currently have a rule against listening to music, it's not enforced as long as you have headphones on.
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We have similar rules, plus: no overtime (on a weekly basis) except in special cases.
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1. Freedom
2. Fast computers with many monitors
3. White Boards - Wireless
4. Coffee, water, etc.
5. Nice bathrooms
6. Nerf toys
Optional
A. Fridge dedicated to Beer
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As flexible as it can, probably it won't ever exist.
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