entering contests

Roger Corbin · August 2005

We have a workforce of about 60 staff in our central office - various 3 large department areas with a number of work stations throughout the office complex (all one floor).

We are in a rural area - and have the opportunity to have our local radio station on within the department areas to serve as quiet background "noise".

Here is the situation that has occurred. Some of the staff, while at their work station, are starting to enter the call-in contests on the local radio station. While we promote community involvement - entering radio contests while not on your "coffee or lunch break" is not allowed.

Anyone else have this problem? If so - how did you resolve.

Whatever · August 2005

Do you have a written rule...the rule doesn't have to apply to this particular situation but could apply to the use of the company phone for private purposes during working hours. If you do, enforce it. If you don't, write one with an effective date of tomorrow.
Furthermore, the radio is not currently serving as "quite background noise." The ees must be paying attention to it (rather than work) so they know when to call in. Change the station or ban radios.

Roger Corbin · August 2005

We have a tech policy which includes usage of telephone equipment. Good idea to quote our tech policy too. And you're right on not paying attention to work...rather they are trying to be the "10th caller" to win the prize. Oh, by the way, the prize is a $100 gift certificate for gas at the local gas station. If you are the 10th caller - your name is entered into a drawing - for this "liquid gold"!

NaeNae55 · August 2005

I can see this could become a problem, but you might be making more of it than it really is.

Our company has off and on had employees who tried to call in to win stuff. It is always a 9 day wonder and soon employees are bored with it and back to work. I would say in 15 years we have had employees trying to call in about 4-5 times. In short order it blows over (usually a few days but always less than 2-3 weeks). In almost every case management decided to wait and see. On one occassion (everyone in the dept was trying to call in at once) the manager said something to the effect of, "Ok. That's enough" in a humorous tone of voice. The stress is always on getting our work done, not on how hard we are working. The result is good morale without employees feeling like they work in a salt mine.

Good luck with whichever way you decide to handle it.

TN HR · September 2005

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 09-16-05 AT 05:20PM (CST)[/font][br][br]Be thankful they're not calling Howard Stern and describing their genitalia on the air. I would try to put a stop to it regardless.

Edit:

Hey, I just realized this was my 1000th post! Dang, I have joined the elite ranks. Well, except for Don D who nailed 10001.

LivindonSouth · September 2005

And I made it without talking about Howard Stern or genitalia. x:-)

LarryC · September 2005

These employees of yours wouldn't be the same people who responded to the classic Ken Thomas Dialing for Dollars out of Brainard would they be?

nietra · September 2005

We don't encourage it but we don't ban it either. With our local station it's somthing obvious (like a cow mooing) that is the call in trigger. They do it at most every other hour and it lasts about 50 seconds before they get caller 10.

Now if someone was in the middle of a phone conversation or meeting with someone and they started the call in process there would be grounds to a disciplinary talk.

entering contests

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