Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That's...interesting OP...not too sure what you're spazzing about? Like others said it isn't your computer, and your boss is....your boss. Not only that, he/she logged in with their own account. Soooo. ?
My team leader got on my computer on my 15 minute break and changed my screensaver to "Cassie was here" but I'm not about to go and pw protect it lol I just laughed..
The reason I put a password on it is because random people come up to our office every now and in the event it was stolen, there would be a small barrier in place.
UPDATE: I show up to work today, my laptop is missing. However, on my desk is a note which states "Hello, ___ currently has your laptop. Please feel free to use this machine(old desktop) in the meantime". And this note was left by one of my co-workers.
I've received no phone call or email from my manager. I will be bringing this up with his boss or HR.
He's been holding a grudge since I went to HR about getting not reimbursed for traveling between offices and they found out he was running a scam to cheat the company.
Does your company have a policy of reimbursing for travel between offices? How is it reimbursed? Usually that stuff is submitted to payroll etc.....
Specifically how is he running a scam to cheat the company? Don't throw out accusations of cheating without serious solid proof. Easy way to get terminated right there.
Have you been doing anything bad on the laptop ? Or does it have evidence of his conspiracy on it?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,687 posts, read 81,491,960 times
Reputation: 57948
The company owns the computer and therefore has the right to look at it any time they want, including reading your e-mails. I had a business and in 2004 discovered that one of my employees had been stealing from me while reviewing the computer she had been using. I didn't do it on a regular basis, but noticed that something was "waiting to be burned to CD" which we never did. Where I work now everyone has a password and it must be changed every 90 days. IT can still get access to any employee's computer if I or another manager requests it. I can log into their computers with my ID but won't be able to see the C drive. There has been no reason to look at anyone's computer, in 6 years here. If the boss is looking and doesn't want a password, then he must be suspicious.
Basically while I'm at work my boss never asks to use my computer or even brings it up.
Likely because you're using the computer, so he uses his own or uses one that is available.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Success3
Well last week when I returned to work, I noticed he had signed into my laptop for some reason under his account on our network, but he never mentioned anything to me.
If it's not your personal computer, you should not expect him to mention it to you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Success3
Seems suspicious.
Not really.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Success3
The reason I put a password on it is because random people come up to our office every now and in the event it was stolen, there would be a small barrier in place.
No, you put a PW on your computer so that your boss couldn't access it (you even state that in your original post).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Success3
I've received no phone call or email from my manager. I will be bringing this up with his boss or HR.
Again, not your personal computer so I'm not sure why you would expect a call or email. In fact, I came in this morning to the same situation. Our IT Director left a note stating she's borrowed my laptop. No big deal.
I advise against bringing this up with your manager's boss or HR. You should not have an expectation of privacy or entitlement on a company computer. If you complain, you'll look ridiculous and you'll end up on your manager's poop list permanently. Don't expect to keep your job for very long, and don't expect a good reference.
The company owns the computer and therefore has the right to look at it any time they want, including reading your e-mails. I had a business and in 2004 discovered that one of my employees had been stealing from me while reviewing the computer she had been using. I didn't do it on a regular basis, but noticed that something was "waiting to be burned to CD" which we never did. Where I work now everyone has a password and it must be changed every 90 days. IT can still get access to any employee's computer if I or another manager requests it. I can log into their computers with my ID but won't be able to see the C drive. There has been no reason to look at anyone's computer, in 6 years here. If the boss is looking and doesn't want a password, then he must be suspicious.
The only way the op would even know that his boss used his computer while he was out is because when he went to log in, he saw his manager's user name. Which means he logged in using his own information. Nothing suspicious about it.
While I agree that an employer owns the computer and has every right to access it, I would certainly call this unusual behavior. What reason would an employer have to access an employee assigned computer without any type of notice or heads up?
It implies that something is up. You're either suspected of doing something wrong your your boss is some type of shady character.
While I agree that an employer owns the computer and has every right to access it, I would certainly call this unusual behavior. What reason would an employer have to access an employee assigned computer without any type of notice or heads up?
It implies that something is up. You're either suspected of doing something wrong your your boss is some type of shady character.
It only implies that to those who are paranoid.
OP was out of the office. His manager may have had issues with his computer and borrowed the op's. Maybe some work was being done in his office or area that required his manager to find another place to park for a while, and he went to op's desk knowing the op was out.
His boss logged in under his own name, so he wouldn't be able to look for something the op was doing wrong, and wouldn't be doing anything shady.
You guys need to stop watching CSI shows. There is nothing to 'figure out' here.
While I agree that an employer owns the computer and has every right to access it, I would certainly call this unusual behavior. What reason would an employer have to access an employee assigned computer without any type of notice or heads up?
It implies that something is up. You're either suspected of doing something wrong your your boss is some type of shady character.
This. It's likely that your boss wants to see what type of "non-related work activity" you are doing.
Most employers are lenient with non-work related computer use, as long as it doesn't involve pornography, violence, etc., and as long as the work is performed adequately.
So either you are under-performing and your boss wants to see why, or someone reported seeing suspicious activity on your screen.
OP was out of the office. His manager may have had issues with his computer and borrowed the op's. Maybe some work was being done in his office or area that required his manager to find another place to park for a while, and he went to op's desk knowing the op was out.
His boss logged in under his own name, so he wouldn't be able to look for something the op was doing wrong, and wouldn't be doing anything shady.
You guys need to stop watching CSI shows. There is nothing to 'figure out' here.
Perhaps in some tiny office with no standardized policies (maybe this is Boosane's workplace). However, in every environment I have ever worked in, it is completely out of the norm and even unacceptable for one employee to go messing around with another's assigned equipment... Manager or not.
Here's a hypothetical:
If an employee has stored their personal medical records in their locked desk (which is completely feasible, my workplace does on-site health screenings), is it acceptable for a manager to unlock the desk and go looking through the personal information? Absolutely not, it is still an invasion of privacy. Also, this is different than monitoring network activity for violations of computer use agreements. Packets are sent and received over company infrastructure, not individually assigned and password protected hardware.
This is why if there is a sufficient need for an investigation of an employee, it is typically a formal process involving the employee, the manager, IT and HR. Perhaps this is a tiny office and perhaps no such policies exist... I still think the manager is either up to something sketchy or suspects pretty serious misconduct.
Perhaps in some tiny office with no standardized policies (maybe this is Boosane's workplace). However, in every environment I have ever worked in, it is completely out of the norm and even unacceptable for one employee to go messing around with another's assigned equipment... Manager or not.
Here's a hypothetical:
If an employee has stored their personal medical records in their locked desk (which is completely feasible, my workplace does on-site health screenings), is it acceptable for a manager to unlock the desk and go looking through the personal information? Absolutely not, it is still an invasion of privacy. Also, this is different than monitoring network activity for violations of computer use agreements. Packets are sent and received over company infrastructure, not individually assigned and password protected hardware.
This is why if there is a sufficient need for an investigation of an employee, it is typically a formal process involving the employee, the manager, IT and HR. Perhaps this is a tiny office and perhaps no such policies exist... I still think the manager is either up to something sketchy or suspects pretty serious misconduct.
Upon logging into my work computer (or even upon signing onto my company wi-fi, be it by phone or personal laptop) I am prompted with a warning message, clearly stating that should there be ANY reason for suspicion, all activity may be monitored and logged. And no, I do not work in a tiny office.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
