Shouldn't You Be Working Right Now?

According to the traffic reports, most of you read primarily during business hours. So, not to bite the hand that feeds my blog, I'd like to ask an honest question: Shouldn't you be working instead of reading this right now? That assumes you are at work and it's not your lunch break or something.

So what's up? Seriously, the blogosphere didn't really exist when I was a manager. I'd like to understand how this works. Is it okay because BNET is all about management and business advice, so it's like reading a business book? Is that it? So your boss should be cool with that, right?

Well, I used to be a boss, and I just can't see myself being too pleased to walk by one of my manager's offices to see him reading a business book or a business blog ... I mean on a regular basis, not just for reference. I guess I'd expect him to do that more or less on his own time.

Hey, I think I figured it out. You can only "work" for so long before you get bored or go stir crazy, so you drift, goof off, do something other than work. In my day, that meant taking a walk, stopping by to BS or bounce some ideas around with the troops, or heading out to run an errand or get something to eat or drink. I guess these days, you check out the blogosphere.

It kind of makes sense. For one thing, you're at your computer, so it looks like you're working. And since it actually is business related, that eliminates the guilt feelings. And you're trying to improve your management effectiveness and skills. Makes sense.

Well, on the other hand, what we used to call "management by walking" around is pretty effective for sharing and debating ideas, getting to know your employees, and team-building. And you can only do that at work. I'm not so sure the two activities - walking around and blogging - are equivalent.

Look, I'm getting tired of debating myself here. What I'd really like to know is why do you read this stuff during business hours, would it be cool if your boss saw you doing it, and do you think it might detract from other activities you might be better off doing?

And one more thing. This is a purely theoretical discussion. As far as I'm concerned, you can read my blog anytime and anywhere you like, especially if you subscribe and click the little brown recommend button from time to time.