Reply #6: This attorney agrees. There's no "right" to use your employer's puter

[Divernan]

for personal or entertainment/business. The fact that other employees may do so (no matter what the content, and/or political leanings) does not protect you from getting fired for cause, i.e., no unemployment comp. I suppose this is where some young, hotheaded and legally naive DUers start screaming about how you could by god sue them! ! ! ! Easy for them to say - their job isn't at stake. Well, in the real world, at the very best, this means that IF you can find a lawyer to take your case on a 40% contingency fee, you're looking at years to fight this out, PLUS, no good job references for you and any prospective employer who finds out you were fired and then sued your former employer, would never hire you. The fact of suing an employer would follow you for your entire worklife.

I suggest you diary times when your conservative fellow employees blast political radio shows or use their computers for personal matters. Because at your next job review, you may find some pretty negative remarks going into your personnel file, and being passed over for a raise, with this issue given as the reason. One right you DO have is to refuse to sign off on a negative and/or unfair job review until you have had time to reply to it in writing (with a copy of your diary attached), at which point you could DOCUMENT that once your supervisor told you to stop, you did stop, but that other employees continued to break this rule. And no, you don't get in the face of other employees by saying you're keeping these notes. Do it privately and do NOT leave them in your workplace overnight.

I know several state employees who have used this tactic to great personal advantage.