Are You On The Clock?

[Tom Jenkins]

I am the employer.

I encourage new hires to come here. I think the exposure and knowlege they can get from browsing here (within reason of course) is more cost effective than some of the training I might pay for.

Besides, I have often gotten the solution to a problem here. It is only fair to give back for what I've taken.

 

[PLCRookie]

On the Clock?

I think the exposure and knowlege they can get from browsing here (within reason of course) is more cost effective than some of the training I might pay for.

I couldn't agree more. I am also on salary, so "on the clock" is kind of fuzzy for me. I usually check the site in the morning before I get to work, and maybe once during the day just to see what kinds of problems and possible solutions are posted.

​

 

[dale1627]

I also log in here from work. Up until a few months ago I was on the clock and my boss regarded this site as the same thing as reading a manual. It's just another resource for learning. I tried to not let it seem like I was abusing the privelidge of accessing the internet and this site. Now that I am on salary I still only "surf" four sites during regular work hours. This one, Ron's, mrplc.com, and AD. This weekend I am here at work for one reason only and that is to keep an eye on some contractors so I see nothing wrong with reading the news, checking on the race or just surfing around the internet.

Dale

 

[Rube]

I glad as hell that people DO come here during work hours, even it they're at lunch or break. This site wouldn't work so well if a poster who COULD answer a pressing question weren't able to because they followed Terry's policy. I'm sure a Production Manager somewhere has been helped by this site as well. Which would make the big boss happy.


Maybe someone's having a bad day?

You may see me logged in ALL day--doesn't mean I'm just sitting in front of the computer watching the PLCS.NET banner change. I may get back to the computer ever so often and hit the "Refresh" button to see new activity, then move on back to work. Total time spent a day? Five minutes, maybe? I've learned a lot from this site and my boss is fine with my time onboard. Yeah, I asked him.

 

[rsdoran]

Thanks back at you Casey!

So far, I see that I am one of only two that do not hang at PLCnet while they should be doing business.

I am under great pressure to get "on the net" but I refuse to do so simply because I feel that I owe my allegiance to my primary endevour. PLCnet is too great a temptation... not that I hang here for answers. It has happened that I hanged for an answer, at least once, maybe twice... in all of five years!

I just can't believe how many guys I see that have been on-site, regularly, during working hours, when they should be doing for their bread & butter!

A lot of us Irish-Catholic-Democrat kids have really internalized the fundamental concept of the Puritan work-ethic. (look it up)

There are some that haven't quite developed that particular ethic. However, when in a controlling position, they absolutely love having guys like us working for them... after all, we make the money!

The way I see it, if a guy is hanging at PLCnet for the answers, during working-hours, he ain't reading his own damned manuals to figure out what's going on in his own PLC, so that he he really understand his own particular PLC!

"Short-Cutters" are NOT "Process Developers".

They ain't got the Moxie!

They are Losers! They'll NEVER be "players"... at best... maybe "band-aid"ers.

And I really choke on the... "I'm the Employer, so it doesn't matter" concept.

Don't you guys have management issues to tend to? How about doing more for your customer? Do you feel that your business is so perfect that you don't need to work on what your customer expects, as promised in your promo-material? You're all trying to "Sell the Moon! How about putting in the time to deliver on that promise?

Yeah, yeah, yeah....

When I read this I thought Terry was just trying to bust chops but now think he may have been serious.

Terry you realize that defies what you have stated and done at plcs.net for the last 5 years.

First and foremost you can not tell me that you have not had to talk to tech support at some point..ie the manual did not have the information, had wrong info etc......These sites are just a form of tech support.

I can not believe that you think this way. Using your concept then there being a site is a joke or a person is an incompetent dumba$$ because they use it to obtain information.

I take it you do not get email because using your method of thinking then the internet, while you are at work, should never be used during business hours...that would mean no email or looking at mfg websites. YOU DO GET EMAIL? Wow, that means you are reading it on company time,,,shouldn't you be reading manuals or providing more for your "customer(s)/boss(es)?" Manuals can be downloaded but using your concept then that would not be an option so instead you wait 2 days/weeks or so for them to be mailed.

It must have been too many MGD's or something, I am sure your ego is not that blown up. I am fairly certain your work ethic is not better than that of others nor does any "heritage" background have the "monopoly" for a work etchic.

EDIT:

A lot of us Irish-Catholic-Democrat kids have really internalized the fundamental concept of the Puritan work-ethic. (look it up)

I am not sure what to look up. You capitalized the term "Puritan" which refers to English Protestants and religious views on morality.

 

[Dank]

I am indeed on the clock but with the pressure this company puts on me by refusing to pay for AB support, I have to try and find answers somewhere.

 

[Leadfoot]

Most of my time is on the clock. As I use this site for research, it does not present a problem. Also, I do not abuse the time. Occasionally I gotta go earn some $$ in the field and do not get to log on. I try to do that in the evenings or weekends to try and stay current. I read many threads but many times do not post as I was just gathering info and did not have anythng to contrubute.

Besides I have the STOMP OF APPROVAL capability.

 

[Thomas Sullens]

I am indeed on the clock but with the pressure this company puts on me by refusing to pay for AB support, I have to try and find answers somewhere.

We actually pay for AB support, but most support comes from :site: and YES i`m on the clock!

 

[Rube]

A lot of us Irish-Catholic-Democrat kids have really internalized the fundamental concept of the Puritan work-ethic.

Luckily a lot of us redneck Republicans,* practice the same good ethics!


*)You know--beer drinkin', flag wavin', gun toting', pickup drivin', women chasin', hell raisin', Country lovin', hard livin', call it like I see it types.)

 

[MarkTTU]

When I read this I thought Terry was just trying to bust chops but now think he may have been serious.

Nahh, he can't be serious. I can't imagine that Terry doesn't see this site and the internet as a tool that makes people who use it properly more productive.

I'm pretty sure that most of us have asked questions, some of us have answered questions, and all of us have learned something by just reading the posts.

I'll tell a little story real quick (edit, maybe not so quick)...
When I first started working here (back in 1998) every computer had a modem and there was a single email account shared by everyone. If you wanted on-line you dialed up (tying up your desk phone and one of our 6 phone lines). Things got done 99.9% the old fashioned way; phone calls to suppliers and customers were made for every little question, documents and drawings were FedExed for next day delivery, and faxes were used to things that had to be delivered NOW... this said we did have a central file server and pretty good network printers for the era.
Now we have a T1 into the office and simple questions to suppliers and customers are handled via email, a lot of our ordering from suppliers is handled via web sites, some of the orders from our customers are handled via email, documents and drawings are mostly available on our website and things that need to be delivered NOW are largely delivered via email because its faster and allows for MUCH higher quality pictures, drawings, text, etc.
All that said we still do a lot of our business the old fashioned way and don't require our customers to do things electronically, but we couldn't have grown to where we are today without adding a lot of people if we still did everything the 'old' way.
Today if our internet connection goes down it cripples us; we can still get our jobs done, but its painful to do it because its so much less efficient.
In the end the internet (and sites like this) are tools. Using them well provides for higher efficiency in our jobs. Using them poorly results in lower efficiency. At the end of the day efficiency rules out.

 

[newbie]

I think Terry needs to consider that many of us are some sort of technician in some sort of manufacturing. This means that we work oddball, sometimes long, hours and often are in the position of waiting for something to break. I've watched others in my position waste entire days without using the internet, they were busy working for the good of the company while only dragging it down. Some didn't care at all and did whatever they wanted to, and they apparently did not want to gain experience from others.

I have never fixed a problem using plcs.net, but I believe that I have increased my knowledge and improved my troubleshooting skills through reading the posts. This is the kind of thing the internet was designed for and I have no qualms reading posts at work or at home.

So Yes! I am currently on the clock!!

 

[skeet]

Half and half

Are You On The Clock?

On the "PLC" thread, now at over 200 posts, a lot of time has been put in by members here.

A refresher, it started out...

Plc
May any one help me to fine ladder diagram for this circuit please
thank you

Anyway, it may have been posted by a "one post wonder", or a prankster. Who knows, who cares.

In post #36, Terry mentioned I should do a poll. I noticed that today, having been avoiding this thread for quite some time. So, a little late, but here it is...

So, at least two curious minds want to know... Are you on the clock?

regards.....casey

P.S. Thanks Terry!

About half and half for me. A lot of the time I come around after hours... I'm on the road and my schedule is pretty variable, as a lot of you can imagine.
When I'm in the shop (which is maybe 30-40% of the time) stopping by here is a usual part of the morning "info-gather" I do... several tech forums (and Wired magazine, I confess

As a relative newbie to the PLC programming end of the automation world, places like this are invaluable. They teach you one very important thing, if you'll just shaddup and listen That thing is "vocabulary". You HAVE to know the terms and syntax of those in the field if you're to understand it it and progress. The names of the parts and pieces that make up the whole.

I also get a lot of... "Hmmm... I never considered that!" moments....

So... about half and half on the clock. And I don't consider that my employer is getting robbed one little bit by my morning coffee and info-dump

Regards,
Skeet

 

[CaseyK]

I have only had internet access at a couple of contract jobs, and never at a "REAL" job. While I would need to go online for manufacturer info, or for GE manual access, they didn't like it much.

When contracted to GE, no access was given, but if you could hack, and figure out how to get Netscape into the computer, then "no problem". At that time, 1995, I though GE's datalines WERE the internet. I could track where my data was going on the network, and it seemed to be direct to almost anywhere. And was it ever fast.

Since exclusively self employed since 99, it is now a different storey. Though the best chance of finding me on is late at night, 9pm-3am.

Perhaps a long range wireless laptop???

regards.....kc

 

[Terry Woods]

Ron...

I wish I could have you sitting next to me for a day... you would be bored out of your gourd! I spend all of my time staring at the screen, or going through books, or writing new code for on-line changes in pencil.

At my computer, I spend ZERO-TIME on the Internet at work!

I have insisted that I DO NOT want access to the Internet on my computer!

I don't even want my computer (or my PLCs) on the house-network... at least, not directly. Over my years, I've experienced too many cases where a failed "network" brought a process down... usually by some sort of spurious communication (similar to a keyboard dying... you've experienced that, haven't you? I most certainly have! It KILLED my system!).

If I need to gain information from the Internet, I go see my buddy in Maintenance-Purchasing. I get all of the on-line info I need at that point.

Regarding manuals... I have printed hard-copies for all I'm concerned with. If something new comes in, and the delivered info is not enough, I get what I can from the Internet while I'm at home... on MY TIME.

My beef is... there are obviously, CLEARLY OBVIOUSLY, some people that... get to work, log into PLCnet, and spend a lot of time here, at PLCnet, rather than doing what they are being paid to do!

If they are spending so much time at PLCnet they are obviously NOT spending the time looking at their code, or thinking about how to make their better!

I am NOT, in any way, saying that people shouldn't slend at least some time at PLCnet... what I'm making a point of is those folks that seem to "hang" on PLCnet for far too much of the working day.

I truely appreciate Phil and what he has done with PLCnet. However, I don't appreciate the obvious abuse by those that go to work just to "get-on-the-net".

 

[darrenj]

I don't appreciate the obvious abuse by those that go to work just to "get-on-the-net".

Well that just about covers everyone who works for the government!!!

Seriously i am an Electitian who does quit a bit of work for the goverment..i have seen solitare, house hunting..Job hunting, ****, lots of Internet chat (yahoo..etc..etc) message boards, and in a couple of cases Gaming..(quake,doom etc etc)..If i found one of my guys at this site i would not mind a bit..they are at least showing there willingness to learn....

I myself probibly spend about 4-5 hours a night on the computer and an hour before i leave for work in the morning..during that time PLCS.net is usualy running in the backround....


D