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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I will say that I am automatically skeptical of employers who flat out say "thou shalt not surf the Internet while at work". I agree that you shouldn't be shopping online all day, but there are times when there really just isn't anything to do. I've already filed everything. I've already done all the billing and all the time entry and all the expense reports. Your calendars and contacts are all up to date. I've wiped my desk down and refilled the printer paper and stocked up on pens and paperclips. It's 2pm and you're in a meeting for the next hour and a half. What, exactly, would you want your assistant to be doing in that scenario? I ask because I am literally in that scenario right now, at 10am on the day after the 4th of July.[/quote]

Exactly!  I also find so many things online that are useful to my job that my colleagues will never see (because they aren't internet savvy, don't social network, and generally don't think the internet is useful). There's also more to "being on the internet" than shopping and doing personal tweets.  There's researching, reading news related to your job (or even just news, which makes you a smarter employee), etc.  In 2013, telling someone "no internet" is completely ridiculous because it hurts the employer.[/quote]

I'm the poster you're quoting, and I agree. I think it's important that an assistant understand how to prioritize work. If, for example, there was a training happening for a skill that I needed to improve right now, I would be doing that instead of screwing around on DCUM. If my boss showed up and gave me work to do, I would be doing that work. I don't procrastinate and don't pretend to be busy in order to avoid work. I know people who do this, but I am not one of them. My boss knows this, so he's perfectly happy to let me manage my own time on the assumption that I will be responsive when there is something to respond to.

I'm also happy to sit here and read a book, but honestly, for the purposes of clients in the office, it looks pretty bad when your assistant is sitting at her desk reading a novel. [/quote]

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