Goldbricking
Encyclopedia
Goldbricking, in today's terms, generally refers to staff who use their work internet access for personal reasons while maintaining the appearance of working, which can lead to inefficiency. The term originates from the confidence trick
of applying a gold coating to a brick of worthless metal.
Some estimate goldbricking costs employers $1 billion a year in computer resources Some employees do two non-work activities at once, a practice known as multishirking.
Instances of goldbricking have increased markedly since broadband
Internet connections became commonplace in workplaces. Before that the slow speed of dial-up connections meant that the practice was rarely worthwhile. Many firms employ surveillance
software to track employees' Internet activity in an effort to limit liability and improve productivity
. Other methods used to reduce goldbricking include installation of proxy server
s to prevent programs from accessing resources like Internet Relay Chat
, AOL Instant Messenger
, or some online gambling
services, strict disciplinary measures for employees found goldbricking, and carrot and stick
measures like providing free or subsidized Internet access for employees outside of working hours.
In modern usage, the practice is also known as cyberslacking, cyberloafing or cyberbludging.
, was visiting one of his mines in Colorado. A group of miners approached Mr. Clark and asked for a $10,000 cash advance on a brick of gold
that they for some reason were not able to ship at the time. The head miner had told Clark that he had run into financial woes and had lost all of his property and desperately needed the money. Clark accepted the offer on the condition that the brick and the miner return with him to Chicago, and took the brick to a blacksmith for analysis. The blacksmith cut off a corner of the brick and determined that the brick was pure gold. On the trip to Chicago, the miner vanished and further analysis of the brick found that the sides and corners were indeed gold but the main body of the brick was worthless. This act was copied and soon the phrase "to sell someone a gold brick" came to describe a swindle and to "gold brick" someone came to mean defrauding them.
In the First World War, civilians were quickly promoted to the rank of lieutenant with minimal training, resulting in incompetency. They came to be known as "gold bricks" by the enlisted corps due to the idea of gold bricks being frauds and the rank insignia resembling a gold bar. Eventually, the term became synonymous with anyone loafing and not doing a fair share of work.
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
of applying a gold coating to a brick of worthless metal.
Some estimate goldbricking costs employers $1 billion a year in computer resources Some employees do two non-work activities at once, a practice known as multishirking.
Instances of goldbricking have increased markedly since broadband
Broadband
The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...
Internet connections became commonplace in workplaces. Before that the slow speed of dial-up connections meant that the practice was rarely worthwhile. Many firms employ surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
software to track employees' Internet activity in an effort to limit liability and improve productivity
Productivity
Productivity is a measure of the efficiency of production. Productivity is a ratio of what is produced to what is required to produce it. Usually this ratio is in the form of an average, expressing the total output divided by the total input...
. Other methods used to reduce goldbricking include installation of proxy server
Proxy server
In computer networks, a proxy server is a server that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers. A client connects to the proxy server, requesting some service, such as a file, connection, web page, or other resource available from a different server...
s to prevent programs from accessing resources like Internet Relay Chat
Internet Relay Chat
Internet Relay Chat is a protocol for real-time Internet text messaging or synchronous conferencing. It is mainly designed for group communication in discussion forums, called channels, but also allows one-to-one communication via private message as well as chat and data transfer, including file...
, AOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger is an instant messaging and presence computer program which uses the proprietary OSCAR instant messaging protocol and the TOC protocol to allow registered users to communicate in real time. It was released by AOL in May 1997...
, or some online gambling
Online gambling
Online gambling, also known as Internet gambling and iGambling, is a general term for gambling using the Internet.-Online poker:Online poker tables commonly offer Texas hold 'em, Omaha, Seven-card stud, razz, HORSE and other game types in both tournament and ring game structures...
services, strict disciplinary measures for employees found goldbricking, and carrot and stick
Carrot and stick
Carrot and stick is an idiom that refers to a policy of offering a combination of rewards and punishment to induce behavior. It is named in reference to a cart driver dangling a carrot in front of a mule and holding a stick behind it...
measures like providing free or subsidized Internet access for employees outside of working hours.
In modern usage, the practice is also known as cyberslacking, cyberloafing or cyberbludging.
Etymology
In October 1879, N. D. Clark, the president of the First National Bank of Ravenna, OhioRavenna, Ohio
* Chris Bangle; automobile designer* Bill Bower, last surviving pilot of the Doolittle Raid* David D. Busch; best-selling author* William Rufus Day; U.S. Supreme Court justice* Calvin Hampton; Classical organist* Robert B...
, was visiting one of his mines in Colorado. A group of miners approached Mr. Clark and asked for a $10,000 cash advance on a brick of gold
Gold bar
A gold bar is a quantity of refined metallic gold of any shape that is made by a bar producer meeting standard conditions of manufacture, labeling, and record keeping....
that they for some reason were not able to ship at the time. The head miner had told Clark that he had run into financial woes and had lost all of his property and desperately needed the money. Clark accepted the offer on the condition that the brick and the miner return with him to Chicago, and took the brick to a blacksmith for analysis. The blacksmith cut off a corner of the brick and determined that the brick was pure gold. On the trip to Chicago, the miner vanished and further analysis of the brick found that the sides and corners were indeed gold but the main body of the brick was worthless. This act was copied and soon the phrase "to sell someone a gold brick" came to describe a swindle and to "gold brick" someone came to mean defrauding them.
In the First World War, civilians were quickly promoted to the rank of lieutenant with minimal training, resulting in incompetency. They came to be known as "gold bricks" by the enlisted corps due to the idea of gold bricks being frauds and the rank insignia resembling a gold bar. Eventually, the term became synonymous with anyone loafing and not doing a fair share of work.
External links
- Don't let your boss catch you reading this Corinne Heller, Reuters, Aug. 29, 2007
- The high cost of cyberslacking
- Cyberslacking Is Internet Misuse Costing Your Business?
- Naughton, Keith; Raymond, Joan; Shulman, Ken; Struzzi, Diane: Cyberslacking, Newsweek, Nov. 29, 1999.
- Workplace Privacy
- Cyberslacking, Scotsman.com News.
- http://www.abc.net.au/pm/stories/s153511.htm
- http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/PLPR/2000/51.html
- http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/25/1061663722287.html
- http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=66711
- http://radar.smh.com.au/archives/2006/07/gone_to_the_blo.html
- http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/2271/
- http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1717829444
- Slackers hurting net result, New Zealand Herald