A Matter of Security
I set up our visitor in the empty workstation. The normal occupant, a new hire of less then a week, was working from our midtown offices.
As I logged her into the computer my eyes darted around the workstation checking to see if our new hire or the fired ex-employee had left anything personal I should squirrel away into a drawer to protect their privacy.
"You know," I began, "we now have two spare laptops but the office isn't wireless yet. When it is our visitors will be able to work where they please and not have to worry about pirating an abandoned workstation." She looked at me with approval, which is something because she is one of the two women mentioned in the previous post. "Yes," I continued, "the consultant is using one in the small conference room and the other is right here." I smiled confidently as my hand came slamming down on empty desk.
Wait...That's not right. The lap top was there yesterday when I picked up supplies to courier over to midtown. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks and hoped to god my poker face was good.
"Well it was here, maybe it's in the desk."
Trying not to seem frantic I opened each drawer and then the locker area, nothing, no lap top.
"Oh, I guess someone borrowed it."
I rushed to my desk and fired off a departmental email. I asked nicely if anyone had taken the computer or had any idea who had. No one knew a thing. Could it have been stolen, a laptop and dockingstation, could someone have scooped it up and taken it home? An employee, a member of the cleaning staff, any one of the numerous visitors that flow through here like commuters at the turnstyle? I looked around at my workstation and quickly stashed my purse in a drawer and locked it.
It's amazing how oblivious we can be. We assume that because there's a security staff downstairs dressing the part, we're safe. We assume that those who are waiting in the elevator bank are here for a reason and we open the door to be friendly. We assume that the cleaning staff are trust worthy, and why shouldn't they be, we employ them. All these assumptions have now been proven null and I walk around the office with my head up looking for those watching me.
Safety is in the mind and if someone can filch a two thousand dollar machine without repercussion then what's next, my I-Pod, wallet, the twenty dollars emergency money I keep stashed under a coffee cup on my desk? The offices here don't lock and now management has their panties in a bunch.
A computer was stolen from an international bank with security checks and measures. It was stolen without repercussion because they have no suspects/everyone's a suspect. This is a corporate setting it's "safe." My basement apartment felt exposed and dangerous last night, no wonder I double checked the door locks. I fell asleep alone in my bed, clutching the blanket and praying I could somehow wake up tomorrow ignorant once more.
As I logged her into the computer my eyes darted around the workstation checking to see if our new hire or the fired ex-employee had left anything personal I should squirrel away into a drawer to protect their privacy.
"You know," I began, "we now have two spare laptops but the office isn't wireless yet. When it is our visitors will be able to work where they please and not have to worry about pirating an abandoned workstation." She looked at me with approval, which is something because she is one of the two women mentioned in the previous post. "Yes," I continued, "the consultant is using one in the small conference room and the other is right here." I smiled confidently as my hand came slamming down on empty desk.
Wait...That's not right. The lap top was there yesterday when I picked up supplies to courier over to midtown. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks and hoped to god my poker face was good.
"Well it was here, maybe it's in the desk."
Trying not to seem frantic I opened each drawer and then the locker area, nothing, no lap top.
"Oh, I guess someone borrowed it."
I rushed to my desk and fired off a departmental email. I asked nicely if anyone had taken the computer or had any idea who had. No one knew a thing. Could it have been stolen, a laptop and dockingstation, could someone have scooped it up and taken it home? An employee, a member of the cleaning staff, any one of the numerous visitors that flow through here like commuters at the turnstyle? I looked around at my workstation and quickly stashed my purse in a drawer and locked it.
It's amazing how oblivious we can be. We assume that because there's a security staff downstairs dressing the part, we're safe. We assume that those who are waiting in the elevator bank are here for a reason and we open the door to be friendly. We assume that the cleaning staff are trust worthy, and why shouldn't they be, we employ them. All these assumptions have now been proven null and I walk around the office with my head up looking for those watching me.
Safety is in the mind and if someone can filch a two thousand dollar machine without repercussion then what's next, my I-Pod, wallet, the twenty dollars emergency money I keep stashed under a coffee cup on my desk? The offices here don't lock and now management has their panties in a bunch.
A computer was stolen from an international bank with security checks and measures. It was stolen without repercussion because they have no suspects/everyone's a suspect. This is a corporate setting it's "safe." My basement apartment felt exposed and dangerous last night, no wonder I double checked the door locks. I fell asleep alone in my bed, clutching the blanket and praying I could somehow wake up tomorrow ignorant once more.
posted by selling my soul at 12:35 PM
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