Home Worker Reprimanded For Gaming On Their Break

Ever since the start of the pandemic, working from home has become a way more common thing than it once was, and I think many of us can agree that’s one positive to have come from the whole affair. No commuting, snacks on tap, and the ability to wear whatever funky slippers you want without anyone ever knowing - what’s not to love?

However, the less disciplined among us have definitely been in danger of going to the dark side, and it’s been proven that many people already have. A couple of months ago, a huge poll revealed that almost 70% of people play video games when their employers think they’re working. (I'd add, not us, but sometimes it's our actual job, so if our bosses are reading this: it counts as work.)

But when you’re on a break, surely that’s a different matter, right? Well, one Redditor has apparently been given a slap on the wrist for doing so, and the details of how they were caught are pretty creepy.

If you do decide to run the gauntlet and play video games when you shouldn't be, you should at the very least make sure you're doing something worthwhile. Check out our handy guide to racking up runes fast in Elden Ring right here.

As reported by PC Gamer, recyyklops took to the r/antiwork subreddit to share their story: “We use a software called Five9 to answer calls and chats. From what I knew previously, in this software, managers are able to listen in on calls, even when you are on hold, to monitor tone and stuff like that. Fair enough,” they explained. “However, I just had a meeting with my manager, and she said that I am being given a verbal warning because she said she was able to hear me playing a video game, even when it was on my break. 

“I am not in the phone or chat queue, so that tells me that she is able to just listen to me all the time? Being on break aside, is that even legal without telling me? Now I just feel weirded out not knowing if they are just sitting there listening to me,” they continued. “What would you do?”

Another user who claims to work with Five9, Beermedear, gave some insight, saying: “It doesn’t record when you aren’t on a call. You may have had your disposition set to activate the recording?” 

While hopefully that does mean that the original poster can stop any further recordings from happening, there’s no doubt that they’re going to be pondering what other things their manager could have been listening in on - the horror. They’re almost certainly going to be muting their mic on breaks from now on, anyway.