The Neon Rush

Three Taiwanese workers fired for using Facebook

Oct 12, 2009 10:54

The Taipei Times Online recently wrote a story about an auto parts factory in central Taiwan that fired three workers for spending too much time on Facebook. 

Meanwhile, a Taiwanese factory has fired three workers for playing the Facebook game Happy Farm during working hours, press reports said
yesterday.

Hanyale Industry Co (漢育工業), an auto parts factory in Changhwa County, sacked the three workers after catching them playing the Happy Farm game despite the plant management’s warning against it, cable TV channel CTI reported.

"We have warned workers that during working hours, they cannot look at Web sites unrelated to our work," manager Liao Wen-hsin (廖文信) said.

When it comes to using social-networking services like Facebook or Twitter, let's be honest, I think we all do our fair share of mucking about online. But if you've been repeatedly warned about watering your carrots when you should be processing invoices, then it's no surprise you now have plenty of free time to spend on Facebook.

But the three workers plan to sue the factory, arguing that Happy Farm is not a sex video game and they were just relaxing.

I understand the need to unwind after pumping out documents under pressure, but I'm not sure the "hey, at least it's not porn argument" will hold up in court. 

The Taipei Times gives more information on the growth of Facebook and Happy Farm here in Taiwan.

Facebook has been growing in popularity in Taiwan. Happy Farm is currently the most popular online game in the nation, with some 3.3
million Taiwanese playing it, many during working hours.

I can attest to this because when the lights go off for lunch where I work, many people immediately log in and start tending to their Happy Farms. It's not only the Internet-savvy young adults, but also respected middle-aged workers who have been bitten by the Happy Farm bug.

I've never played Happy Farm, so it's hard for me to understand the obsession. I did, however, briefly moonlight as a street assassin in Mafia Wars and it sounds like the two games are similar. I'm all for having fun online, but it's important to know where to draw the line between work and play. 

Unless a massive Happy Farm league soon sprouts out of the ground, it may be best to keep the day job as some ventures are better left to the, erm, "professionals".

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