DarqByte

So I’ve decided that the break room TV they put in here at work is a bad idea. At least, it’s a bad idea until people get some proper TV manners and they potentially make regulations on channels.

Yeah, that totally sucks. Everybody was super-hyped about us getting a nice flat HDTV in the break room to watch while we’re in there. I have to admit, it’s nice to have something to just drool and watch while eating lunch in there, because otherwise there are lots of awkward silences and you have to look at people eating. Haha.

However, there’s a standard decorum and protocols in place for watching TV. At home it’s pretty easy, and at parties, easy. Restaurants control their channels so that’s easy too. But when you’ve got a TV in a break room for a company as diverse as mine, with a remote control readily available… Hell breaks loose.

There’s a sharp divide at my work between left- and right-leaning ideologies. The developers are all mostly left-leaning politically and the business side is mostly right-leaning. This is never really an issue, but it presents itself when you walk into the break room and specific news channels are on… Many a time have I heard my fellow developers groan and make comments when they walk into the break room and the TV is on Fox News.

So there’s issue #1. It’s somewhat helping bring politics into the workplace because news stations frequently bring up political situations. Issue #2 comes from the whole “who has control of the TV.”

For example, the other day I was sitting in the break room watching ESPN. It was on when I got in there, nobody else was in there. I was eating and watching various sports highlights and the like. Two other people come in and start eating lunch too… And one of them walks up, takes the remote, and changes the channel. Without asking me if I was watching that. Remember kids, I was there first. You’re supposed to ask.

Would I have said no to the channel being changed? No. I wouldn’t have minded at all. But they just assumed they could take control of the TV despite my watching it before they got in there.

So yeah… This TV thing is an issue, at least I can see problems arising from it. There needs to be guidelines. People need to use common sense… Such as asking if it’s ok to change the channel when somebody’s already watching it.