Using company resources to work on personal projects, especially on company time, is a no-no for employees in most organizations. But supervisors often operate in what I call a gray zone, turning a blind eye to such officially forbidden behavior. They realize that stamping it out may do more harm than good, because many employees have a deep-seated need to engage in it.
My three-year study of an aeronautic manufacturing plant with 4,000 workers gave me insight into why gray zones persist in work settings. Employees produced personal artifacts such as kitchen utensils, toys for their kids, and window frames, using company time and materials.
Managers overlooked all this, because they could count on people when official work needed to be cranked out.
Consider the similar case of a competent, productive junior editor at a newspaper who works on her novel at the office. Despite company policies prohibiting this, her boss winks at the habit. By tolerating the editor’s behavior, the supervisor holds on to a loyal, self-motivated, and engaged worker.

1. Let’s be practical, this is a good commonsense motivational practice in today’s workplaces. Explain your ethical reasoning.
2. This practice is okay on a case-by-case basis.
Explain how managers should selectively enforce a “no personal work on company time” policy.
3. This is bad management because it serves to condone and even encourage unethical conduct. Clear ethical rules against doing personal work on company time need to be written, promulgated, and enforced. Agree or disagree? Explain.
4. Invent other options. Explain and discuss.