Checking employees disturbing behavior

I have not worked in HR in the U.S. just yet. But Jenny Lawson's book "Let's Pretend This Never Happened" has given me some interesting insights. (I love this woman btw, so get her book!)
Here she described how she worked over a decade in HR and had to check employees firewalls for offenses against the work ethics and employers ethics especially.
To be honest, I actually thought the HR Departments and especially the employees would and should have already much to do which is why they have no time and need to look at porn or send or print each other pictures of their own nudity. Guess I was wrong!

In Germany I have not heard of any HR Department being required to actually hold real conversations with their employees to clarify if it was their inappropriate pictures and choice of "research" while being at work.
Probably, because employees here are busy enough with actual work and if not rather go internet-shopping.
              Either way I find it awkward and uncomfortable for both parties, so why not figuring out how to keep the employees "work-inadequate mindset" far from the working desk when being in the office/ in the duty of the employer. Are they not busy enough with the actual work in the U.S. also? And aren't HR-persons busy enough already when not necessarily having conversations about "labor-disturbance"...or labor causing...well you get my point. And I know the HR-Departments here are always busy...especially since we have to fight much under such things as the demographic change and the googillion different levels of studies that leave us often with people of great degrees but less work-force when they should be JUST THAT especially.


Lives unusual wonders, I guess.

Aloha

Creative in a cube

The other day I was talking to a friend of mine who is a webdesigner and just recently switched his employer. Most likely because he just started a family and has his views rightfully on the beneficial side of the cup. As offspring-leader at home myself I certainly understand the temptation coming from a higher payment and other benefits such as a family healthcare-plan.

The whole job, however, had one catch.
It kinda looked like this one:



How...erm...creative, ain't it?! Yeees, not really, sorry. Especially when you have a supposely creative job.

The times I was having a few minutes to view into our creative offices at my former and current agency I actually saw creativity triggers around, as I love to call em. From Kicker-Tables, over offices decorated as gardens to sleeping bags and swings even. Yes, I said it. Swings...like those for children, just those are for creative bulbs.
So how or why can some creative communication agencies find some creativity in their workspace too? You know, putting a whole lot of employees in one room can be a great task being completed in creative manners too, and cubicle offices certainly are NOT creative, sugar.

So please employers and HR-Departments from creative agencies and what not departments named to be creative or at least produce creative products....please, get some C-R-E-A-T-I-V-I-T-Y in there. Thank you!

Aloha,
Nan


PS: As for friends or desperate webdesigners stuck in a cubicle..save some money for fun wallpaper, hang up your baby's paintings or craft yourself a garden as long as you cannot breath some fresh air of creativity.