You probably don’t … advertisement When you wipe the phone … Make sure your employees know that if they are going to take a call while in the office, they need to speak in a low tone or step out of the office. DO you constantly catch your employees attached to their phones and texting every time you pass through the office? It’s also a good idea to document that offensive language won’t be … Turn off or silence any cell phones/devices when asked. This to certify that all the employees working at [Company Name] are liable to abide by the company’s rules and regulations regarding the usage of cell phones during business hours. In general, cell phones should not be used when they could pose a security or safety risk, or when they distract from work tasks: Never use a cell phone while driving. Either way, there are certain rules that should be put in place for all workers. Answer from Sarah, HR Pro: Thank you for your question. It includes both incoming and outgoing calls. If your employees are excessively using their cell phones on your time then you need to set specific rules as to when and where they are allowed to use their phones. Therefore, a policy banning cell phone use or allowing the employer to confiscate cell phones during all working hours is likely a violation of the NLRA. Talk your concerns over with a representative for your cell phone … Even though a cell phone is an employee’s personal property, you can control what happens at work. The managing director Mr. James has said that any employee who for any reason is sent out for business purpose can use the internet for performing his work-related activities only which will be monitored. Use … Talk, text, and use the internet on their personal cell phone or mobile device only a few minutes per day. This is actually the first step to enforce the right use of cell phones at work. This is just one of the reasons why employee… “Cell Phone Time” Excessive use of a cell phone for personal reasons while at work is not allowed. The Texas Workforce Commission recommends an employer limit an employee’s personal cell phone use to breaks and emergencies. How to Talk to HR About Your Boss. For some reason, some cell phone users feel the need to scream into the mic of their phone. For the sake of not writing a book for this blog post, we’ll tackle tips on how to monitor and curb the use of company cell phones and extensions in a later post. I know for a fact I am not the only one that does this! If there's a written policy forbidding cell phone use except at certain times, such as on breaks and at lunch, you won't have a leg to stand on if you want to keep your job. Legal Issues In most cases, there are no government regulations about using cell … What’s worse is when they have a ringtone with their favorite song. Cell phone abuse in the workplace is prevalent in different forms among employees. Trust me, not everyone in the office wants to hear parts of Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow” every time someone tries to call. You know the worker: the one that can’t seem to understand that if you speak in your normal volume on the phone, the other person can still hear you. Let’s separate the two and tackle them one at a time. This is why you need to explicitly state that cell phone use during meetings, talks, conferences or even just meetings where you are brainstorming new ideas need to be cell phone free. Terms of Use | Privacy and Security Policy. In the workplace, most people want to be productive. With that in mind, this rule should read "Don't Use Your Phone at Meetings Unless It is for Something Related to the Meeting" Use … If it is, then get to drafting up a hard copy of your policy and make sure it is sent throughout the whole company. Even if you don’t want to talk to a doctor right now, it’s worth doing a bit of quick research and finding out what online doctor service you would use if you ever need one. The following tips will provide additional guidance about protecting your employees and your company: A good cell phone usage policy should address current state laws about cell phone use while driving. But, cell phones may also cause problems when used imprudently or excessively. For starters, you should ask yourself this: what issues do you already face with cell phone use in your company?Is the office way too noisy? So first things first: general cell phone use in the workplace. "I have complete confidence in Sozo Firm when it comes to allowing their company to give advice and implement changes.". Is cell phone use permitted when agents are at their desks or restricted to when they’re away from the contact center floor? Therefore, the daily use of cell phones in the workplace is inevitable. Don’t let an employee scare you when they say you don’t have control over their personal cell phone. Employees are not allowed to: As an employer, you’ve probably already seen it happen. Katie is Katie, not Kate. After that, you may have to consult a supervisor or human resources employee for help in establishing company-wide protocols regarding cell phone use. All represent an abuse of cell … Vibrate Creating an employee cell phone usage policy is the first of many steps in establishing a healthy, professional, and dispute-free workplace. If this happens, try not to feel like “the bad guy.” Workplace surveys repeatedly show that cell phone use is a major irritant among American workers. So first things first: general cell phone use in the workplace. Now, you can give all of your employees a cell phone I can certainly understand the frustration of having employees on their phones frequently and the need to implement a policy to limit this use. The best way to set guidelines for cell use is to have a cell phone Everything You Need to Know About One-Way Video Interviews, 6 Habits of Highly Productive People You Should Possess, 10 Questions Recruiters Love to Ask (and How to Answer Them), Top Tools for Boosting Your Online Profile to Land Your Dream Job, Recorded Video Interview Tips: How to Make Your Submission Stand Out, Everything You Need to Know About Live Video Interviews, 4 Reasons to Consider Company Culture in Your Job Search. If they are informed about this technology, they surprisingly ask if it can really be done. However, if, after careful consideration, managers recognize they have serious employee performance issues most likely linked to cell phone overuse, here are five tips for limiting it. How To Make the Most Out Of Your Business Partnership, Increase Employee Motivation With Performance-Based Pay, Prevent Employee Absences by Choosing the Right Absenteeism Policy, How to Discuss Uncomfortable Personal Issues With Your Employees, The Sneaky Productivity Drainer in Your Office. IMAGE: Courtesy of Hoover Web Design, Nicole is the Content Editor for Spark Hire and mainly writes for and edits the work for the Spark News blog. Set exact guidelines otherwise employees will take it upon themselves to set their times. Develop a cell phone policy. You need to be Don’t work on an employee write-up when you’re already angry or stressed about the situation. One Talk is a multi-line telephone solution connecting your office phone to your mobile devices, providing business telephone features on any of your common devices. Personal Use of Cell Phones, Computers, and PDAs at Work While at work, employees are expected to refrain from excessive personal use of cellular phones, computers and PDAs. Here is a list of measures on how to stop cell phone abuse in the workplace. The purpose of implementing the policy is to promote safe and productive working environment. If it’s not, then set ground rules ie. Perhaps you need to set a “lunch time only” policy or a policy where they can only use their phones for a set amount of time. You should then ask yourself what kind of policy or guidelines would be good for your company and the culture you have. We won’t allow employees to: Play games on the cell phone during working hours. Cell phone distractions account for 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in United States each year. Follow through on your threats and go … Cell phone usage in the workplace to the extreme results in a big loss of productivity for your company. We make doctor’s appointments, receive important phone calls and converse with our friends and family all through cell phones. If your employees are given cell phones for work, then the monitoring of their cell phone use is a bit different. You want to be able to finish your work within the day so you don’t have to bring it home or finish the next day. She graduated in 2010 with a BA in Journalism from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. The following tips will provide additional guidance about protecting your employee… You’ve been asked to complete a one-way video interview. If it’s important, let your employees know that they should step out of the meeting to answer either texts or calls. Besides that, with most offices being closed... Congratulations! Even just a normal ring can get annoying after the third or fourth time it goes off. If you have a close relationship, you can call someone’s cell, and you may get her on the line. Therefore, make sure everyone in your office knows that cell phones needs to be put on vibrate for the benefit of everyone in the office. Just be sure to get it right — use the name they use! SOURCE: Inc. Your email address will not be published. There are many people who are not aware of cell phone call recording. Use their phones for any reason while driving a company vehicle. Standing, arms crossed, and stating flatly, "We need to talk" carries a sharp impression to the person you're speaking … Never use a cell phone while operating equipment. If you're worried about your children's internet usage, your cell phone provider may be able to help you set up parental controls. After that, you may have to consult a supervisor or human resources employee for help in establishing company-wide protocols regarding cell phone use. How did you combat it? If you are a smaller company and it seems as though your employees are pretty good about their cell phone use at work then you may not have to employ a cell phone policy at all. Talk over parental controls with your cell phone provider. October 1, 2014 - I got my first cell phone way back in the 1980’s, when they were a very unusual (and expensive) novelty.Now it seems that a smart phone is a “must have” for every person … Talk their talk … Excessive use of the company phone for personal calls not only robs us of your valued time, but also ties our lines and may prevent important business calls from coming through. The important thing to remember is that the majority of, if not all, people communicate with everyone through their cell phones. Cell phones (also known as mobile phones by those of us who like to be a … Employees can claim ignorance of them. Chances are you would lose count by about noon since most of us are hyper-attached to our phones and are constantly checking to see if we have received a new phone call or text message. How often each day do you check your phone? Can you work diligently if your employee’s or coworkers phone is constantly ringing? If you want to do away with it altogether, then state that phones in meetings are off limits. Can we change our policy to say that cell phones are not permitted on the premises? If you don’t have the person’s name, go with a friendly, generic greeting: “Hey there!” 6. Turn off or silence their phones when asked. If the guidelines alone prove ineffective in curtailing cell phone use, create a stricter policy, with consequences for violations, and make it part of the employee handbook. Cell Phone Walkie Talkie Features Every cell phone carrier’s push-to-talk program is slightly different, so it’s important to ask your specific carrier about details of their plan. Furthermore, the use of cell phones while driving will not be allowed even if an employee is out for the business purpose. However, there are a lot of factors that... As the world advances, positions, departments, even whole companies and industries are replaced with new, more technologically advanced businesses. If your company is deep into communication where contacting and conversing with clients or customers is necessary, then you’ll definitely need to have a more lax policy. How you tell someone something can be more important than what's said. It’s important to let your employees know that you understand the use of cell phones is going to happen, but that it should not impede upon their work. Attention: Your cell phone policy can be included in your AUP (acceptable usage policy) that directs how employees may or may not use company resources (Internet, e-mail, etc.). With many organizations pivoting to remote work, hiring may be put on the back burner. Personal use by our employees has gotten out of hand. I do understand that, on occasion, every employee has important personal matters to which he or she must attend while on the job. Scope: The cell phone usage policy applies to all employees, managers and supervisors. May 9, 2017 Many a time, it happens that a person uses a cell phone during office work and do not concentrate on the work. If you don’t feel comfortable with how your employees are currently use their cell phones at work, then you need to ask yourself a few questions before you can start drafting up a policy. Creating an employee cell phone usage policy is the first of many steps in establishing a healthy, professional, and dispute-free workplace. This is a big step towards your next job. It may be odd to start out with a “don’t”, but this step is by far the most important. Help! It could be texting, use of social media, games, following activities on social media and so all. If this happens, try not to feel like “the bad guy.” … Create a policy that will … In addition to using cell phones to talk or text, they have become an essential work tool. Meetings Same thing goes for text messages. The best way to set guidelines for cell use is to have a cell phone policy. Employees must switch off, put on vibration or preferably put the cell phone on silent mode when in an important meeting or conference which may cause disruption in work. Develop a policy. The most important thing for you as an employer is to decipher if whether or not setting a cell phone policy for your office is needed. Having just a verbal law is not enough to handle cell phone issues at work. Google told me that a suspended employee may lose personal data because they stored it in a work account, and they can ask Google to retrieve it for them. However, a policy that isn’t enforced isn’t really a policy at all, is it? They may be a great asset if used correctly (for productivity apps, calendars, business calls etc.) Texting shouldn’t be allowed and phone calls definitely should not be answered. We recognize that cell phones (and smartphones especially) have become an integral part of everyday life. Instead, I have outlined eight essential habits to ensure your healthier use of everyone's favourite toy: the cell phone. If you were talking to a co-worker about going to the human resources department about your boss, chances are that she'll try to talk you out of it if you work in an environment that discourages employee contact with HR. Keeping a check on the cell phone use during meetings and other such areas will increase the efficiency of the employee. On top of that, many people must use their cell phones to conduct their daily business. To stay safe, eliminate all cell phone use … How to Speak Professionally on the Phone. I’ve worked with several clients to help control the use of cell phones. Privacy Policy. No shame in admitting it, this feels like the worst time to be looking for a job. This is all fine and dandy when you do it on your own time, but when your employees have their fingers or ears glued to their phones all day on your time and dime, it’s no longer just fine and dandy. This is totally unnecessary and annoying. … “must be on vibrate,” “must step out to talk” etc. Should I or Should I Not Put That On My Resume? Phone calls can be effective, depending on the situation. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. If an employee needs to use the cell phone for personal use or for the emergency call, it is good to inform the company with relevant reasoning. Steps Introductory Activity Cell Phone Features In this activity, students conduct a survey to determine cell phone features that are most and least desired by their peers. Have you ever even thought to count before? If communication with clients or customers isn’t part of your company then cell phone use shouldn’t be as prevalent. Sérgio is Sérgio, not Sergio. Avoid punishing the whole team with an all-inclusive cell phone ban just because one employee abused the privilege. Turn off or silence their phones when asked. So how can you take measures that aren’t too restricting, but work to curb your employees phone use at work? She has a passion for writing, editing, and pretty much anything to do with content. Emails, live chat, web inquirers, and social media all have their place, but the phone is still the preferred communication choice for many when it … We at [Company Nam… Incessant cell phone use can also be a sign of apathy in the workplace. The following are [company name]'s basic guidelines for proper employee cell phone use during work hours. For more help … Personal … — Prohibiting employees from bringing their cell phones into the office. Inside Voices Surf the internet, text and talk on the phone only for a few minutes per day. If a formerly productive employee now spends a large part of the day on his or her phone… We like to keep you on your toes anyways, so be sure to come back and check in for these tips as well later this week. Surf the internet, text and talk on the phone only for a few minutes per day. We won’t allow employees to: Play games on the cell phone during working hours. Copyright © 2021 Spark Hire, Inc. All Rights Reserved. It’s just common courtesy and it should be part of your policy. Connect with Nicole and Spark Hire on Facebook and Twitter. Employee Texting at Work: How Do You Handle It? If the answers to these questions are yes, then you clearly need to start taking action. 1. Let us know in the comments section below here or tweet me @nicole_spark. Our employee cell phone policyoutlines our guidelines for using cell phones at work. Data reveal that a majority of construction fatalities related to the use of cell phones involved a person being backed over and crushed while talking on the cell phone. Talk to Mangement If there is an immediate safety risk, tell your coworker to stop using his cell phone immediately, or you'll be forced to contact upper management. Random “bings” and beeps throughout the day can really start to take a toll on your other employee’s nerves. It’s not only annoying, but it’s rude in the extreme to use your cell phone to text or answer a phone call in the middle of a meeting. The answer to that question is a bit tricky. These guidelines are for the employee’s use of their own personal cell phones during business hours. People are so hooked on their cell phones, you’ll notice the panic in their eyes when you tell them to put away the phone. A Work Cell Phone as a Company Benefit Now, not every employee will require a work cell phone but many businesses offer them as an added benefit from working there. You want to set boundaries for your employees, but you don’t want to be too restrictive to where they feel as though you are monitoring and being too invasive. Our 5-minute solution safety training talk on cell phone use provides talking points you can share with your employees including: Cell phone users have significantly poorer reaction time. If you too are wondering how to record cell phone calls or use In her free time she frequents the Chicago music scene and writes reviews on shows for her own personal blog. Should I Ban Facebook and Texting at Work? On opposite side of this example, if you do choose (for whatever reason) to ban cell phones at work, always leave open the possibility for employee… Make sure that each employee is held to the same standard as others and that you enforce the rules you set. Ever have an issue with employee cell phone use in your office? These guidelines are for the employee’s use of their own personal cell phones during business hours. Negative Reviews Are Killing My Business, How to Handle Pushy Clients and Customers. If your staff brings … To using cell phones for work, hiring may be a great asset if used correctly for... Frustration of having employees on their personal cell phone usage policy is the first of steps! Be allowed even if an employee is held to the extreme results in a big step your. Games on the cell phone provider in a big loss of productivity for your phone! Our friends and family all through cell phones at work company name ] 's basic for! How often each day do you check your phone may get her on the phone re... ( and smartphones especially ) have become an integral part of your policy even just a how to talk to an employee about cell phone use ring get... 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Working hours step is by far the most important use at work looking for a job all.! Is held to the extreme results in a big step towards your next job attached their. May be put on the back burner work hours writes reviews on shows for her own personal phone! During work hours 2010 with a representative for your company then cell phone with most offices being....