Mobile Phone Regulations in the Workplace
With mobile phones such a regular distraction in our everyday lives, aren’t there rules in place to stop our electronic lifelines from interfering with our work?
Mobile Disruption
Mobile phones are a notoriously disruptive presence in the modern world. They have the power to pull irritated theatre actors out of character, keep aeroplanes grounded and to drive train passengers to despair. However, despite links between mobile use and poor productivity and bad working relations, there are no general regulations barring the use of mobile phones in the workplace.The key exceptions are where mobile phones might pose a safety risk, such as by interfering with vital electrical equipment in hospitals and aircraft, or in potentially explosive environments, such as fuelling stations or blasting sites.
Are Mobile Phones Necessary in the Workplace?
It is thought by many that mobile phones play a vital role in keeping employees connected with important business contacts and friends and family in case of emergency, and are therefore a necessary feature in the workplace.However recent research by the University of Surrey looking into employee attitudes towards modern technology has found that by increasing workplace stress levels mobile phones are responsible for as much harm as good. The increasing reliance on mobiles for contacting colleagues and clients, for example, adversely affects the patience of other employees and the boss.
Maintaining a harmonious and industrious workplace can be difficult at the best of times without adding into the mix the stress and anger caused by excessive and inappropriate mobile phone use.
Only 11% of the employees surveyed thought it acceptable for a mobile to be turned on during a meeting, and over 80% believed it inappropriate to read or send text messages whilst in the company of colleagues or the boss.
Company Rules and Regulations Regarding Mobile Use
Individual organisations are at liberty to impose their own rules regarding the use of mobile phones, and many have done so. This may have come as a result of security concerns -particularly in light of the recent popularity of camera phones - or just due a poor record of mobile behaviour, where the effective operations of the company has been jeopardised by the inappropriate use of mobiles.These rules might vary from an outright ban on mobile devices to a set of company guidelines about when and where a mobile can be used and for what purpose. Guidelines might, for instance, request that all mobiles are switched to silent/vibrate mode when in the workplace and that any personal calls or texts must wait until lunch or break times.
Mobile Etiquette at Work
In the absence of a ban on mobile phones, what is clear is that a certain etiquette relating to mobile use in the workplace is needed.Employees should be made aware that their mobile use can easily cause distraction and irritation amongst fellow colleagues and should take steps to keep intrusive effects to a bare minimum:
- Mobile phones should be set to silent/vibrate in the work environment.
- If it is necessary to make or answer a call then it should be done so in a private area.
- If it is necessary to speak on the phone in the presence of others then do so in low tones.
- Don’t interrupt colleagues by answering your mobile phone.
- Don’t answer your mobile whilst in a meeting.
- Ensure that you choose a ringtone that isn’t likely to drive colleagues around the bend.
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The COMMUNICATION is vital but also the use of phone is vital but i agree that should bedone moderate in a balance way and not as aphone addicted .We are always communicates so we need to communicate- i disagree with the ban of the phones or the use of the phones at work wich is: illegal,abusive and unconstitutionalfrom the employer but as i saidalways need a balance in use it
Nija - 24-May-21 @ 1:27 AM
Is it right for a cleaner to take photos of of Privett residents flat on his mobile ore is it a a breach of gdpr
Mouse - 30-Jun-20 @ 6:17 PM
Our company which is a small busy local Restaurant in Vermont frowns on employee's smartphones unless in a designated area and on a break.The "Boss" has the wifi SSID hidden so the wifi won't show up on anyone's device employee or customer."We don't pay our staff to be on Facebook, play games, or listen to earphones while on the clock!"The boss trolls facebook all the time for time stamps and etc and someone is always getting called out as FB Messenger is so part of everyday life.POLICY: NO CELL PHONES.If you need to make a personal call use the landline, and if you have children or loved ones make sure they have the landline number and there will be no excuse for missing an important call or being on your cellphone when not permitted.As a manager I am allowed to use my phone for business emails, contacting vendors, QR scanner, and Facebook to post updates and specials etc.I know any employee I need to get a hold of sending a SMS or FB message gets their attention way sooner than a traditional phone call!Go figure.In this day and age and especially in 2020 and with COVID19 and all the stressors along with it employee's need to have their cellphones.They just need to respect the policys on when and where and how they are using it on the clock.Also your jobs primary contact number should be listed for kids at school, daycare etc.
Sebastianbailey - 14-Jun-20 @ 1:25 PM
We as a team were given a warning over mobile phone usage however due to some irresponsible colleagues the management have informed everyone to hand in there phones in the morning and take them back at the end of the day I have a mother with a serious heart condition and anxiety she keeps me on a speed dial if needed in an emergency my manager is not taking in to consideration that I have a dependant person I am having to resign due to this what is my option and how do I take this matter further
Zhora - 2-Jul-19 @ 5:23 PM
We cannot use a phone at work. I have son who going at nursery and he got astma wery often nursery need to contact me about his hard breathing. That alternative work phone not always answer. What i need do in this case
2009d - 16-Apr-19 @ 3:25 PM
Wee yin - Your Question:
We have been told that we cannot have our phones out in the office desk and they have to be on silent not vibrate I have a 2year old child. Is this right? What if there is an emergency should they just phone my office number.Thanks
Our Response:
You would have to broach this with your employer directly. Your employer will tell you what the alternative approach is, if you have a young child.
MobilePhonesAndSafety - 4-Sep-18 @ 1:44 PM
We have been told that we cannot have our phones out in the office desk and they have to be on silent not vibrate I have a 2year old child.Is this right? What if there is an emergency should they just phone my office number.
Thanks
Wee yin - 29-Aug-18 @ 8:10 PM
From a security officer prospective. I work in a gatehouse where there are CCTV monitors. Can I use my personal mobile phone within the gatehouse or just away from the monitors?
Mobile - 9-May-18 @ 11:52 AM
How on earth can you increase the production in work when mobile phones are in the mix. They should only be allowed during lunch or breaks. It should be instant dismissal if they are turned on at other times. There really is more to life. This is going to be a massive problem in the future. The younger generation care missing out on what's real.
Tinytins - 2-Apr-18 @ 11:44 PM
@Josh - implanted in us, yes. I could see that actually happening. We are already so dependent upon our devices. Good points made.
Jay87 - 7-Aug-17 @ 10:30 AM
This is indeed a perplexing question, and one that there might not be a specific answer to. I help to run a call centre and the senior managers are constantly pulling their hair out on the subject of mobile phone use. There is a policy in place whereby call centre agents cannot use their personal mobiles whilst at their desks, however this is largely ignored and it seems as though staff would prefer to loose their jobs than be bereft of their mobiles.
The situation is not helped by senior and lower management - the ones who enforce the injunction - being on their phones constantly.
It seems that people cannot do without their mobiles. I think that the world is changing and this trend will increase until we become completely dependent on our devices. Maybe they will become implanted into us..who knows?
So I think that a reasonable stance might be to start relaxing our phobias on mobile use in the workplace, if we don't some of the best and brightest in our world - who also often happen to be the most connected - might migrate to companies where there is a more relaxed approach.
Josh - 4-Aug-17 @ 2:09 PM
Use of mobile phones during work hours should be banned as it neither improve productivity nor improve social interaction
Jam - 11-Jun-17 @ 7:55 PM
I know an employer who is enforcing mobile phones to be handed in at the beginning of the day and returned at the end. Is this legal? Surely you should be allowed to use your phone on your break.
Just wondering - 12-Apr-17 @ 6:47 PM
you can call in all your workers and tell them that you do not want people to use there phones in work.
bernelda - 9-Jun-16 @ 10:06 AM
I am a warehouse manager. I had 3 persons that constantly on the mobile phones, on average May be at least 10-15 minutes a day. What can I do or how do I talk to them without too confronting?
Thanks in advance for helping
Tam - 18-Jul-14 @ 1:08 PM
In our place of work we're allowed to have our mobile phones on our desk and set to silent so as not to distrupt the other office workers. However we are not allowed to make or take calls during office hours, if we need to make any calls we have to do it during break times or at lunch - I think this is how most offices work.
manager - 23-May-12 @ 10:07 AM
