Manage HR Magazine | Thursday, January 21, 2021
Establishing a company cell phone policy will help manage the usage of mobile phones at work.
Fremont, CA: Mobile phones at work have been a persistent concern since the invention of smartphones. Employees waste time surfing the Internet on their phones, making personal phone calls, or exchanging text messages. They're everywhere and habit-forming. Mobile phone addiction has reached its peak, and many people can't even imagine living without their phones.
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Some people can use mobile phones at work without allowing it to hamper their work. However, most people can't and would end up wasting a lot of company time on their mobile phones. Here are some measures the managers can adopt to minimize mobile phone usage at work.
Do mobile phone bans work?
The short answer is no. Employees should be concentrating on work while in the office. Mobile phone usage can be limited or even prohibited, but it is not always the most effective way to deal with it.
Banning mobile phones outright will lead workers to find other ways to use them. Some may have legitimate reasons for using their mobile phones at work, such as arranging child care with a partner or a family emergency that they need to take care of. Although these problems are not related to work, they are important to the workers and can impact their ability to work if they cannot take care of them.
Develop a cell phone policy
It is possible to establish a company cell phone policy that is not a total ban but limits their use in order to increase employee efficiency. This policy should specify hours when the employees cannot use their phones, such as at meetings, while driving, in manufacturing areas, or while dealing with clients.
Banning cell phones at specific hours or places will reduce their usage and prevent employees from using them at specified times.
Establish the clear mobile phone Etiquette
Make your mobile phone preferences clear and put it in writing. Employees should then sign off on the etiquette guide to show that they understand what the expectations are. Mobile phone policies can include measures like restricting when and where they can be used, as well as other rules. These instructions can include:
• Setting the mobile to silent mode.
• Banning the use of mobile phone cameras
• Text instead of taking or making a phone call
• Stop using offensive tone or language.
• Attend personal calls only in private
• Speaking quietly
• Keeping all calls short
Not allowing mobile phone usage to hamper productivity or the quality of work.
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