what to do instead of being on phone

Published: March six, 2017

Updated: April five, 2022

What To Practice When an Employee Spends As well Much Fourth dimension on Their Cell Telephone

Cell phones are driving many of u.s. to lark—and taking a toll on productivity in the workplace. Nineteen pct of employers retrieve their workers are productive for less than five hours a day, and more than half believe that cell phones are to arraign.

Indeed, every beep, buzz and glow emanating from our personal devices are designed to lure the states in while hijacking our time and disrupting our concentration. A short call or text message here or at that place may not harm productivity in a noticeable way, simply excessive use tin can become a big problem. And so, what should you practice about it? Exercise you need a cell phone policy at work? Keep reading for tips on creating a visitor cell telephone policy and handling usage across your workplace.

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How to Deal With Overuse of Personal Cell Phones in the Workplace

As a small concern owner, it's normal to wonder how to bargain with employee jail cell phone use. Due to the habit-forming, ubiquitous nature of cell phones, information technology'due south important to address their inevitable presence and intervene when your employees are loath to put their devices aside — just every bit y'all must have action with the employee who always calls in sick. Beneath are a few tactics to assist you exert some measure out of command over cell phones in your workplace.

Confront the Reality

Cell phones are hither to stay. This ways creating a "no texting while working" policy isn't platonic. Ninety-five percent of Americans now own a cell phone of some kind, and family-friendly employers know that even though work comes first and foremost, personal devices are vital for employees who need to check in with their children and attend to of import personal matters during the day.

Unless there are safety concerns, creating a "no prison cell telephone use at work" policy can be perceived as punitive. In fact, posting a "mobile phones not allowed in workplace" notice volition likely lead to morale problems. And although blocking cellular signals within your workplace may be a tempting solution, it's not practical. Disabling Wi-Fi can impede your own business communications, and a cell telephone jammer, which can effectively shut down signals throughout your business area, is not but unsafe, it is also illegal in the U.Due south.

It'due south meliorate to accept cell phones as a part of mod-day work life and establish policies for their use. As long as you lot enforce your "prison cell phone apply at work" policies, you should see usage settle at levels that are reasonable for your business.

Fix Limits

You may cull to fix limits or mobile phone restrictions at work depending on:

• The nature of your business
• Each employee's job
• The types of issues you've experienced

For example, cell phone apply is typically prohibited under the following circumstances:

• During meetings, training sessions and conferences
• When employees are interacting with customers
• In production areas and kitchens or while operating heavy equipment equally a prison cell phone tin nowadays a rubber adventure
• While driving, except when a Bluetooth connection is available or when the commuter is pulled over to the side of the route. (This is a requirement enforced past OSHA, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, for which you are legally responsible equally an employer.)

Your cell phone policy could besides define:

• When prison cell phone employ during work hours is acceptable, such as during breaks and lunchtime
• The frequency and length of calls permitted during working hours
• If headsets are permitted
• Where to shop personal devices. Keeping phones out of sight, such equally in a desk drawer, is an constructive way to keep distractions to a minimum.
• Advisable utilise during business hours. For example, concern calls and cursory conversations or texts with family unit members may exist okay, but playing games or downloading music is not.

Just make sure that the limits for your smartphone policy for employees are off-white and flexible. While establishing a nil-tolerance cell phone policy isn't the best route, you tin can always tighten up your policies if necessary.

Define Etiquette for Personal Cell Phones in the Workplace

Non only do cell phones distract their owners, but calls can exist especially annoying to the employees sitting close to the talker. These guidelines can minimize disruptions and help keep the peace, even when employees are on their phones:

• Gear up prison cell phones to vibrate and ringtones to silent
• Speak quietly
• Keep calls brusque
• Take personal calls in private
• Avoid offensive language
• Use texting as a quick and serenity culling to talking on the phone
• Do non apply cell telephone cameras (to protect everyone'due south privacy)

Put Your Cell Phone Policy in Writing

To ensure that your prison cell telephone policy at work is understood and followed, put it in writing. You tin can search for a cell phone policy template online or you tin create one yourself. Whichever option yous choose brand sure y'all spell out your terms in clear, unambiguous language. Be certain to include the rationale for each term y'all outline, such as ensuring safety or maintaining productivity.

Include the disciplinary actions that will follow if policy terms are violated. This could include multiple stages (verbal alert, written alarm and terminal warning) and may include a cell telephone ban if usage interferes with business operations and the possibility of termination if utilize causes an accident or violates the visitor's confidentiality policy.

Crave all employees to review and sign the policy, indicating that they understand the policy terms and the consequences of violations.

Lead by Example

If you want your employees to adopt new jail cell phone habits, you must be impeccable in modeling the behavior you wish to cultivate. If you're taking personal calls or texting during meetings, your employees won't take your prison cell phone policy very seriously. Be a stellar function model, and your employees volition be more probable to follow suit.

Enforce Your Policy

Enforce your policy consistently and uniformly. Simply walking around the workplace can be an constructive way of curbing jail cell phone use, but beware of overdoing it. Hovering can be perceived equally micromanagement, convenance resentment amongst employees and ultimately backfiring.

You may need to result daily reminders at offset. If problems persist later on a provisional period of time and crusade workplace disruptions or a decline in productivity, information technology may exist time for a more serious conversation with those employees whose cell phone habits are more than entrenched.

Take Disciplinary Action

When taking disciplinary action, follow the standard progression of issuing a exact warning, written alert and final alert earlier terminating an employee. Document your discussions thoroughly and be as fair as possible in order to reduce the adventure of legal repercussions. The Hartford's Small Business Owner'southward Playbook shares some professional 60 minutes best practices you might consider if termination becomes necessary.

Next Steps: Are you interested in learning additional ways to manage your employees more than effectively simply don't accept time to keep up with the latest research and trends in talent management? We've got you covered with the weekly Small Biz Ahead Newsletter. Sign up today and start receiving tools, insights and resources to help yous run a successful business.

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Source: https://sba.thehartford.com/managing-employees/employee-too-much-cell-phone-time/

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