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Work Place Personal Phone Policies
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Once you get past the irony of posting a question about inappropriate phone use via inappropriate Internet use, do any of your offices have written policies associated with personal cell phone use, namely texting, surfing, etc?

I indirectly or directly supervise 20 people. I generally care about results and production versus daily use of time, but have the ability to ask big brother for reports associated with Internet use, which I've only used once in 10+ years. That said, I do have one employee who is always on his phone. I'll address it 1:1 but am curious if there are any governance policies out there.

thanks,
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Re: Work Place Personal Phone Policies [Harry] [ In reply to ]
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I've only seen phone policies when I was in the Army, and we were somewhere with classified info.

I'm reading slowtwitch at my desk, playing Trivia Crack on my phone now...against my boss. Then again, I'm in sales now so I'm just a leech.

I talk to myself because mine are the only answers I'll accept - George Carlin
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Re: Work Place Personal Phone Policies [Harry] [ In reply to ]
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when i worked for wells fargo as a mortgage analyst, they had a no cellphone at your desk policy. it was incredibly stupid. the reason was because we had so much sensitive information at our desks and having a cellphone out meant we could copy it easily to steal peoples financial information. sounds reasonable as long as no one had 2 brain cells...

i could literally print out any file i wanted to take home

i could and did take home boxes of files full if complete mortgage closing documents which obviously contain everything you would need to steal someone's identity and finances

i could just access my computer from home

i could use a pen and paper to write down anything i wanted

but heaven forbid a cellphone was in your hand because then ypu could copy sensitive information!!!

internet use was tolerated as long as it didnt get out of hand

who's smarter than you're? i'm!
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Re: Work Place Personal Phone Policies [Harry] [ In reply to ]
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My policy is that if my employee talks on his phone too much, I take his phone and smash it into tiny little pieces.

It's not a written policy and "too much" isn't defined.

Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb
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Re: Work Place Personal Phone Policies [Harry] [ In reply to ]
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We have a written one. It was wrapped up as a "safety" issue since I work in manufacturing. It's unsafe to dick around on your cellphone when you're operating a 40 ton CNC press brake. Leadership sold it as "same rules for everyone" and extended the no cell phone at work rule to everyone including the office.

It's pretty much ignored by office folks, though. I tolerate it for my people because work gets done. If it didn't we'd have a talk.
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Re: Work Place Personal Phone Policies [Duffy] [ In reply to ]
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Duffy wrote:
My policy is that if my employee talks on his phone too much, I take his phone and smash it into tiny little pieces.

It's not a written policy and "too much" isn't defined.

Sounds like the secondary policy I selectively put in in the Army.

I talk to myself because mine are the only answers I'll accept - George Carlin
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Re: Work Place Personal Phone Policies [Harry] [ In reply to ]
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don t own a phone. so the issue is mute. I like being at work and not having anybody bother me.

sometimes
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Re: Work Place Personal Phone Policies [Harry] [ In reply to ]
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Where i work when i'm on the clock for the .mil is in a SCIF so no cell phones (or any data device--like even a apple watch) is allowed. In fact you're not supposed to even bring any phones into the building. There is a bulletin board in one of the hallways with offending cells phones smashed and screwed into the wood surface by way of warning.

One contract i worked on took me to Australia quite a bit working with their commando units on a special project. At RAAF Base Williamton (outside Newcastle) going into their secure area the Aussies actually had a detection system where a alarm would go off if you tried to walk thru with a cell phone. Embarrassing.

/r

Steve
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Re: Work Place Personal Phone Policies [Harry] [ In reply to ]
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I'm the Plant Manager - 220 people report to me from unionized machinists to white and gray collar engineers, accountants, and every other job you can imagine in an industrial manufacturing facility of this size.

We have a written policy since we are also a government contractor with security concerns. In general:

Only employees past their 90 day probation period can carry a personal cell phone. Vendor, customer, and all other visitors must leave their phones in the car or at the reception desk.

No one can use their personal phone to take a picture inside the facility. We have no control to prevent this, but your phone can be searched when you exit. If you refuse to allow the phone to be searched, either by refusing to hand it over or unlock the screen, it is confiscated and your are probably going to be fired. You sign this consent as part or your employment agreement. For the record, phones have only been searched on probable cause - someone ratted somebody else out. We have never found a picture that was a problem. Every time it has been someone taking a picture for a presentation.

Management can use their phones anytime, anywhere, within reason. You just can't be moving or in a meeting. If you are in a meeting you are expected to step out and take the call.

Union is not allowed to use their phones on the manufacturing floor while production is running. That is a safety and quality concern. Just like management, if they have to use their phone they need to step out, and to do that the floor supervisor has to approve leaving the machine or work station.

This has been our policy for about 7 years and it has so far worked well. Like you, we are more concerned with production performance than being dicks.

"...the street finds its own uses for things"
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Re: Work Place Personal Phone Policies [mustangchef] [ In reply to ]
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mustangchef wrote:
don t own a phone. so the issue is mute.



How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?
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Re: Work Place Personal Phone Policies [BLeP] [ In reply to ]
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BLeP wrote:
mustangchef wrote:
don t own a phone. so the issue is mute.


I gave him the benefit of the doubt that he was trying to make a cell phone joke. Not being able to talk on the phone makes you mute.

who's smarter than you're? i'm!
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Re: Work Place Personal Phone Policies [Harry] [ In reply to ]
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I work in academia, so it's pretty much a free for all regarding phones, internet, whatever...
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Re: Work Place Personal Phone Policies [Harry] [ In reply to ]
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Quite a few of the Cancers centers I oversee, have a policy if they are in a patient care area they can not have their phones on them or use them. The idea the focus should be on the patient, with a secondary thought of taking photo of patient information. They can go to the break area and check their phone for messages, return calls, etc. And if they notify someone of a situation going on, they do make exceptions but they like to be notified first when possible. The centers also have a direct back line that bypass's the main desk and the employee can be paged they have a call, or outside callers can call direct to their area (infusion, radiation) which also usually have a direct line for an emergency.

While some don't like it since it's not their personal cell phone, since they feel they are giving up a bit of control of their life. They do have ways for someone to get a hold of them for something sudden, like a child sick at school, etc.
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