Article taken Sun-Sentinel.com
Cell phones a hot issue in the workplace

Marcia Heroux Pounds
May 16, 2002

The ringing startled the speaker. She looked around the audience, and with a reddening face, realized it was her cell phone that was ringing.

"Please turn off your cell phone," is a common request at seminars and conferences. Yet people forget. Or they don't care.

Cell phones are both a blessing and a curse. Businesses are able to communicate more efficiently and quickly with customers, suppliers and within their own organizations.

At the same time, cell phones can be disruptive and even dangerous. Many states are curbing the use of cell phone handsets while driving. Yet hands-free doesn't necessarily mean distraction-free. With cell phones becoming ubiquitous in our society, use of them is difficult to regulate.

A recent survey of 6,000 people by recruitment company TMP Worldwide found that irritating mobile phone rings are the top workplace nuisance, followed by malfunctioning equipment such as photocopiers, fax machines and printers.

John Edwards, operations manager at Smith Manufacturing Co. in Pompano Beach, says he's struggling with the issue of cell phones in his workplace. "We have a small office of 15 people where everyone has a cell phone. The phones are constantly going off, which creates a disruption," he says. Smith Manufacturing has a policy against using company phones for personal matters, but it is difficult to enforce. Anyway, most of the cell phones in the office are owned by the workers. Edwards hit upon one easy solution: He has requested that all personal phones be put on vibrate while in the workplace.

The issue of cell phone use hits many buttons. People have become (often literally) attached to their cell phones; they conduct all of their personal and professional business on them, no matter where they are. And many don't seem to care who overhears them. But instituting a policy of no personal cell phones in the workplace is nearly impossible. People have come to depend on them to keep in touch with their teen-aged children, their child-care providers and their loved ones. Many people are dropping their home phone services, making their cell phones their telecommunications vehicle for both their personal and professional lives.

Barry Savransky, branch manager for Robert Half International, a staffing company in Boca Raton, says his cell phone allows him to stay connected to his wife and baby daughter. At the same time, at work he warns job candidates that they should turn off or leave their cell phones at home when interviewing. "It's common etiquette," he says.

Not common enough, says Jacqueline Whitmore, president of The Protocol School of Palm Beach. "Businesses are going to struggle with this more and more. It's imperative you establish some policies." Whitmore suggests establishing "cell-free zones" in workplaces where cell phone use is not allowed. Companies also could give employees breaks to make personal cell-phone calls, as they might for smoking or relaxing, she says. When in public, employees should be instructed to keep their voices low while on a cell phone and to avoid heated discussions. When in a meeting with another individual, put your cell phone on vibrate or turn it off, and let your voice mail take your calls, she says. "Make sure the person you're with takes priority over the telephone caller," she says. Don't sit in a meeting and listen to your cell phone messages or write messages on your PDA, or personal digital assistant. Whitmore says she witnessed one man take someone's business card, enter the name and phone number into his PDA, and hand the card back. The other person was aghast. "Taking the focus off the other person makes them feel inferior," Whitmore says. Probably not what you want to do to a potential customer or supplier.

Marcia Heroux Pounds can be reached at mpounds@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6650.
Copyright © 2002.

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