Cell Phone Use

[shark1611]

Anyone care to share what your policy is on employee cell phone during working hours?

[skorum03]

Well my employees are all my friends, and I'm 20, and it doesn't bother me if it gets used once in a while. They seem to pretty much know whats acceptable and what isn't. They couldn't sit and text all day cause that just wouldn't fly.

[Patriot Services]

Sure. It doesn't happen. All cell phones are left at the shop in their lockers. The crew leader carries a company phone. I am the emergency contact if somebody needs to be gotten hold of. You are on my clock and it was becoming a distraction. Most jobs do not allow access to cell phones during working hours so I don't feel bad about it and haven't had too many grumblings.
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[mark11771]

Unfortunately the company I work for has no cell phone policy. Probably because the bosses kid would have to be let go.

[agrostis]

No cell phone's on the the job, no warning's, no second chance's. They cause too much wasted time, you can talk all you want off the clock.

[shark1611]

Thank you for the comments. I am almost finished with my handbook and needed to hear what others were doing.

[Patriot Services]

I know it sounds like being a dick, but if you stop habits before they get started the employee has nobody but himself to blame. You lay the ground rules from day one and enforce them on everybody equally. Many guys overlook the handbook and try to make it up as they go along, bad idea.
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[Dragon Rider]

And from a safety stand point, do you want your employees distracted while operating your equipment?

[newguy123]

In between jobs is completely fine. If I was a potential employee for any company I would like to know upfront what the policy was for taking personal calls. If I was told "no personal calls/cell phone" usage I would not work for them. And if my employer wanted to "conjure up" a new policy with zero cell phone usage, I would be extremely upset.

Not allowing someone to use their cell/take personal calls once in a while is a petty thing...of course, you do need to draw the line somewhere if they are constantly on the phone.

What I do is allow my guys to take calls between jobs, no problem with that if you're in the truck sitting for a minute or two. Or responding to a text every now and then takes 10 seconds, max. If they're operating equipment, that's obviously something very different than sitting or waiting to move onto the next job for a minute or two. But ff we're that strict that we can't give or take a few seconds every now and then, maybe we need to think what it'd be like in their shoes.

I look at it this way. I was Active Duty for 6 years, stationed in several different bases in the U.S. including overseas...anyways, if my Commanders allowed me to take a personal call every now and then (on my cell phone) then why shouldn't I as a LCO allow my employees to make or take a call. What we're doing here is nowhere near the importance of the U.S. Military.

[Oxmow]

I look at it this way. I was Active Duty for 6 years, stationed in several different bases in the U.S. including overseas...anyways, if my Commanders allowed me to take a personal call every now and then (on my cell phone) then why shouldn't I as a LCO allow my employees to make or take a call. What we're doing here is nowhere near the importance of the U.S. Military.[/QUOTE]

All of America was paying your salary then, Do you want to subsidize my company while I let guys talk on their phone? Sure one or two guys doesn't add up to much now, but in the long run???