Mobiles in the workplace.

greenspurs · 22-04-2021 6:29pm #1

They've been a long time problem here.
Finally top level have taken steps to stamp it out.

Boxes on a wall,
locked at 8.02
Open at 9.58 - locked at 10.22

Open at 12.58 - locked at 2.02

Open at 4.58.

Workers were blatantly standing with their phones scrolling, there was only so many times you can keep saying "put away the phone" .

Now theres a system of measures in place if a worker is found with their phone on them during work hours.
A lot of resistance (mumbling&grumbling so far) about this, but i dont think there was any other option. The few taking the pi$$ ruined it on everyone else.

Surely this kind of rule is commonplace in workplaces?

Atlantic Dawn · 22-04-2021 6:34pm

Is the phone insured while in the box? Would be better to have in place a policy if you were warned 3 times about phone use you were dismissed.

TheW1zard · 22-04-2021 6:36pm

What if someone calls you lol

Dtp1979 · 22-04-2021 6:38pm

I can see a lot of people bringing in old phones to put in your box then discreetly do their thing

KaneToad · 22-04-2021 6:40pm

TheW1zard wrote: »

What if someone calls you lol

You can't talk, you're at work.

greenspurs · 22-04-2021 6:41pm

Dtp1979 wrote: »

I can see a lot of people bringing in old phones to put in your box then discreetly do their thing

That has been mentioned a few times by the 'rebels' ...... :rolleyes:

TheW1zard · 22-04-2021 6:42pm

Hate to work there

greenspurs · 22-04-2021 6:43pm

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Is the phone insured while in the box? Would be better to have in place a policy if you were warned 3 times about phone use you were dismissed.

Phones cant be gotten at during the locked times.
See thru boxes, on a magnetic time lock, in full view (but away from) of the workers .

It is a verbal, then written, then dismiss situation.

greenspurs · 22-04-2021 6:43pm

TheW1zard wrote: »

Hate to work there

Most workplaces are/should be like that now?

people are so addicted to the bloody phones.... Zombies...

tscul32 · 22-04-2021 6:46pm

Dtp1979 wrote: »

I can see a lot of people bringing in old phones to put in your box then discreetly do their thing

That's what the rebel kids in my son's school were doing

Minier81 · 22-04-2021 6:48pm

Dtp1979 wrote: »

I can see a lot of people bringing in old phones to put in your box then discreetly do their thing

And this will only work for the people who weren't on their phone all the time as the others wouldn't manage to be discreet!

22-04-2021 6:50pm

If it effects actually working, so be it but was there an official policy in place before this?

B.A._Baracus · 22-04-2021 6:50pm

greenspurs wrote: »

Surely this kind of rule is commonplace in workplaces?

I have had quite a number of jobs. In retail you were never "allowed" to have your phone on you but you'd still keep it in your pocket. Never had a job that demanded you put it in a time lock box.

What kind of job you got? :pac:

Princess Calla · 22-04-2021 6:51pm

KaneToad wrote: »

You can't talk, you're at work.

Yeah but what happens if it's the creche/school or elderly parents etc that need to contact you?

greenspurs · 22-04-2021 6:55pm

Princess Calla wrote: »

Yeah but what happens if it's the creche/school or elderly parents etc that need to contact you?

They ring reception.

greenspurs · 22-04-2021 6:57pm

Niner leprauchan wrote: »

If it effects actually working, so be it but was there an official policy in place before this?

It did.
People leaving phones in crates going to customers, watching videos in toilets and staying in there for 10-15 mins.

People ruined it for themselves by being stupid about it.

You can only tell people to "Put it away" so many times before action has to be taken.

Stheno · 22-04-2021 6:57pm

Everyone where I work have work mobiles, so people are constantly on one phone or another

KaneToad · 22-04-2021 6:59pm

Princess Calla wrote: »

Yeah but what happens if it's the creche/school or elderly parents etc that need to contact you?

The world existed before mobile phones. They can ring the reception with an urgent message.

ByTheSea2019 · 22-04-2021 7:10pm

I worked in one place where you couldn't have a visible phone on the office floor so you had to keep it in your handbag or I guess coat or trouser pockets for men. But people were still allowed to have their phones to go outside and make a call in an emergency. There will come a day when someone needs to be contacted about their child in an emergency and this won't end well then.

22-04-2021 7:12pm

greenspurs wrote: »

It did.
People leaving phones in crates going to customers, watching videos in toilets and staying in there for 10-15 mins.

People ruined it for themselves by being stupid about it.

You can only tell people to "Put it away" so many times before action has to be taken.

They always do.

Is there a policy however and a union?

Princess Calla · 22-04-2021 7:15pm

KaneToad wrote: »

The world existed before mobile phones. They can ring the reception with an urgent message.

Yeah it did but we've been living with mobiles for over 25 years.

If it's an emergency and you are away from your desk (especially if whole team is away for meeting/seminar etc) the receptionist isn't going to search the building for you.

If someone is ringing you to tell you your dad has had a stroke and you need to get to the hospital. Or your 1 year old has had an allergic reaction and gone to the hospital you really don't want to be flaffing about with receptionists.

antimatterx · 22-04-2021 7:15pm

This is pathetic. These aren't children.

If my workplace did this I'd walk tbh, and so would most of the staff.

kippy · 22-04-2021 7:17pm

What type of workplace is this?
What was the rationale for putting this in place?

Mrs OBumble · 22-04-2021 7:23pm

Princess Calla wrote: »

Yeah it did but we've been living with mobiles for over 25 years.

If it's an emergency and you are away from your desk (especially if whole team is away for meeting/seminar etc) the receptionist isn't going to search the building for you.

If someone is ringing you to tell you your dad has had a stroke and you need to get to the hospital. Or your 1 year old has had an allergic reaction and gone to the hospital you really don't want to be flaffing about with receptionists.

Those are exactly the kind of messages that should go to your manager, who organises safe travel to the hospital for you, and cover for your job. There are plenty of workers who cannot simply walk out, no matter what the personal emergency is.

Fann Linn · 22-04-2021 7:29pm

kippy wrote: »

What type of workplace is this?
What was the rationale for putting this in place?

Amazon?

bee06 · 22-04-2021 7:33pm

Is it one of those places with productivity targets etc?

Wouldn’t happen in my office. They want the work to get done and we’re all grown ups. If it’s a quiet day and someone is on their phone for a while it’s now a big deal. We’re all working from home at the moment and I could spend half the day reading a book as long as everything gets done during the other half.

L1011 · 22-04-2021 7:35pm

Is this in retail or a factory floor setting?

If its an office setting, and they don't have their internet locked down tighter than [insert your own simile here, many of them are too dirty to post], the distraction will just move.

Wouldn't work somewhere like that, but I've worked in jobs with company provided mobiles for my entire adult life anyway; where such a setup would be counterproductive in the extreme!

Princess Calla · 22-04-2021 7:35pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Those are exactly the kind of messages that should go to your manager, who organises safe travel to the hospital for you, and cover for your job. There are plenty of workers who cannot simply walk out, no matter what the personal emergency is.

So a manager would be fielding calls from numerous creches (my team alone has 8 creche using parents) when they ring to advise the child has a temperature and they are going to administer calpol? Plus discussing a child's details with a third party??? Best of luck with that, I can't see any manager wanting that hassle.

If the manager can't be contacted the next inline is company director....jesus talk about creating unnecessary work !

Fann Linn · 22-04-2021 7:37pm

bee06 wrote: »

Is it one of those places with productivity targets etc?

Wouldn’t happen in my office. They want the work to get done and we’re all grown ups. If it’s a quiet day and someone is on their phone for a while it’s now a big deal. We’re all working from home at the moment and I could spend half the day reading a book as long as everything gets done during the other half.

Same here. I get provided with a work phone and tablet, pay BIK on same, a few newspaper apps, Sky Go on it. So long as the jobs are done the boss is happy.

Sam Hain · 22-04-2021 7:40pm

antimatterx wrote: »

This is pathetic. These aren't children.

If my workplace did this I'd walk tbh, and so would most of the staff.

I don't think you're really being honest.

kippy · 22-04-2021 7:40pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Those are exactly the kind of messages that should go to your manager, who organises safe travel to the hospital for you, and cover for your job. There are plenty of workers who cannot simply walk out, no matter what the personal emergency is.

And there are plenty more who can be an adult about it, inform there manager there is an issue they must attend to if serious enough and get on with it.

This is a really poor solution to a problem.

ByTheSea2019 · 22-04-2021 7:47pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Those are exactly the kind of messages that should go to your manager, who organises safe travel to the hospital for you, and cover for your job. There are plenty of workers who cannot simply walk out, no matter what the personal emergency is.

Those messages go to your manager through you and you control the level of private detail about your family the manager gets. You are not a schoolchild with someone ringing up to tell the teacher something about you, all over your head. That's degrading for adults.

Management being supportive is great but you do not want the company taking over complete responsibility for handling peoples personal emergencies, by controlling the contact.

A receptionist can't find the employee in the building. They then get a message muddled up. They leave something out of the message. The employee when they do get the message, is frantic because they want to know X. The receptionist didn't ask X because they didn't think of it/it's a private matter that's none of their business. The employee can't get back in contact because whoever called is driving to a hospital etc.

OMM 0000 · 22-04-2021 7:50pm

I don't agree with putting phones in boxes. There's an easier way to handle this through disciplining people. It's an employers market right now so there's no need to tolerate people who are not doing their job and not following basic instructions.

Obviously I have no problem with the odd message or phone call.

KevRossi · 22-04-2021 7:51pm

It depends on what you are doing. Two examples in places where I worked with chronic phone users;

1. 250 boxes with new chairs to be moved, up a few steps then on a trolley about 40m, then up a few steps, then another trolley for 30m.
5 men so each would do 50 boxes. 1 always on the phone, standing there, or barely walking along, he probably did 25 boxes all day. The rest of us pick up his slack and end out doing nearly 57 boxes each, or about 2-3 times what he did. If he wasn't on the phone, he was in the jacks, or trying to show us the latest meme or shlt on youtube. That leaves a bad atmosphere.

2 Last place I worked in was in sales. 3 on each team. One fella always fcuking around with his phone, he got 50% of the leads of the other two, but got the same commission at the end of each month. I left when they wouldn't move him.

Yeah it treats us like kids, but in some places it's just needed and the other 80% suffer.

For those going on about kids emergencies, well there are other options like ringing the bloody office. It's always 'won't someone think of the brats'. Stay at home if you're so worried about an emergency. And obviously there should be exceptions for someone where family member is seriously ill, or just get a phone with no internet ability.

Mrs OBumble · 22-04-2021 7:59pm

Princess Calla wrote: »

So a manager would be fielding calls from numerous creches (my team alone has 8 creche using parents) when they ring to advise the child has a temperature and they are going to administer calpol? Plus discussing a child's details with a third party??? Best of luck with that, I can't see any manager wanting that hassle.

If the manager can't be contacted the next inline is company director....jesus talk about creating unnecessary work !

Those aren't emergencies, and can wait for your break. Message would just be "call Janet on 1234567", no need to say what it's about.

Princess Calla · 22-04-2021 8:04pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Those aren't emergencies, and can wait for your break. Message would just be "call Janet on 1234567", no need to say what it's about.

A child running a temperature is an emergency, children can deteriorate very quickly.

22-04-2021 8:08pm

They're the burning cigarette in a no smoking area!

kippy · 22-04-2021 8:18pm

Everyone here is getting punished the the actions of what (appears to be) the few.
Instead of the few being brought into line to resolve the issue.
It's a pity grown adults need to:
Have a complete lack of understanding of their responsibilities in the workplace (those who consistently use their mobiles)
but also a complete failure of management that cannot control the situation.

22-04-2021 8:31pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Those are exactly the kind of messages that should go to your manager, who organises safe travel to the hospital for you, and cover for your job. There are plenty of workers who cannot simply walk out, no matter what the personal emergency is.

There is nothing more important than your child. Nothing.

I work to live, not live to work.

antimatterx · 22-04-2021 8:51pm

Sam Hain wrote: »

I don't think you're really being honest.

I really would. I'm a developer, I'd have a new job within a month.

Why do you think salaries are so high? There's a huge demand for developers.

paddy19 · 22-04-2021 8:54pm

This problem is a lot older than mobile phones.
People have been acting the maggot and not pulling their weight since the industrial revolution.

Boxes are a cop out.
This is a management problem.

First rule is you have to meet your targets.
If you are not hitting your targets you start getting a lot of attention.

A team not hitting targets and someone is nattering on a mobile gets very fast feedback.

A team meeting their targets and someone nattering on a mobile means the targets are too easy.

Make targets more aggressive.

Follow this process for a couple of months and Johnny the mobile Natterer will get the message very fast.

0lddog · 22-04-2021 9:16pm

greenspurs wrote: »

...Surely this kind of rule is commonplace in workplaces?

Many places just dont allow them at all.

Apart from time wasting they are a safety issue in production / warehouse environment, cameras are a security issue in some environments, hotspot capability and large memory capacity opens up a pandoras box of data security issues.

twowheelsonly · 22-04-2021 9:34pm

kippy wrote: »

Everyone here is getting punished the the actions of what (appears to be) the few.
Instead of the few being brought into line to resolve the issue.
It's a pity grown adults need to:
Have a complete lack of understanding of their responsibilities in the workplace (those who consistently use their mobiles)
but also a complete failure of management that cannot control the situation.

The danger is that it's only going to get worse as more and more young people enter the workforce (as has been happening already). If they don't clamp down now then it becomes a bigger issue as time goes on.
At the moment it's probably a minority causing the issue by dawdling on their phones for half the day but that can very quickly become a substantial number and can affect productivity as well as piss off those staff that don't spend half the day on their phones i.e. they go to work to do what they get paid for.

If you deliberately bring a phone into my place of work you get sacked. End of story. I work in a Prison so that's slightly different but somehow we all manage to make it through the day without the world caving in. Emergency family calls etc come in the very very odd time and somehow the person concerned can always be contacted and a message passed on regardless of what area they're working in or what meeting they might be at.

Eoin · 23-04-2021 12:30am

This all sounds a bit silly. If they don't have a good way of measuring productivity, then that's a glaring issue right there. Dossers will find a different way to doss.

Saying that managers should be responsible for fielding their staff's emergency calls and deciding the next steps sounds absolutely mental to me.

Mrs OBumble · 23-04-2021 1:34am

Niner leprauchan wrote: »

There is nothing more important than your child. Nothing.

I work to live, not live to work.

If you're a surgeon or a theatre nurse or a teacher, guard (in some roles), pilot, train driver, air-traffic controller, prison guard, even a motorway toll-booth operator, then you CANNOT just leave the job because you get a phone call about a family emergency. No matter what is important to you. Because if you do, quite likely other people will suffer severe consequences or perhaps even die.

If properly run, these companies have protocols for how family emergency calls should be placed, and part of induction is getting you to tell relevant people about these.

MrMusician18 · 23-04-2021 1:51am

These kind of policies just lead to reduced morale and higher staff turnover.

That's fine, is that's the aim.

Strumms · 23-04-2021 1:54am

Nothing more frustrating then working with a tulip who is constantly messaging, talking.. “sorry, I just HAVE to take this” then to be seen roaring laughing like a fûckin empty headed chimp for five minutes.... what was so critical and important that you HAD to take it again ?

I worked with one girl who wore it like an ‘ I can’t help if I’m popular ‘ badge of honor... our work list increasing , hers the same but unfinished and then has the cheek.. “ sorry I’m a little behind , can anybody take the PM statistical report from me ? “. Rest of us ... ‘NO’..

I’m not for your personal property being locked away, I’m though for management, heaven forbid, ‘managing’ employees...

If you have a ‘no personal calls and phones on silent’ policy.. fücking enforce it, penalize the piss takers, discipline them, the fûck are you getting my phone though, the labour court would be interesting for that.

twowheelsonly · 23-04-2021 5:09am

MrMusician18 wrote: »

These kind of policies just lead to reduced morale and higher staff turnover.

That's fine, is that's the aim.

Doing your work whilst you look at the ape next to you whiling away his day on the phone doesn't do much for morale either if management do nothing to clamp down on it.

myNewName · 23-04-2021 5:31am

So if my child has a fall- a bump to the head and needs to go to the hospital, the call comes to reception, receptionist has to come find me to relay the message but they never asked what happened and I don’t know how serious the situation is, i call the school to find out what happened but they’re en route to hospital already so I then call the teacher who’s travelling with them but they don’t answer as they’re attending to my child/in conversation with paramedics/etc, I call my partner to let him know and decide which of us rushes straight to hospital, I get the receptionist in his job and wait for them to go find him, eventually that message is relayed and he calls me back while I’ve been waiting at the receptionist desk at my job for his receptionist to find him...

twowheelsonly · 23-04-2021 5:46am

myNewName wrote: »

So if my child has a fall- a bump to the head and needs to go to the hospital, the call comes to reception, receptionist has to come find me to relay the message but they never asked what happened and I don’t know how serious the situation is, i call the school to find out what happened but they’re en route to hospital already so I then call the teacher who’s travelling with them but they don’t answer as they’re attending to my child/in conversation with paramedics/etc, I call my partner to let him know and decide which of us rushes straight to hospital, I get the receptionist in his job and wait for them to go find him, eventually that message is relayed and he calls me back while I’ve been waiting at the receptionist desk at my job for his receptionist to find him...

In my limited worldly experience the school phones and asks for Mrs Newname to ring Teacher X back urgently if she's not instantly available. Teacher X will have the information that you need.
Mr and Mrs NewName are very organised so it's already decided in advance which one of them will respond to a family emergency, usually depending on whichever one of them can get off work easiest. It's really not that complicated but the chances of your scenario playing out as you've outlined are absolutely miniscule to begin with.

greenspurs · 23-04-2021 8:11am

kippy wrote: »

What type of workplace is this?
What was the rationale for putting this in place?

As i explained, flagrant blatant use of phones throughout the working day while on a production line/ working with machinery/ driving forklifts.

Also, going to the toilet for 10-15mins watching youtube/ on facebook etc.

Mobiles in the workplace.

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