Should Companies Have To Train Employees In Mobile Etiquette?
from the common-sense-is-dead dept
There have been a growing number of stories recently about mobile phone etiquette issues have reached the office now that most people have mobile phones — and some prefer using them to office phones. However, with so many people feeling compelled to answer phones whenever they ring, there’s a fear that bad mobile etiquette could end up hurting business. So, now, companies are starting to look into training their employees on mobile etiquette or at least setting up some office mobile etiquette guidelines for the especially dim. It still seems like a lot of this should be common sense. Unfortunately, many of us have a Pavlovian response that makes us feel compelled to answer the phone no matter when or where we are. Of course, that only covers the “answering the phone” part of the equation. People who use bizarre/obnoxious/questionable ringtones at the office, I’ll simply never understand.
Comments on “Should Companies Have To Train Employees In Mobile Etiquette?”
My boss is full of shit
Well I wish my damn boss would read a book about mobile ettiquette !
This imbicile walks into the men’s room and proceeds to have full blown coversations while I’m trying to take a dump.
I’ve taken to making obcene noises ( farts ) by blowing hard on my arm … sounds just like my bowels are falling out.
Last time I did it I heard him embarrasingling tell the poor sap on the other line that he had to call him back.
Can’t a guy take a shit in peace ???
No Subject Given
I think the providers need to provide a training session and licensing process before they’re allowed to give them to people – there are just too many twits out there who don’t have a clue.
To the woman tailgating me while DIALING THE PHONE: you don’t need to be doing that. One thing at a time.
To the guy screaming into the phone in a restaurant: you don’t need to be doing that. One thing at a time.
To the woman jabbering on the phone while paying for groceries: you don’t need to be doing that. One thing at a time.
To any and all students in class: careful, you might learn something.
I think we as a global society simply haven’t figured out this “mobile” thing.
I remember working in retail.. The phone would always ring while I was talking to a customer. They would usually fumble into their bags.. Generally to shut it off. Some just answer the phone, sometimes with a courtesy “hand thrust into your face” to let you know you, the fleshy lump in front of them, is now on hold. I just walked away and found something else to do.
I have never, *ever* answered my phone at work (ok, ok, at 5 minutes to quitting I once picked up and whispered “call you in 5”) – if your social schedule is so demanding, you clearly aren’t employable for the position you have.
Now I can fully understand taking a business call (even in a meeting, if it’s the CEO and you are working on something urgent), but if your buddy calls to ask if you want to get pizza later, let it go to your goddamn voicemail.
Re: No need for training
Just issue everyone with squirt guns. Problem solved.
Funny
Not so long ago, Mike wrote an article about etiquette classes for employees, and how this was a waste of money. He is endorsing it now, seeing that he is perhaps older and wiser.
Bah.
If you have employees/co-workers you have to trust their judgement otherwise you’ll spend all your time babysiting.
I work in an auto plant and I was initially shocked by people answering their cell phones during meeting (in a 10X20 foot room) and not leaving to talk.
Then I realized– they *always* look at their phone when it rings, and if they are answering it, they are dealing with something more important than the meeting (something that could possibly stall the line and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars). You learn to ignore it. Especially when you realize that none of the meeting leaders even flinch when the cell phone gets answered.
Re: Bah.
related to this is college professors who freak out when you sneak in late to their class and “disrupt” it.
The only person disrupting the class is the lame lecturer who holds a grudge against the late person.
In the “real world” people will enter and exit meetings *constantly*. People will bring their laptops into the meetings and work on unrelated projects and production issues while listening to the background noise of the meeting and consequently asking stupid questions. Even the meeting leader will occasionally answer a cell phone.
But then you realize– meetings are for education and communication. If they don’t educate and communicate, they were a waste of time. If they educate and communicate at the expense of the business, they were a waste of money. They serve no purpose if they are only a vehicle for punishment and conformity.