A Significant Majority of You — 61% — Don’t Have a Formal Cellphone Use Policy

question:

Do you or don’t you have a defined and formal personal cellphone use policy in your business?

Yes: 39%

• Employees leave cellular telephones at the front door when entering the building. If an employee is needed, then they are called at the office. — BJ C., McQueeney, TX
• I would start with the suffix “ish.” We ask that staff keep cellphone use to a minimum. If your family needs to get in touch with you in an emergency they can call the office. We do have to reiterate the policy from time to time due to memory fade. — Dan A., Port St. Lucie, FL
• Their cellphone can’t be on the sales floor visible to customers. When using their cellphone they must be off the sales floor. — Danielle D., Detroit, MI
• No cellphones for staff or patients. — Patti R., North Andover, MA
• Put it away when you are on the floor, if you need to make a personal call, excuse yourself. No cellphone use in front of clients. — Brandy P., Warner Robins, GA
• Per our policy manual: Cellphones and smart watches should be turned off or silenced during the workday and stored away from your work area. Employees should not answer their cellphone (including texts) during work hours unless the employee’s manager has given specific approval to do so based on demonstrated need. Certain positions within the clinic may require a cellphone for business use throughout the day. In that case, they should be on silent or vibrate mode to minimize distraction. — Lawrele J., Bismarck, ND
• Cellphones are for emergency calls only. The staff are welcome to use their cellphones during lunch. — Robert E., Oakland Park, FL
• No use in front of patients. No calls in work areas. Watches are ok, but above still in effect. — Jeff R., North Sioux City, SD
• You can keep your cellphone near you in the back room (away from customers) if you are expecting a call or text that’s urgent. And this needs to be approved beforehand by the supervisor. — Amy D., Fergus Falls, MN
• Cellphones are allowed but not to be seen in front of patients. Any important personal calls must be answered in the break room not up front. — Maureen G., Oak Park, IL
• The staff is supposed to keep their phones in the back room but no one has ever kept the policy and I still see them quickly hiding phones — or not even bothering — when I come around a corner. — Marc U., Pine Beach, NJ
• Stay off your phone unless it’s for business use or absolutely needed and then take it somewhere not in front of patients. — Caitlin N., Montrose, CO
• The only personal cellphone use policy we have is no use in front of patients and you must be caught up on your work. I wouldn’t say this is a huge issue at our office thankfully. We’re all too busy! — Morgan D., Carmi, IL
• No cellphones on your person during working hours. — Mark P., Orlando, FL
• No use of cellphone on the floor or in front of patients. — Lisa S., Vancouver, WA
• A patient should never see you on your phone. — Kristina J., Mishawaka, IN
• Patient focused not phone focused. — Michael H., Portland, OR
• We find it is not practical to fully restrict personal cell use but do not allow it in patient care areas — phones are left at workstations — and encourage its use to be limited. If an important need comes up staff will inform a manager they may need to check their phone more on that day. Our staff has always largely respected this approach and rarely do we have to intervene. — Zachary D., Saint Peter, MN
• Cellphones are only allowed out in the back lab area, and staff are encouraged to keep them in their personal locker except during breaks, or in case of an emergency. — Kelsey B., Winston Salem, NC
• Cellphones are to not be used while around patient areas. — Colby S., Dothan, AL
• We had problems with people being on the phone too long and not working. — Rachel G., South Portland, ME
• Basically, don’t let patients see you on your phone, don’t let it be a distraction from your work. We haven’t had a problem yet…fortunately. — Jenna G., Fargo, ND
• Yes. No cellphones for employees. We do allow watches and that’s sometimes a problem too. — Douglas H., San Angelo, TX
• No cellphones out. Any emergency from family/friends has to be called into the office. If you can do eight hours of work in one hour, I’ll be impressed and asked you how you did it. I’ll also pay you to be on your phone for seven hours. I probably need to find more work for you to do. — Ben T., Miami, FL
• No cellphone use during paid time including watches. Patients should feel they are the priority and not see staff using their cellphones instead. — Jocelyn M., Lancaster, MA

No: 61%

• We do not have a policy because we are usually too busy to be messing around with a phone. — Pablo M., Atlanta, GA
• We do not currently have a formal policy, many staff members have children and/or family members that may need to get in contact with them in the event of an emergency, and I like to make sure they know I’ve got their back in that regard. There have been some folks who have taken advantage of the lack of formal policy and we address this on a case-by-case basis. — Maggie C., Winston Salem, NC
• It’s not an issue in our office. I personally use mine for contacting reps as it’s a preferred method for most. — Lindsey P., Manhattan, KS
• Not a problem, and I am not sure how you would actually address that these days when every insurance company and website is requiring two factor authentication and we are always dashing around trying to get some code from someone’s phone. Plus using phones to create social media content, communicate with customers. It’s just a part of doing business today. — Nikki G., Oakdale, MN
• It’s a small issue. We are trying to treat everyone as adults but having to talk the ones who allow their phone to be a distraction to themselves or others. There is also a generational component to it that needs to be recognized and handled well. — Scott M., Christiansburg VA
• I would address cellphone use if it became an issue for someone, but there is a level of respect at my business that lets employees know that unless it’s a family issue don’t use your phone. We respect family but we respect the importance of the professional atmosphere too. — Jennifer L., Dansville, NY
• Ideally, I would like staff not to have their cellphones out during work hours, but they all do. If job duties are performed as expected, I tend to not let it bother me. — Sonja F., Austin, TX
• We’re all playing on our phones when we’re not busy. — Aaron B., McKinney, TX
• Used to be more of an issue, not so much with our current staff. We’re relational — we just talk it through with staff one-on-one whenever it becomes an issue. — Jen H., Sandpoint, ID
• I do not, but my cellphone is the second phone in the store. — Dorothy R., Fairfield, CT
• Hasn’t been an issue. — Jordan F., Baltimore, MD
• Our staff can make personal calls with their cellphones when they feel it’s necessary. They are responsible adults. Back in the day ( pre cellphone) staff would tie up the office phone lines with a personal call. — Texas S., Citrus Heights, CA
• It’s really never been much of a problem. It’s 2023 and as long as work is getting done how it needs to be I don’t care if they check their phone here and there. — Travis L., Logan, UT
• We’re all adults and professionals. Never had a need to make cellphone use an issue or policy. — Kevin C., Glenview, IL
• We simply address issues on a case-by-case basis. — Harris D., Scarsdale, NY
• We don’t really have an issue. We are a small office and respectful of each other. I don’t feel the need to police adults about their phone habits. They know what they should do. — Cynthia S., Lewis Center, OH
• We are a growing practice with a limited clinical schedule. I allow staff to use phones without restrictions as long as task are being completed and it does not distract from patient care. This is subject to change as we continue to grow. — William C., Forsyth, GA
• We keep a close eye on usage. Cellphones must be muted and kept out of sight. If the need arises, staff can check them for emergencies or take a call, but it must be done in the break room away from patients. We have quite a few staff with little children. — Susan K., Phoenix, AZ
• In general, our policy is “don’t play on your phone while you are at work.” There are exceptions though. One mom has to keep her phone by her because it alerts her if her diabetic child’s blood sugar gets too low. Just get the work done and do a good job at what you do. — Dierdre F., Littleton, CO