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Starting next week, my company is making us check in our phones

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G

Glendemonium

Member
Baron Doggystyle von Woof said:
Why does the one colleague care about the other one slacking?

If he is doing his job who cares if he is slacking or taking a long break. Just do your own job.
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It's a tough situation, sometimes management is too inept to weed the slackers and just punish everyone.

Or there are some workers who take it upon themselves to be work wardens and argue with the person they're having issues with rather than take it up to their supervisor.
 
M

Marty Chinn

Member
apocalidiot said:
Unless it's super easy to find another job, it's just a phone. I'm not saying its right, but to quit your job over it? What do you do on your phone during work that is worth quitting your job over it?
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brisk tacos said:
People who would quit their job no questions asked over not being able to have your phone on you...how old are you and how into your phone are you? Did you work before the time of ubiquitous cell phones? Is this more of an issue of being treated like children, or being upset that your entertainment at work is taken away?
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I'm in my mid to mid late 30s. I also have two kids, one who has a food allergy. The school's policy is if they get sick, they must be picked up within 30 minutes. So having my phone on me is my link to emergencies with my kids. There's a number of reasons why I'd want my phone on me for a number of responsible reasons. The assumption that someone wants their phone on them at all times just to goof off is ludicrous. I could list off a number of other reasons why I have my phone on me for useful adult reasons, but simply stating I have kids should be enough. And before someone says they can call my work phone number, that only works if I'm at my desk where as my phone is always on me. I've left in the middle of a work meeting because of an emergency because my phone notified me about an issue. On top of that, I would have to go change my phone number at a ton of places that already have my cell number as a point of contact. Ever change your phone number and notify everyone? It's a pain in the ass.
 
F

FUBAR McDangles

Member
I don't have to check my phone in anywhere, but if I am caught with it I get one warning and then I'm fired.

I work in childcare. I'm paid to look after children, not play on my phone. I understand and accept the policy there.

It makes sense in some businesses but not in others. Bail out OP.
 
E

evilromero

Member
HUELEN10 said:
It's not like you can use them while working.
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They're not robots. It's acceptable to check your phone through the day. It's completely unreasonable to expect a living being to be completely focused on a task for 7-8 hours without some harm being done. It's just not healthy. It's better to break up the day and focus on smaller pockets of task-based work as to not get burnt out and stay fresh.
 
E

E92 M3

Member
evilromero said:
They're not robots. It's acceptable to check your phone through the day. It's completely unreasonable to expect a living being to be completely focused on a task for 7-8 hours without some harm being done. It's just not healthy. It's better to break up the day and focus on smaller pockets of task-based work as to not get burnt out and stay fresh.
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Treating employees as dignified humans is an important step in retention.
 
P

phillipgessert

Member
Doran902 said:
Don't quit might not last long. The attention and complaints it will bring form the entire office and what it will do to morale will overshadow a couple lazy workers I think.
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This is true. Policies like this often relax when the highers-up get annoyed by them. And occasionally workplaces put policies like this in place just so it's easier to fire blatant offenders in the future.
 
P

Parch

Member
Rad- said:
I actually don't see anything wrong with this. I have worked in a company where phone usage was banned but people still used them a lot when managers weren't around (late evening and night shifts). So something like this would help against that.
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I guess I'm old because I don't see anything wrong with this either. People treat their phone like it's a body part now. It's not the end of the world if you're separated from your phone while you're expected to work. There's always landlines in case of an emergency. People and the workplace existed just fine before there were cellphones.

People are willing to quit their job over something so trivial? Wow.
 
A

apocalidiot

Banned
Marty Chinn said:
I'm in my mid to mid late 30s. I also have two kids, one who has a food allergy. The school's policy is if they get sick, they must be picked up within 30 minutes. So having my phone on me is my link to emergencies with my kids. There's a number of reasons why I'd want my phone on me for a number of responsible reasons. The assumption that someone wants their phone on them at all times just to goof off is ludicrous. I could list off a number of other reasons why I have my phone on me for useful adult reasons, but simply stating I have kids should be enough. And before someone says they can call my work phone number, that only works if I'm at my desk where as my phone is always on me. I've left in the middle of a work meeting because of an emergency because my phone notified me about an issue. On top of that, I would have to go change my phone number at a ton of places that already have my cell number as a point of contact. Ever change your phone number and notify everyone? It's a pain in the ass.
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OP said this is their first "career job". I'm guessing they don't have kids and other things. Again, not saying that this policy is a good one, but if you were in the OP's shoes - wouldn't you tell your boss what you just listed above (including the kids/allergies) instead of posting a forum saying you're probably going to quit because it's bullshit?

Maybe it's because I don't have a smart phone anymore? That I see how not of a big deal this is? I'm not talking about the actual PHONE part of having a phone - people trying to reach you (I would imagine the office has multiple phones), but the dicking around part? Isn't everyone on computers at this point? Why can't you dick around on your computer?
 
D

Damaniel

Banned
Parch said:
I guess I'm old because I don't see anything wrong with this either. People treat their phone like it's a body part now. It's not the end of the world if you're separated from your phone while you're expected to work. There's always landlines in case of an emergency. People and the workplace existed just fine before there were cellphones.

People are willing to quit their job over something so trivial? Wow.
Click to expand...

I won't work for a company that treats their employees like children, nor should anybody else.
 
K

Koriandrr

Member
no it's not odd. I would too. In fact I would bring it up to HR as fucking ridiculous.
That is absolutely unheard of here.
 
N

nynt9

Member
dreamcastmaster said:
"What if there is an emergency?"

How did we ever survive as a species before mobile phones?

Just set your phone to foreword to your desk phone or reception, easy right? I can remember when personal calls at work were frowned upon so I can see why a mobile phone ban would be used. Also how many people are posting on the Internet when they are supposed to be working? Entitlement of the younger generation is running unchecked.
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Why should we live like it's 20 years ago when we can just not?
 
C

ColonelSkills

Member
I've since become head of technology at my office, and years ago we've had a policy in place by my boss which was not to directly take phones away, but to heavily discourage their use in various fashions. (Which some people ignored anyway).

I successfully argued a case against that and got the policy reversed.

Several of the departments, especially ones primarily staffed by people my age and younger, saw some definitive productivity increases almost immediately thereafter. Many use the phones for spotify and other music services. I know one guy uses it to listen to financial podcasts so he can do his job better. Several others use it to complement the security policy by having a keepass database on them at all times.

Not everyone is productive in the same manner.

If I was OP, I'd go to whomever makes the policies or advises on technology and ask them to fight it, because I can legit see how not having a little music or other productivity aid can actually hurt your output in the end.
 
H

Hazel Nut

Neo Member
At my place of work we have contemplated requiring employees to turn in their personal cell phones during work hours.

We can't monitor every single person so we hear about it from other employees or the times we have caught it, spoken directly to the employee.

Since we don't see everything it becomes a case of he said, she said and we don't have means of monitoring employees every minute of the day. The employees we do catch also love to comment how other employees are doing it and that that it is unfair to target them.

We've thought about writing people up but employees can complain of impartial treatment and if truly angry even attempt to sue claiming they are being singled out and thus discriminated against (they would probably lose but attorney fees are still expensive)

It becomes a nightmare.

You just wish employees would respect that you are being paid to work and not play on your phone throughout the day. They can do that during their break times and lunch. We understand that emergencies happen, but we somehow doubt that is happening multiple times throughout the day, every day at work.
 
N

Nivash

Member
What a ridiculous policy. If the employees are doing their job, who cares how they do it? And if they're not then fire or discipline the people who aren't. Banning phones also comes off as very behind the times because it's perfectly possible to use smartphones as productivity enhancers.

My phone is my calendar, my address book, my organizer, my personal assistant and my reference library (no, that's not an exaggeration - there are plenty of apps for just about any job, in my case Medscape and a collection of compendiums and summaries to name a few) all rolled into a single device smaller than a standard notebook. I suppose I could compensate in an office by using all of those services on the computer instead but that's both slower and less dependable.
 
M

Marty Chinn

Member
apocalidiot said:
OP said this is their first "career job". I'm guessing they don't have kids and other things. Again, not saying that this policy is a good one, but if you were in the OP's shoes - wouldn't you tell your boss what you just listed above (including the kids/allergies) instead of posting a forum saying you're probably going to quit because it's bullshit?
Click to expand...

But the policy doesn't apply to just him. It applies to everyone which is why it's a dumb policy. He may not have kids now, but others probably do. He might also have kids already. Maybe he plans to have kids within a year now that he has a stable job. Maybe he has a sick parent or a sick sibling that he helps out. There are a number of reasons why it might be necessary or simply useful to have the phone on you. My phone gives me direct alerts to my home security system including a reminder that someone forgot to set it. The OP is quite right to question working there given such a stupid policy. If the company is imposing things like this, who knows what else they limit or are going to impose. So while I might not quite out right, I would definitely start touching up the resume and start looking for other places to work at.

Maybe it's because I don't have a smart phone anymore? That I see how not of a big deal this is? I'm not talking about the actual PHONE part of having a phone - people trying to reach you (I would imagine the office has multiple phones), but the dicking around part? Isn't everyone on computers at this point? Why can't you dick around on your computer?
Click to expand...

My office sure has many phones but the phone number goes directly to my office. If I'm in the conference room, or in someone else's office, I won't get the call. My phone on the other hand is always in my pocket. Plus, like you said, people have computers and can dick around on those so banning phones is even more stupid when you factor that in.
 
Rest

Rest

All these years later I still chuckle at what a fucking moron that guy is.
I used to have to collect phones from employees. They always bitched, but it was the right thing. Give your phone up OP, don't be a slacker.
 
S

Schlep

Member
Hazel Nut said:
You just wish employees would respect that you are being paid to work and not play on your phone throughout the day. They can do that during their break times and lunch. We understand that emergencies happen, but we somehow doubt that is happening multiple times throughout the day, every day at work.
Click to expand...

Smartphones are the new water cooler. You're going to have the occasional employee who truly goofs off all day long. That person needs to be dealt with. Anyone taking a few minutes here and there is normal, especially given the expected productivity increases the past decade+. Smart companies know that expecting an employee to work every minute of every day is unrealistic. What you're looking for is output and quality of work.
 
B

balladofwindfishes

Member
Hazel Nut said:
You just wish employees would respect that you are being paid to work and not play on your phone throughout the day. They can do that during their break times and lunch. We understand that emergencies happen, but we somehow doubt that is happening multiple times throughout the day, every day at work.
Click to expand...
You aren't respecting them, they have no reason to respect you.
 
W

weemadarthur

Member
If a company was intending to implement a policy of confiscating cell phones, I would expect them to have the following other policies in place.

1. Secure storage. Access to storage would be by only authorized personnel, who are under nda for anything noticed on the personal property, given that they have no legal right to the information. Additionally, this manager(s) would be required to be on site and available from 1 hour prior to regular shift to 1 hour post regular shift.

2. Insurance. The company is taking responsibility for expensive property. It would need coverage in case of theft.

3. Identity theft protection. Requiring employees to entrust an item that can contain all the necessary information for identity theft means the company now has responsibility for carrying a service that applies to all affected employees.

I suspect that if these steps were explained to upper management, that the subject would quickly be dropped and pressure placed instead on individual management techniques.
 
E

E92 M3

Member
Rest said:
I used to have to collect phones from employees. They always bitched, but it was the right thing. Give your phone up OP, don't be a slacker.
Click to expand...

Lol, "right thing." Sounds like a horrible workplace with a lot mismanagement.
 
W

_woLf

Member
Lightning Count said:
As an employer I often consider implementation of just such a policy, we had an employee who became very unpopular with customers due to using headphones while at work and barely talking to them. Not ideal in a bar as small talk with the bar staff is a important part of customer interaction.

I'm considering creating a file where phones must be turned off and placed in the office upon starting a shift, they can be retrieved at shift's end.

Also if you're serious about job hunting because of this, you should think about your priorities.
Click to expand...

You sound like an awful boss. Treat your employees like adults, not children.

OP, bail the fuck out. They have no respect employees to implement something like that unless you're working on a top secret project.
 
Rest

Rest

All these years later I still chuckle at what a fucking moron that guy is.
E92 M3 said:
Lol, "right thing." Sounds like a horrible workplace with a lot mismanagement.
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No it was a good workplace with lot of people that would rather be on their phones than working. So their phones were taken away.
 
E

E92 M3

Member
Rest said:
No it was a good workplace with lot of people that would rather be on their phones than working. So their phones were taken away.
Click to expand...

If employees would rather be on their phones than doing their job then that means it wasn't a good workplace. Proper management should work on having the employees be happy in their workplace and respect their duties. Treating everyone like children isn't a good long term solution.

Of course, if you work place was like a rotating door with people coming and going then that's another story. I don't know what you did there for a living.
 
Oppo

Oppo

Member
how draconian.

I would think that if you had kids or were yourself on anyone's emergency list, that would make this policy an insane showstopper.

you "using the phone" includes the phone being on and receiving calls.

I really take a dimview of companies that infantilize their workers.
 
L

LumpOfCole

Member
I work for an employer that puts an extreme priority on customer privacy but they trust us to keep our phones off while working; checking in my phone would make me look for new employment.
 
Zoe

Zoe

Member
Nerfgun said:
how draconian.

I would think that if you had kids or were yourself on anyone's emergency list, that would make this policy an insane showstopper.

you "using the phone" includes the phone being on and receiving calls.

I really take a dimview of companies that infantilize their workers.
Click to expand...

You are allowed to give schools your work number, you know.
 
R

RionaaM

Unconfirmed Member
Rest said:
No it was a good workplace with lot of people that would rather be on their phones than working. So their phones were taken away.
Click to expand...
"Good workplace" and "their phones were taken away" sound a bit contradictory to me. Couldn't you just, like, talk to them as adults instead? Perhaps they didn't even realize how much time they were spending on their phones. And even if they did, a warning should have been enough to make them know they risk being fired if they keep doing that.

Zoe said:
You are allowed to give schools your work number, you know.
Click to expand...
And hope you hear your desk phone ringing when you're in the middle of a meeting at the other side of the building, right.
 
H

Hazel Nut

Neo Member
balladofwindfishes said:
You aren't respecting them, they have no reason to respect you.
Click to expand...
It has nothing to do with respect but the type of work we do (title insurance) which is tedious and dry since we deal with demanding real estate developers and mortgage lender deadlines but we have also told people that if the type of work we do doesn't interest them they don't have to stay here and no feelings will be hurt.

We know that our industry isn't for everyone nor is it exciting.
 
Zoe

Zoe

Member
RionaaM said:
And hope you hear your desk phone ringing when you're in the middle of a meeting at the other side of the building, right.
Click to expand...

The only people who bring cells into meetings at my workplace are the ones who use their cells for work.
 
Z

Zen_Arcade

Banned
No it's not odd that you want to leave. They should be monitoring the individuals and reprimanding them as needed. Not punishing everyone because a couple asshats are too busy screwing around on their phones instead of working.

As other people have said, it isn't high school, and they shouldn't be treating all of you like children just because a few of you are lazy or easily distracted.
 
D

Dusk Soldier

Member
_woLf said:
You sound like an awful boss. Treat your employees like adults, not children.

OP, bail the fuck out. They have no respect employees to implement something like that unless you're working on a top secret project.
Click to expand...
One of the worst things you can do as an employer is to assume that someone is doing their job properly/professionally just because they're an adult.

apocalidiot said:
re: this video - can't you do the "life maintaining" tasks on your computer?
Click to expand...

A lot of i guess "life maintaining" businesses operate on a 9-5ish schedule, which can be very annoying for someone that also works a 9-5 job. Not everyone at work has unrestricted access to a computer, and many people don't feel comfortable using the company phone lines for personal business.
 
M

Megalosaro

Banned
Full disclosure. I spends alot of time on my phone at work. Usually on neogaf or espn.

Bu4 on my monthly reviews, I always score high because I know how to multi task.
 
L

LookAtMeGo

Member
Yeah right. They would go through all my dick pics. I would never allow that. Next thing you know you'll be asked to check in your wallet then get microchips implanted in you.
 
D

Dali

Member
Lightning Count said:
Note I said I was only considering it at this stage. I probably won't do this unless it develops into a bigger problem.
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Why don't you make the policy not to use it unless on break. You see them breaking that rule, you give a verbal. Escalate it from there.
 
N

No_Style

Member
As someone who works in an environment that bans unauthorized electronic devices (MP3 players to phones) for security reasons, all of this makes me chuckle.

How did the world go round without mobile phones? How are all these people in secure environment go on with their lives without phones on their persons at all times?

That being said, the sudden ban of phones in the OP's situation is extreme. It's unfortunate that's how the world works; we all cater to the lowest common denominator. It's always some dimwit who ruins it for the rest of us.
 
Daffy Duck

Daffy Duck

Member
Office I used to work at (telecoms sales company) we had to turn our phones off everyday as certain people used to abuse the privilege and the MD got us turn them off, his PA then did spot checks to see if your phone was on, they also did random calls to people's number as well to check they weren't on.
 
S

Sephzilla

Member
I'd consider getting a new job too

Daffy Duck said:
Office I used to work at (telecoms sales company) we had to turn our phones off everyday as certain people used to abuse the privilege and the MD got us turn them off, his PA then did spot checks to see if your phone was on, they also did random calls to people's number as well to check they weren't on.
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This is why i avoid giving out my cell phone number at work
 
B

balladofwindfishes

Member
No_Style said:
As someone who works in an environment that bans unauthorized electronic devices (MP3 players to phones) for security reasons, all of this makes me chuckle.

How did the world go round without mobile phones? How are all these people in secure environment go on with their lives without phones on their persons at all times?

That being said, the sudden ban of phones in the OP's situation is extreme. It's unfortunate that's how the world works; we all cater to the lowest common denominator. It's always some dimwit who ruins it for the rest of us.
Click to expand...

But this is a reasonable ban on them, and the employees come into the job knowing they will be banned.

Just randomly getting rid of cell phones because some girl looked at Facebook occasionally is stupid and juvenile.
 
Carnby

Carnby

Member
When i worked at Time Warner Cable, my boss would take pictures of employees who were using their phone. Then present the pictures to them and say he was "disturbed by this behavior." One person responded with "i quit" and handed in their 2 week notice.
 
G

ghostofsparta

Member
That's messed up. But i do wish their was an anonymous way to report slackers. It's really not fair that someone gets paid the same as me for less work.
 
K

Krejlooc

Banned
does your work have network restrictions on your PCs? If not, you can forward all your phone notifications - calls, text messages, etc - to your PC and keep using it that way, even after handing it in. Just put a lock screen with some good security on it so they can't see it when it's in their possession.

This all assumes you are on android, of course. I'd bet money on this stuff being available through iOS as well, though.
 
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