water_wendi
Water is not wet!
Give the school your work phone number?
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Starting next week, my company is making us check in our phones
- Thread starter Megalosaro
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Give the school your work phone number?
CosmicQueso
Member
What's your opinion on speaking about non work subjects with coworkers during work hours?
Maybe if you're employing highs school students and not actual adults.
It's crazy to me that so many people in this thread still live in the sepia-toned alternate universe where people have work phone numbers.
water_wendi
Water is not wet!
Fraternizing while there is work to be done is not good work ethic.
Marty Chinn
Member
And if I'm in a meeting or in someone else's office, ie, not at my desk?
CosmicQueso
Member
Ahhh... you almost got me. Thought you were serious there.
Seems overly strict. Fuck that, this isnt high school. At some point you have you trust adults to be adults.
But i will say, not knowing anything else about your job, that I would be way more pissed at the workers who caused this than the management themselves. At least they are trying something light like this instead of just loading up the shitcan.
But i will say, not knowing anything else about your job, that I would be way more pissed at the workers who caused this than the management themselves. At least they are trying something light like this instead of just loading up the shitcan.
Marty Chinn
Member
We survived a lot of things before we got them. That doesn't mean the world hasn't changed and now these new things are a part of that every day living. We survived without the Internet for thousands of years, but it's now practically a requirement in everyday life.
I have two kids in elementary school. Kids get sick, kids fall and get hurt etc. If something happens, I want to be contacted directly. I don't want whoever is trying to contact me to spend 20 minutes trying to navigate my companies directory to try get in touch with me.
On top of that, the phone is my property. If I don't expect my company to confiscate everything else in my pockets, I don't expect them to take my phone.
I would put in my resignation the day they asked for my phone.
As for working in a bar/restaurant, the employees should have the common sense to keep their phone put away while they're working. Especially if they're working for tips and they want to make money. I managed a bar for a couple years when I was younger, and if any of my bartenders had done this, that's exactly how I would confront them about it.
"Your pay relies on customers being happy. If you're on your phone and not paying attention to the customer, they won't be happy and you will get paid less." If they care about making money (the whole reason for working) they will stay off of their phone. If they don't care about making money.. well, they wouldn't have lasted very long at my bar anyway.
On top of that, the phone is my property. If I don't expect my company to confiscate everything else in my pockets, I don't expect them to take my phone.
I would put in my resignation the day they asked for my phone.
As for working in a bar/restaurant, the employees should have the common sense to keep their phone put away while they're working. Especially if they're working for tips and they want to make money. I managed a bar for a couple years when I was younger, and if any of my bartenders had done this, that's exactly how I would confront them about it.
"Your pay relies on customers being happy. If you're on your phone and not paying attention to the customer, they won't be happy and you will get paid less." If they care about making money (the whole reason for working) they will stay off of their phone. If they don't care about making money.. well, they wouldn't have lasted very long at my bar anyway.
Rrrggh I'm having too many words put in my mouth here to debate all of you. Here's my stance on this:
1. I have no problem with this policy.
2. I know not everyone in every working environment does this.
3. Threatening people will work on some employees, not all.
4. As is the case with so many other things in life, the few ruin it for the many.
5. How much daily work time phone use is crucial? Really think about it.
1. I have no problem with this policy.
2. I know not everyone in every working environment does this.
3. Threatening people will work on some employees, not all.
4. As is the case with so many other things in life, the few ruin it for the many.
5. How much daily work time phone use is crucial? Really think about it.
water_wendi
Water is not wet!
If its a family emergency then the whoever gets the call would inform you that there is an emergency call for you.
i am. But i guess you got me cause i thought you were serious.
Megalosaro
Banned
I thinkI actually don't get my job. I'm not sure I'm cut or for any job.
I don't manage people according to how much personal time is "crucial," because I'm not a crazy person.
I manage them according to whether they can accomplish their goals on schedule and keep improving. If they can, I don't really see why I should care if they watch television literally the entire time they're at the office. If they can't, then they shouldn't be working with me.
As an employee I wouldn't work at a place that tried to take my phone, or even where that idea was, like, contemplated, because I'm an adult person and I expect to be treated like one by my peers.
Ideally.
It's not a matter how how much phone time is crucial. I rarely call anyone, but if someone needs to be able to reach me they should be able to.
Ther only valid reason a company should be able to deny you access to your phone is security.
If I'm managing them, they won't be working with me for long.
If I'm not managing them, and management ignores it, then I won't be working with them for long.
water_wendi
Water is not wet!
Havent come across any of those outside of boiler room call centers or sweatshops. If your cell phone is your work phone then this entire topic wouldnt apply because its your work phone.
Netherscourge
Banned
Marty Chinn
Member
The call would go directly to my desk and if I'm not there, nobody would get it. So how is that better than calling me directly on my cell phone which is always in my pocket?
water_wendi
Water is not wet!
Hit zero and talk to the person that picks up? Call an alternate emergency contact number, perhaps giving the school the main phone to the company you work at?
Marty Chinn
Member
There is no hit 0. We are a smaller business and not a huge corporation. The phone number is a direct number to my office. There isn't always something at the front desk all day. The front desk is only occupied for half the day. You're jumping through a lot of hoops rather than admitting it's better to have my cell phone in my pocket so I can be reached in case of an emergency.
water_wendi
Water is not wet!
im the one jumping through hoops? lol
edit:
If you have a special needs child where you need to have a cell phone on you at all times then it sounds like you would need to find a different employer or maybe work out an exception to the rule with the boss.
Yes.
Marty Chinn
Member
You are; you're trying to find a million different ways to avoid me having a cell phone in my pocket so that I can be contacted in case of an emergency.
Dusk Soldier
Member
Firing people only sends a message when everyone else knows why that person got fired. But that information typically is kept confidential. So it's really only solves the issue one case at a time.
Plus sometimes it's better (and usually easier) to try to correct the employees bad behaviours, rather than go through the process of firing them and hiring a replacement.
Yeah see this attitude is what I'm talking about. The job interview process is by no means fool proof. Just because somebody interviews well, or has a good looking resume, doesn't necessarily mean they will make a great employee.
And "As long as they get there work done I don't care" is definitely not the best attitude to have when managing employees.
As a supervisor, you can give someone a task to do expecting it them to take roughly 8 hours to complete it. But if you checked up on them a few times during the day, you might find out it only takes them 3 hours to do it. so you could've give them a second task to complete alongside the first one.
Very few employees are going to come up to you and say "man that job was so easy, do you have any more work for me today?" But just by actively supervising your employees you can up their productivity.
If you're managing employees, you're usually managing a team and not a single employee. If I have one employee who's taking on 8 projects at a time and pumping out happy customers, while another only does 3 and the customers are dissatisfied...well, there it is. With the quality of work getting done, I don't care if Mr. 8 Projects watches Netflix all day long, honestly.
Sorry, but no. Checking up on people is disruptive and annoying as fuck. Reminds me of Office Space and the TPS reports.
If an employee can complete a task in three hours that you would expect to take 8 hours, it's not your problem as a manager. If the employee is driven and wants to succeed, they will do so by showing how quickly they can complete the task and will look for more to do. If not, then who the hell cares? You're still getting the task done by the deadline you've set. If you feel that 8 hours is too long for the task, then don't give them an 8 hour deadline.
We're technically on-call 24/7 and customers do have our number. last month I had to go on-site to hold a customer's hand and flip a switch at 0AM. Emergency service pay, but yeah.
And the expectation is that we get basically 50hr of work done in a 40hr workweek so no problem on that end. Slacking off a little? No worries, you'll pay for it later.
And the expectation is that we get basically 50hr of work done in a 40hr workweek so no problem on that end. Slacking off a little? No worries, you'll pay for it later.
Marty Chinn
Member
I don't think I'd classify him as a special needs child; he just has a food allergy to eggs. He's also very young, full of energy and learning and exploring so he gets bumps and bruises from being a toddler. He can get hurt a number of different ways and it's their policy to contact us immediately if he gets hurt. I'd like to be able to assess the situation as soon as possible. My toddler is no different than any other toddler at that age in that regards.
Plus, what would finding a different employer do? You said yourself, you wish all employers banned phones. Under your circumstances, going to another employer wouldn't change anything. Why work out an exception? You seem to think there's no reason one might want to have a cell phone on them. I think all parents would like to have the immediate access and notification if something happened to their child.
Sure, I think you should try to correct the behavior, but if they're all shitty employees who do nothing but use their phones instead of getting work done like the other poster was saying, then you gotta fire one. Someone getting fired wakes people up a bit to know that they're paying attention and willing to let someone go. It doesn't matter the reason, people will play it cautious, Just like when people start hearing rumors about layoffs, they start trying to position themselves better to avoid getting laid off even if it might already be too late for them.
You're right, it's not fool proof that the person is going to do as well as they interview, but you're putting some trust in the fact that they can do what you're hiring them to do. If they are tasked and get their tasks done then is there doubt that they're able to do the work at that point? There's no need to micromanage and constantly look over their shoulder. It slows things down, it creates tension, and it's not a healthy work environment.
As a supervisor, if you've allocated 8 hours to get the job done, you really care about the job getting done in eight hours. You don't assign it for 8 and expect it in 5. It's up to management to try to set a reasonable amount of time to schedule work out and not allocate too much time to it.
sir_kevith
Member
I know! You have to go through an automated system first to even get to a real person at most places. Cellphone is way more reliable and actually saves the company from needing to hire someone to answer the phone.
Id also be looking for a new job if they cant get this under control without treating everyone like children. Screw that.
Other people in the company have administrative rights over the machine and can potentially see every single thing you type or view on it.
Imagine using an ATM with your boss watching you enter your PIN over your shoulder. That's basically what it's like using a company computer for personal business.
birthday-suit
Banned
I don't want to work somewhere where I can't goof off, unless it pays really well and has really good perks.
Nostremitus
Member
I'm considering banning phones for my employees. I'll catch them playing on their phones and no work is being done. They're getting behind and then half-assing the work trying to catch up so I end up having to go through correcting mistakes...
Marty Chinn
Member
Did you talk to them and give them a warning about falling behind and doing sloppy work?
BannedEpisode
Member
I can.
Well if any sort of cooperation or team work is required, someone else slacking off does affect your own work.
My work have got this device which can tell if you have your phone on you, so I carry it round with me in my (longer than usual) socks.
hodayathink
Member
I work in customer service, and we absolutely have a "No phones out while on the floor" policy, but we're trusted enough that they don't actually have to take our phones away to enforce it.
Nostremitus
Member
Absolutely. I've brought it up twice now and suggested that if the trend continues that my next course of action would be to have them check their phones at the door if they are unable or unwilling to stop playing games while they should be working. They aren't getting paid to play mobile games, they can do that on their own time. If you are getting paid to work but aren't doing that work you're stealing money as far as I'm concerned.
Subpar Spatula
Banned
Your work doesn't give employees (that have a desk or work space) a phone with an extension?
Give warnings? Cull the heard of the lazy ones?
Marty Chinn
Member
Why not fire them for not being able to do their job then?
Nostremitus
Member
I wish. I don't work in the private sector.
If you're willing to hire someone for $40k and they agree to 39k during negotiations you aren't Stealing 1k of money from them as long as both parties agree and are happy with the salary
Likewise they aren't stealing from you as long as both parties are happy with the work rendered in return for the salary. If you aren't happy with the work rendered you talk with the employee to improve things, if things can't be improved you dismiss the employee, phone or no.
If you are happy with the work then you keep them. How long they take in the bathroom, whether they stay an hour late like others do, whether they're on their phone or not, none of that matters as long as they're happy with the salary and you're happy with the work provided.
Edit: If it's public sector and it's not easy to fire them why would they even heed a cell phone ban anyway if their job is that secure?
Nostremitus
Member
Did you read the previous comment?
Edit: because the ban is an effort on my part to refrain from immediately putting the issue on paper. If they don't heed the ban, then that insubordination can go on paper and the dismissal process can start. Bureaucracies are fun.
yongeandcollege
Member
Nah. If one has skills that employers want, why should one make unnecessary sacrifices?
I watched a manager who was signing off on a development proposal play solitaire the entire meeting on their blackberry.
The proposal was for software that had to be implemented within 2 months or the company was facing massive fines and losing literally billions of dollars in business. (was the result of a government audit in the aerospace industry)
Was kinda amazing.
The proposal was for software that had to be implemented within 2 months or the company was facing massive fines and losing literally billions of dollars in business. (was the result of a government audit in the aerospace industry)
Was kinda amazing.
water_wendi
Water is not wet!
ive worked with a few habitual phone checkers and none of them are missed. In fact, every single person ive worked with that has that problem also exhibited bad work ethic in every other area. Late to work, late from break, doing a subpar job, goofing off when there was work to be done. Funny thing is every one of them thought they were hot shit and they never saw their termination coming. We look for phone usage before and after interviews now.
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