Please Hang Up the Phone!

I wonder if the inventor of the cell phone had any idea that their forethought would change the world. I see people all over with this device attached to their ear (and sometimes at very inopportune times!). Personally, I only have a cell phone and no land line which seems to be becoming more the norm. Honestly, I don’t know what I would do without my cell – I use it for calls, email, Twitter and of course to play games! Cell phones have revolutionized our lives, for sure, and probably one of the most impacted places is the business world. Everyone at work seems to have a cell phone either issued by their employer or for their personal use. These personal cell phones are causing a ruckus in some workplaces and policing their use and the policy governing their use can be a real pain for management and HR.

One of the advantages of landlines at work is the relative ease of call reporting and monitoring. It is pretty easy to see when an employee uses a work phone for personal use. And it is even easier for a manager to view an employee using their work phone for calls. Now with cell phones, an employee can be on personal calls on their personal cell phone and the employer would have no way of monitoring this use. The best plan – have a policy governing cell phone use.

Cell phone policies, like the technology they cover, are forever changing. Just when you get your policy to where you want it another option becomes available and another policy loophole opens. So don’t get too used to your policy!

First thing is to determine what usage is appropriate and what isn’t. For example, some employers have a zero tolerance viewpoint to cell phone usage in the workplace. Others may have designated cell phone areas (and designated NO cell phone areas). And others still may allow business cell calls only in the workplace and require personal calls be taken outside or in another area. I know some employers who tried to allow a certain amount of time a day for cell calls and it turned out to be a nightmare to monitor. A time limit could be placed on how long each call takes, but this may be excessive “big brother” behavior by the employer. I mean, these are adults who work for us, right?

Be prepared to address the issue of an employee making or receiving a cell phone call while at work if your company wants to curtail personal cell usage in the workplace. How will this employee be required to take the call, if they chose to? Will they need to use break time? How will emergencies be handled?

The best policies are easy and unilateral. Meaning they are clearly delineated and pertain to all. For example – personal cell calls may only be made and/or received in the break room. This works fine until a complaint crosses your desk that so and so “is texting at their desk all day long”. Then the cell phone policy might need to be tweaked to add texting. Ideally, your cell phone policy should apply to the device and not the action. Then, inevitably, someone pulls out their cell phone to listen to the music they have downloaded. This employee tells you their phone is their MP3 player. Ugh – what to do now? You normally allow employees to listen to music while they work; in fact many use MP3 players. How should this factor in to the cell phone policy?

The answer is – it depends on your workplace. Figure out what works best for you and then draft a policy to meet your needs. Note that I said draft, because you will likely be changing it again. Welcome to the quagmire mess of cell phone policy making! I hope this blog is as clear as mud.

Don’t forget to CELEBRATE!

Pull Up To the Bumper!

We have all seem them. “World Class Swimmer”. “Warning, I Have an Attitude and I Know How To Use It”. “Live, Love, Laugh”. Bumper stickers are everywhere; on the roads, in parking lots and in wacky pictures on the internet. Bumper stickers are a way to express your feelings on all sorts of topics. Perhaps you have one (or too many) on your car.

While bumper stickers can be fun (and funny), they can cause some rather emotional responses in people. For example, when you see a bumper sticker for a political candidate you support you might have a positive feeling toward the driver of the car – a feeling of camaraderie, of association. The opposite is also all too often true. I once had an employee who told me they had to deflate the car tires of another employee because their car had a bumper sticker for a candidate that did not support union activity (this was during a strike at a facility I managed early in my career.) It sounded pretty extreme to me, too. And just last week, there is an alleged hate crime that has erupted due to a bumper sticker that refers to illegal immigrants (http://www.wisn.com/r/28101137/detail.html). Free speech governs much of bumper sticker verbiage, but when do these stickers cross the line?

As an HR person, I have firsthand knowledge that things that happen outside the workplace can effect what happens inside and bumper stickers are just an example of this. While a bumper sticker that says “I Love Horses” may seem innocuous there are some stickers that could be inflammatory; mainly the political and religious leaning bumper stickers. Now I am not advocating people refrain from exhibiting their right to free speech but I am suggesting that they need to be aware of how this exhibition could bias the way they are perceived. In the workplace, this problem can be exacerbated because the people who drive the cars that display these subjective bumper stickers work side by side with those who are offended. Imagine how this seemingly insignificant issue can influence interactions in the workplace and cause employee relations headaches for HR and management.

As some businesses have required tattoos, piercings and other personal choices to be hidden and/or removed, we might see the bumper sticker eradicated from some workplace parking areas due to liability. Imagine having to right and enforce that corporate policy! I can almost see the headlines now.

Personal expression is a hallmark of our country and is one of our most valued freedoms. Taking a piece of paper and sticking it on your car bumper is yet another example of this right. I have no bumper stickers on my car and probably never will. They are just not my style. Bumper stickers have made me laugh, think and sometime bite my lip. And sometimes they have made me get the urge to “honk”, when I see a bumper sticker that says, “Honk, If You Love Cheese!”

Don’t forget to CELEBRATE!

Stop Being So Nosey!

Gladys Kravitz. To many this name brings up memories of the busy-body neighbor who always seemed to show up and see Samantha Stephens in a compromising situation. For those of you who don’t know who Gladys Kravitz is, Google her name, I am sure you will quickly become aware of someone who reminds you of her. We refer to our little dog, Belle, as our neighborhood Gladys Kravitz. She spends time going up to each neighbor during her numerous walks and gives us a chance to strike up conversations and learn about them. She seems to know everyone’s business.

In the workplace, we encounter people who have similar qualities to Gladys Kravitz – people who are nosey; people who spend more time worrying about what other people are doing and not concentrating on optimally performing their jobs. These employees might be called gossipers or even harassers. This behavior can sometimes be so pervasive that it seriously impacts the workplace. These are the employees who fuel the office grapevine and help spread rumors and other potentially damaging and hurtful communications.

So, how do we handle this type of employee? Hopefully your company has a policy that spells out appropriate personal conduct in the workplace. If not, this is an important policy to have in place. Staff that engages in gossip that negatively affects the workplace should be developed to stop the behavior and the best way to address it is through corrective action. Ideally, a referral to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) should be part of this action since someone who exhibits gossip-type behavior might need some ideas to help them break the habit. The conversation could prove to be challenging for management however if the behavior is allowed to continue it could become worse.

The office grapevine can be harmless fun until it starts to cause hurt feelings. Sometimes this gossip can lead to rifts in the workplace and if the gossiper is someone who has access to corporate intelligence this could lead to a serious negative impact. If your business handles sensitive medical or legal records and your employees are discussing patient’s or client’s information without a business need, it could have severe implications including fines, legal action and even jail time in some situations.

In essence, make sure you have a policy in place that addresses gossip. And enforce it. Remember, loose lips sink ships. Or worse.

Don’t forget to CELEBRATE!