Oldie But Goodie: Personal Cell Phones on the Job

This problem is still a challenge today but we need to add Texting to it!

Got anything new to add?

HOP-Does personal cell phone usage at work (while working) effect an employee’s productivity?

REPLIES:

Roofsrus1- Yes.

Doppler Dave- My employees can only use their cells at break and lunch. As with most policies I felt forced into making.

Mr. Joe Roofer- Yes, they are getting to be an issue. Policies are had to enforce without being sneaky! What ideas/thoughts are out there on this subject?

House of Pain- I like the fact that most of my employee's have cell phones. If there is a problem on the job, they can call. As most of the Americans that work for me they don't have drivers licenses or vehicles. Their ability to reach me when I'm on another site is critical. I tried supplying company phones but I would end up with huge toll charges. Times have changed. We have a cell phone provider in the area that offers unlimited talk and text for around $35 a month (excluding long distance) but it's easier to let each employee have their own phone.

Aaron- Yes.

GAK- Everyone has one these days. I don't mind short incoming calls but would have a problem if a worker was getting calls all day long. I am fortunate that my crew does not abuse my tolerance.

Old School- What everyone else said!

Lefty- The foreman has a company phone. No one else has a phone on the job. If it is an emergency they are told to have the person call the office and we will call their foreman. I do not think they we have had to make that call yet.

TROOP- We do the same as Lefty.

JSC- Yes on that one too. I had one joker who wore a headset, and was on the phone dozens of times a day talking to his wife. He was on piecework, however. If he'd been hourly he would have had to can the phone or be fired. I like Lefty and troop's program.

Alba- My helper gets a call from his wife as soon as he arrives to work discussing family BS like he didn't just leave the house. When I remind him about that his chin drops and gets an attitude.

Bobby- Could everyone hold it down here I have a call coming in.

Miscreant- I do the same as Lefty as well. I've noticed that the guys that don't care if they have a cell on the job-site usually are very good workers and vice versa. We used to all have Nextel phone with the push to talk feature. We would all just bleep the guy we wanted to talk to and not say anything like "you there?"

Anyway one of the foreman's wives suspected him of cheating on her with the next door neighbor. On a rain day his wife noticed he didn't erase the neighbors name on his recently called list so she beeped it. The woman next door beeped back and said, "Is she gone? Then all hell broke loose.

TomB- Similar to Lefty's policy. Only one cell phone on the job; the foreman or supervisor.

Doppler Dave- We did a job last spring that was large and noisy enough, that's how my foreman and I communicated.

Roofsrus1- I look upon someone having a cell phone during the working hours that I am paying him to work as a safety violation, from the company safety policies, and he or she will be written up as such. There is no second time, for if it happens again, immediate termination.

Aaron- I use my cell phone and it hurts my productivity.

Bobby- When I was young working on crews they got mad if you stopped to drink water. Imagine if they had cell phones back then and one pulled it out while at work. The boss would have smashed it.

TRG- I don't even like to answer mine when we're working, but I will. Someone's got to sell the jobs. That's a timeless job, always at the prospective clients beck and call.

Seen-it-all- I had to make and enforce a company policy of the phone being shut off during work hours. Had an employee all hunched over for 20 minutes one time holding his phone between his shoulder and ear while struggling to nail shingles. When he was done I asked what took so long, as I thought he was applying for a mortgage or loan, and he said he was doing a survey for a bank so he could get some steak knives I could have bought him a set for the time he wasted. My guys know that there is a no phone policy but they also know that if they are expecting an important call they are not afraid to let me know and keep their phone on.

I'm less bothered by them talking on the phone now that their are hands free options.  Not a huge fan of texting while trying to work.

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Same policy here; No cell phones while working - except for foreman.

I would add that I've noticed increased usage of cell phones on job sites.  I'll drive by & sometimes notice just about the entire crew on phones.  When they're on lunch; All of them are heads-down on-the-phone. A shame.  The cell phone, while a blessing, has also cultivated a generation of workers that lack foresight/preparedness, as well as attentiveness -  so ultimately, it has reduced productivity & quality of service/product IMHO....

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Wow Vickie!! When did I originally start this post. I used to be "House of Pain". :-) Cell Phones are a necessary evil. Texting is a problem too. Supervision is essential to keep them productive.