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Stephen Day
Member - 1 post
I am a manager of a small workshop with 3 apprentices. The problem I am encountering is the amount of time our apprentices are spending on mobile phones. The main use is texting. I have asked them to keep the usage to a minimum but it seems as soon as my back is turned they are back on them texting.
I feel we are a very fair company that allocates plenty of breaks and each apprentice gets a full hour for lunch. But I feel this is becoming more and more of a problem and is starting to affect their work output.
Could you please advise on where we as a company stand?
Can we ask them to turn off their phones while in the workplace?
Can I ask them to put there phones in a designated place?
Thanks for your help.
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Bozena Benton
Member - 53 posts
Use of Mobile phones and texting is coming more common place and seems to have become a way of life to some individuals. Whilst most employees tend to use landlines for work keeping mobiles for personal use, some staff may be using them for business purposes. You'll need to check the purpose and status of the calls being made and whether the calls are made because of excess time on their hands. You may also want to consider any health & safety implications of using mobile phones during working time.
If you have a policy with regard to making or accepting personal calls you can extend this to include use of mobiles for whatever reason. A number of companies only allow emergency calls to be made or received during working hours and restrict personal calls to breaks and lunch. In previous jobs all incoming personal calls had to be directed through HR. It mnay be perfectly reasonable for you to ask your staff to keep mobile phones locked away. Other companies do not allow mobile phones to be switched on whilst working - this depends upon the nature of your company and the job undertaken. You should inform or remind your apprentices of your rules.
If you have no such policy it would be reasonable that you should consider introducing one explaining the need for such.
You should also check that the apprentices are not just following the behaviour of other staff. If the apprentices continue to make personal calls during work time you have the option of invoking your disciplinary procedure.
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Anonymous
Thanks for the advice.
To answer one of your questions. We do have staff that has both personal and company mobile phones myself being one of them staff. I try to set an example and by turning my personal phone off during work time.
None of the apprentices have a work phones. I will advise the apprentices to switch their phones off during work time and see how that goes. Hopefully this will resolve the matter and prevent the need for any further action.
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Bozena Benton
Member - 53 posts
Stephen,
It should be enough to resolve the matter. You may need to remind them that emergency calls can be directed to whomever you have designated for this purpose.
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Phil Lemon
Member - 50 posts
In our office, we have a policy that all mobile phones are switched off whilst in the Call centre area. Staff are permitted to use them outside this area but can only do so whilst they are not working.
1. Ensure that all staff have a number where they can be contacted family in the event of an emergency
2. Supply secure storage for staff to place their mobiles
3. banning the mobiles from the work area
4. if there is still abuse, make it a disciplinary?
May sound a little harsh but once they get used to it, it is a workplace after all!
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james gillett
Member - 1 post
Ins't there soem human rights issue about banning personnel from have a mobile whilst at work ?
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Bozena Benton
Member - 53 posts
Individuals have many rights contained within the human rights legislation namely:
The right to life
The right to liberty and security
The right to fair trial
The right to no punishment without law
The right to respect private and family life
The right to marry
The right to a remedy of human rights abuses
Freedom of thought, conscience and religion
Freedom of expression
Freedom of assembly and association
Prohibition of torture
Prohibition of slavery and forced labour
Prohibition of discrimination
Prohibition of the abuse of rights
With regard to the mobile phone whilst you should expect the right not have your calls monitored or listened into - this does not extend to the right to carry a mobile at work
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Mike Garland
Member - 3 posts
Surely it's a simple disciplinary matter. Employees are engaged to dedicate all their working hours to the business of the employer - in return they get paid! So, barring official breaks, they should not undertake personal activities during working hours, including sending personal texts and making personal calls.
Issue a memorandum explaining this and the fact that texting and making or receiving private calls is a matter which can only be undertaken whilst off duty and that discuplinary action will be taken against anyone disregarding the rule.
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Irene Farrar
Member - 7 posts
Our company rules state that mobile phones are switched off during work time. However, if anyone has a private & personal matter whereby they need to be contactable, they are allowed to have their phones switched on. Simply a matter of discussion, our respect for employees' private lives and common sense judgement of each case on its own merits. No-one so far has abused the privilege.
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James Fairchild
Member - 257 posts
I'm sure there is a difference between manual workers and professional people, but I would not take kindly to being told to switch my own phone off. Obviously using vibrate/silent is good business etiquette, but switching off!! I don't think so!
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sheena farenden
Member - 59 posts
Hi
You talk about apprentices but any rules should be for all.
What sort of workshop is this? Mobiles should not be used around chemicals (as per petrol stations) H & S issue.
Call a meeting with all staff and advise that if there is a problem then to come to you and arrangements can be made for instance a sick child or personal problems. Staff can set their phones to ansaphone otherwise.
If the apprentices or anyother member of staff is using the phone excessively you could advise that it could be considered own time and therefore the time would have to be made up. I do not think you would have to do this but a discussion around this could take place. Many staff will feel the same about this as they do about smoking breaks or private trips in work time.
Do not come down too hard though especially if it is something that has not been explained to them correctly.
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Kevin Brown
Member - 92 posts
In principle there should be no difference at all between manual workers and 'professional' people. How the phone is used makes all the difference. Whilst it is common sense to allow incoming calls to users for the purpose of emergency contact, this facility can also be provided by terrestrial lines, and only mobile workers 'need' mobile phones.
If the employee is making an excessive amount of outgoing calls, or texting, or playing games on the phone he/she isn't working (I don't care if it's a clerical assistant or the Finance Director). The behaviour should be challenged.
For anyone out there with sensitive commercial information in the workplace you might also want to consider some sort of policy on photo-capable phones. With the sort of resolution they can achieve nowadays they make the old James Bond Minox spy camera look like something out of a Cornflakes packet. How secure is your data? How does your company stand up to DPA.
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