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Author's profile photo Jerry Janda

Four Places in the Office Where You Should Never Use Your Mobile Device

A friend recently said to me: “I feel so old. I had to show a young guy in the office how to use a fax machine.”

I replied, “Why were you using a fax machine? Was your Morse Code telegraph on the fritz?”

OK, maybe I was being a little harsh. I’m also old enough to remember when fax machines were a staple in any office — one of the pieces of equipment that combined to provide communications convenience. And, as my friend will tell you, a fax machine sometimes still serves a purpose. But in this day and age, separate devices for sending messages, making calls, sharing documents, capturing pictures and audio, etc., have been made mostly obsolete by the ubiquitous smartphone.

/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/talk_780850.jpgMobile devices are commonplace and, as a new Pew study shows, finding acceptance in more public settings — at least in the United States. Whereas not too long ago, the frequent use of smartphones publicly was a breach of social etiquette, most people nowadays are generally OK with cell-phone usage. Of the 3,217 American adults surveyed for the Pew study, the majority had no problem using cell phones while walking down the street (77%), riding public transportation (75%), or waiting in a line (74%).

(Before you mourn the decline of civilization, please note that most people don’t approve of cell-phone usage in a restaurant, during family dinner, or at a church or other place of worship. On the downside, 5% of those surveyed see nothing wrong with pulling out their smartphones in movie theaters. When it comes to phones in theaters, no society should tolerate a number above 0%. Same goes for libraries.)

While the study focused primarily on how mobile phones impact group interactions socially, we should not overlook the growing — and alarming — frequency of mobile devices in certain questionable situations around the office.

Smartphones certainly make work easier — and are comforting to those who expect the same mobile convenience in both their personal and professional lives. (As Hasso Plattner, chairman of the SAP Supervisory Board, noted during his SAPPHIRE NOW keynote in May, “People simply cannot go to their jobs and work on ancient systems when at home they are working more efficiently on their iPhones and iPads.”)

Still, we need to draw the line somewhere. And when it comes to where smartphones can be used around the office, I’m drawing the line at…

Restrooms: Remember the good ol’ days when if somebody came into the bathroom talking on a phone, you could flush a toilet and embarrass him into leaving? Not anymore. Guys will have full-blown conversations in a stall without the slightest concern about any noise around them. It’s like they have no self-awareness. Or pride. Or rudimentary intelligence.

Nobody — I mean nobody — is so important that he can’t take a few minutes to handle some private business.

If you find yourself on a long call and one of your internal organs is about to burst, politely excuse yourself for a few minutes. Put the call on hold, or hang up and promise to dial back. (Muting doesn’t count. Leave the phone outside or in your pocket.)

If you can’t get off the call, just hang up. Rush to the restroom, be quick about it, wash your hands, leave, and call back. Say, “That was weird, I lost my connection all of a sudden. Sorry about that.” Pick up the conversation where you left off. Yeah, you’re fibbing, but it’s better than the alternative.

Because the alternative is disgusting. So stop. Seriously.

(I should point out that all of the above is based on the nastiness I’ve witnessed in the men’s room. I can’t comment about what goes on in the ladies’ room. But if the above applies, please take note.)

Aisles, rows, corridors, hallways, etc., in common areas: It’s wonderful that mobile technology gives us the ability to connect on the go. But just because you can wander around an office environment doesn’t make all of it an extension of your work space.

There’s nothing worse than trying to navigate back to my desk with a cup of coffee, while an oblivious colleague is staggering on a collision course toward me, with his nose down in his phone, momentarily forgetting that he and his device are not the only things in existence.

Oh. Wait. There is something worse — when a colleague is meandering around my seat, talking full volume on his phone.

Quiet is a precious commodity in a cubicle setting, and our cramped desks have little privacy as it is. Do you have to make it worse by pacing up and down, carrying on a loud conversation, around your colleagues? Nobody wants to hear you. You’re not impressing anyone. You’re annoying them.

Can’t bear to sit at your desk and chat? Grab an office, shut the door, and pace and talk to your heart’s content. No offices available? Go in the parking lot. Go on the roof. Take a stroll in traffic. I don’t care. Just don’t distract me from my job. Which is what you do when I see you moving in my peripheral vision and detect your voice growing closer, then further, then closer.

Maybe you think I’m an isolated crank, so let me tell you: When a talker/pacer encroaches into my cubicle territory, pack mentality kicks in. My nearby colleagues and I stand, look over the walls at each other, and share a silent expression that says, “Is it your turn to throw something at this obnoxious interloper or mine?”

Lunchroom: If your office has a break room or cafeteria where you can sit and enjoy a leisurely lunch with colleagues, consider yourself lucky. A lot of officer workers are stuffing fast food down their throats at their desks. So take advantage and meet up with colleagues.

There’s more to the lunch break than eating lunch. It’s a mid-day chance to unwind, connect with co-workers, and recharge. So why would you ruin this one-time-of-day experience with a smartphone that you check regularly during every other waking hour? Sure, it’s a miracle of the modern age that you can use your phone to interact with millions of people, but don’t do that at the expense of ignoring the life form on the other side of the table from you.

Put the phone down. Make eye contact. Have a conversation. Trade your peanut butter sandwich for a cupcake. Live a little.

I realize that you may have a job where you need to be on call 24/7, so try this. Put your phone on vibrate. Set it, screen down, on the table. If the phone vibrates, pick it up to check who is calling. (Say “excuse me” first to the people around you.) Is the caller someone who requires your immediate attention? No? Put the phone back down. Yes? Answer and say, “I’m in the middle of lunch. Can I call you back?” (If it’s your boss, and he’s the kind of guy who gets upset when you dare to eat and socialize, tell him that you’re busy in a working lunch. That’s technically true, since you’re eating lunch with people you work with.)

If the person on the other end of the line absolutely positively must talk to you right away, excuse yourself (again) from the table and take the conversation somewhere else. (As noted above, nobody wants to hear your conversation.)

Oh, and if you’re expecting a call, tell the people at lunch in advance. They’ll understand.

The screen-down part of this rule is crucial. With the screen down, you won’t be tempted to scan social media or play with apps. Granted, you won’t see text or e-mail either, but let’s face it: If there’s an emergency and you get an e-mail instead of a call, it’s really not much of an emergency, is it?

Meetings: Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, I was having a one-on-one teleconference meeting with someone (or, as non-corporate types call it, a phone conversation). As I began to talk, she began to eat carrots. Loud, crunchy carrots. And throughout the meeting, she talked with loud, crunchy carrots in her mouth.

Her excuse? She said, “Sorry, I’m in meetings all day, and this is the only time I can eat.”

What she was really saying was, “Sorry, I’m in meetings all day, and yours is the one that matters least to me, so I hope you like the sound of carrots being eaten.”

Most people don’t enjoy meetings. But all people who lead meetings want to feel like attendees care. And whether you’re eating carrots or staring at your phone, you’re sending a clear message about the meeting’s priority (i.e., it’s not a priority).

When you pick up your phone during a meeting, you’re essentially saying, “No, honest, this meeting is riveting, but I really need to look at this cute cat pic right now.”

It’s rude. It’s insulting. It’s wrong. And it happens a lot. Which is weird, because according to the Pew study, only 5% of people surveyed said it was OK to use cell phones in meetings.

Those people have never worked anywhere I have, that’s for sure.

Most of the lunchroom rules apply here: Put phone on vibrate. Put screen down. Only take important calls. Excuse yourself when you do.

And, as with lunchrooms, warn people if you’re expecting an important call.

Then act interested in the meeting.

Even if you aren’t.

By the way, if you’re in a teleconference meeting (not in a meeting room), you’re on the honor system. Set your phone aside. And don’t check Facebook on your computer either.

A final thought…and admission. Hypocrite that I am, I have violated some of the rules above. I won’t identify which. (I don’t want to tell you my bathroom habits, and you really don’t want to know anyway.) It’s tough to resist the sweet song of the mobile siren. But resist we must. If we don’t establish office etiquette for our phones, we may find them banned from the workplace.

And then it’s back to fax machines.

And you don’t want that, do you?

Check out the SAPPHIRE NOW keynote from Hasso Plattner

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      19 Comments
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      Author's profile photo Former Member
      Former Member

      I really hope lots of people read this blog and start heeding your call to action: NEVER use a mobile in the restroom, in the lunchroom, during meetings and next to my work space. THANKS

      Author's profile photo Jerry Janda
      Jerry Janda
      Blog Post Author

      Thanks for reading!

      Author's profile photo Cathy Cooper
      Cathy Cooper

      Thank you for calling this out Jerry.  It is saddening that this needs to be spelled out -- but it does.  Your writing style is wonderfully conversational and simply shareable.  Well done!

      Author's profile photo Jerry Janda
      Jerry Janda
      Blog Post Author

      I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I appreciate the compliments. Thanks so much!

      Author's profile photo Former Member
      Former Member

      Excellent Jerry!  This needs to go viral ๐Ÿ™‚ Always good to be reminded of these "common sense" rules of etiquette. 

      Author's profile photo Jerry Janda
      Jerry Janda
      Blog Post Author

      Thanks, Linda! I agree -- it's common sense, and it's amazing how many people don't seem to get it. Just yesterday I witnessed yet another person violating rule #1.

      Author's profile photo Steffi Warnecke
      Steffi Warnecke

      This was a fun read! Great writing style, Jerry. I really, really enjoyed this blog. ๐Ÿ™‚

      I've seen NoNo 2 and NoNo 4 quite often, too. The most annoying though is definitly #2!

      It's always funny to see that pretty much everyone hates when somebody else does these things, but if they do it, they become oblivious to the effects.

      Regards,

      Steffi.

      Author's profile photo Jerry Janda
      Jerry Janda
      Blog Post Author

      Thanks so much! And I agree that #2 is the most annoying. #4 is probably the most unprofessional.

      Author's profile photo Jelena Perfiljeva
      Jelena Perfiljeva

      Seeing this was posted in BT space I was waiting for the moment it turns into an SAP product placement, but... somehow it didn't happen. ๐Ÿ™‚

      If this is not an actual business trend yet then would be great to see it become one. I can't divulge all the secrets of what goes on in the ladies room, but it is quite disturbing when someone in the next stall suddenly starts talking very loudly to an imaginary friend. Once I was so startled that almost dropped my phone. ๐Ÿ™‚ Sheesh, ladies...

      We have a large lunch room in the office and previously many people used it to make private calls (not at lunch time though, so it's still better than shuffling around corridors like a zombie), but then someone thought it was a good idea to put a TV there blasting news at ear-splitting volume. So now it's impossible to carry any conversation there - either on the phone or in person. ๐Ÿ™ Actually I should write to HR about this because I was walking around the other day with a Bluetooth set in my ear (so that everyone could see I'm important and tech savvy) while on a conference call that was so "important" that I was using microwave during it (heck, it's my only time to have a breakfast!), and could barely hear a thing. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Thanks for sharing, Jerry! ๐Ÿ™‚ Good tips on the cell phone etiquette that I hope many will consider.

      Author's profile photo Jerry Janda
      Jerry Janda
      Blog Post Author

      That's a pity about the television. Just another distraction preventing personal interaction.

      Thanks for reading!

      Author's profile photo Former Member
      Former Member

      Jerry,

      I wish I could follow your advice; unfortunately the lunch/ break room is the *only* place I have to use my mobile phone in this office suite. There is no signal anywhere else, which actually has its upside: none of those annoying unanswered cell phones with a raucous ring tone.  It is the break room or go outside, which is OK when the weather is pleasant, but not always a good option. Pretty much any time of  the day you can  find people in our break room on their mobile phones. I just hope they don't get the "bright idea" to install a TV set as they have done at Jelena Perfiljeva 's work place.

      Gretchen

      Author's profile photo Jerry Janda
      Jerry Janda
      Blog Post Author

      If you're going to break (pun sort of intended) any of the "rules," the lunchroom (#2) is probably the best of the bunch. I hope you can avoid the other areas though (even if they also offer signal alternatives). ๐Ÿ™‚

      Thanks for reading!

      Author's profile photo DAIRO LEONARDO LOZANO RODRIGUEZ
      DAIRO LEONARDO LOZANO RODRIGUEZ

      Great blog Jerry. Years ago people were used to smoke in closed environments like offices and they broke that habit. Hopefully the same will happen with mobile bad habits.

      Author's profile photo Jerry Janda
      Jerry Janda
      Blog Post Author

      Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. And I share your hopes, but it's discouraging when you hear how major movie chains briefly considered allowing phones in theaters.

      Author's profile photo Jamie Langskov
      Jamie Langskov

      I eat while Iโ€™m on the phone because I am in meetings all day and Iโ€™ve literally waited until the last possible minute before I start to get physically sick before I break down and eat something. Itโ€™s not that your meeting isnโ€™t important. Itโ€™s that I trust you to not be mad that I am human. Sorry, not sorry. ?

      ETA: This post was written before I met Jerry, so I know it's not about me specifically, but it's something I do to him regularly.ย 

      Author's profile photo Steffi Warnecke
      Steffi Warnecke

      As long as it's not carrots...

      Author's profile photo Matt Fraser
      Matt Fraser

      I still remember an ASUG webcast where videoconferencing was accidentally turned on for everyone, and almost nobody noticed -- at first. Those with cameras were shown to all the rest of us, and it was a lunch hour, so yes, we got close-ups of some people stuffing their faces during the meeting.

      Author's profile photo Jamie Langskov
      Jamie Langskov

      Whoops!

      Author's profile photo Michelle Crapo
      Michelle Crapo

      Well 2018...ย  I think everything is worse now. It's considered normal to have cell phones in meetings, during lunch, restaurants...

      My home rule is to leave the cell phone in the other room when we eat or we are talking or someone is over.ย  Too bad I can't enforce it at work.ย  Wait my home is my office.ย  When I go into the real office it's very distracting, but it is the norm. Hence my boss sees I get more work done while I'm in my home office.ย  That makes him rarely want me in the office.

      That's nice as it is hotel for me when I'm there. It's not nice for me, because when I am there - I'm usually gathering information.ย  Ahhhh...ย  Before cell phones.ย  Oh wait - there were pagers.