Office etiquette is the lubricant that keeps an organization functioning smoothly; when proper work etiquette is followed the day to day tasks are carried out effectively. Given that cell phones have become an extension of our body, it pays to heed basic cell phone etiquette at the workplace. Following is a list of five etiquettes for using cell phones at work that one would do well to keep in mind.
Only important calls
This one goes without saying, only take calls at work if they are important. Remind yourself that you are on someone else’s time, and you are being compensated for this time for doing a specific task.
Importance is subjective from person to person; family or medical emergencies are universally agreed to be important, while a friend you haven’t talked to in a few weeks, news about a distant relative getting married or your mother asking what you want for dinner is not.
Ringer off
Set your phone to vibration, and you’ll be glad you did. The obvious pitfall is everybody getting annoyed at different ringers going off every few minutes. A less obvious reason for doing this may be to not allow your boss to find out how often you are getting calls while at work.
Find a corner
Even if what you’re discussing may not be personal, find a private place to take phone calls at work. It may be an emergency for you but it’s not for your colleagues who have a job to do and don’t want to overhear your conversation while doing it. Anyone would agree it is annoying to have people having conversations on their phones while you’re trying to work.
Never at meetings
Meetings are a time to generate ideas or to recap on tasks. Distraction is detrimental to both these objectives, and even if you put your cellphone to vibrate, you don’t want your mind wandering off to the latest facebook notification or WhatsApp or Snapchat from the significant other. Simply do not bring your phone to a meeting or do not bring it out of your pocket.
Text instead
If you must get in touch with someone while you’re at work, it is often better to send a text instead of calling. Make sure your phone does not beep every time you hit a letter, because that is significantly more annoying than an actual phone call.
