Considering how ubiquitous smartphones are, almost every employee in your organization is expected to bring their devices to work with them every day. Mobile phones are an important part of our daily routine, and it is only justified for us to keep them with us during the day. We can use them to ask a digital assistant any question, make notes, use the calendar or the calculator when needed.

Mobile phones have also changed the way we work. We can always shoot a co-worker a text whenever any help is needed. We can view the mobile interface of a competitor’s website. We can perform research on any of our new ideas and can also jump into the HRIS when needed. Keeping this in mind, you must study your workplace’s mobile phone policies and see if they are keeping up with the changing times or not.

Mobile Phone Bans Aren’t Realistic Anymore

Telling people to not bring their phones to work is a sure shot recipe for creating a toxic environment in the workplace. This kind of autocracy almost always leads to discontent in workers and will scare them away from you. If you want your workers to remain dedicated, you need to understand the important role played by mobile phones in the life of your average worker. Treating employees like children can harm loyalty and cause an increase in turnover.

Productivity and Cell Phones

While the presence of cell phones can be distracting for workers in the workplace, not having one at all can also put them off. Most employees tend to feel extreme anxiety when their mobile phones aren’t within their reach. Thus, you need to allow employees the luxury to use their cell phones in some capacity, as asking them to cut them out can lead to de-motivation.

Smartphone Policies to Follow

Here we have a few suggestions you can follow when setting your own smartphone policy:

  • • Employees shouldn’t view or share any offensive pictures, videos, or texts in the workplace
  • • Cell phones shouldn’t be used while operating company machinery, heavy equipment or company vehicle
  • • Personal calls and personal messages should be attended to discreetly. Safeguard your personal info
  • • Passwords must be used appropriately whenever you are accessing data related to the company
  • • Attending too many calls during a given day should be discouraged. Employees that are always using their mobile phones during working hours should be warned.
  • • Employees should not share important company info through their smartphone

When implemented, these suggestions will form a comprehensive policy for you to follow.

At JS Benefits Group, we can help discuss and identify the ways to set decent mobile phone policies. Get in touch with us to know more about what we offer and how we can help you.