At work with the cell phone

Glenda Anderson, Staff Reporter

REMEMBER when taking a personal call at work was something you did quickly and quietly? It was almost as if you were stealing time, and perhaps you were, literally.

Now, with the advent of the cellular telephone it is easier to merge socialising time with actual work hours. After all, who is to say whether the five minutes you spend each hour on your own mobile telephone is not business-related?

While 'cheating' may not be the word you want to use, Christopher Campbell, industrial relations officer at the Jamaica Employers' Federation feels that this 'link-up time' is essentially dishonest.

"Of course, it is cheating because you have signed a contract to give eight hours' work for eight hours' pay, and if spending extra time on personal calls at work cuts down on that time then you are not being honest. And where employers may not be able to monitor an employee's calls especially if it's a large firm or a situation where the cellular is used as a part of the job, then the onus must be on the employee to use his discretion and be fair. If he can't do that then he is cheating," Mr. Campbell says.

One employer described it as stealing time as it reduces the actual hours spent on the job.

"Think of it as taking five minutes out of each hour, that works out to be 40 minutes from an eight-hour day. And especially if you annoy or distract other workers then it also takes away from another person's time," she said.

For the jobs where employees are constantly on the road however, regular contact is essential and the distinction gets hazier.

Eli Ferguson works in sales and says the issue is really quite clear. "First of all it depends on the type of work that you do. In my line of work I can't cheat; it's just not practical. I do a lot of work from the cell phone and I need to constantly touch base with clients, or keep in touch with my secretary, so using the phone for something else would definitely affect my work. And furthermore it's too expensive for personal calls."

In some instances, mobile workers are issued company phones and for these persons there is the extra responsibility to manage both their time and the product well.

Ruby Anderson, training officer with the Guardian Life Insurance Company, sees it as a chance to do a self-check.

"In a sales entity the 'cell phone' is popular as it enhances efficiency especially for the field force. However, it is in their best interest to use it responsibly, especially in a situation where time is so very important."

She agrees that while this would be the ideal, there are instances where persons abuse the facility.

"Although it is hard to distinguish between the instances when persons are on legitimate business or not, sometimes you do know. For example, it may show up in body language, or someone may claim to be typing but they are on the phones at the same time and you know they will have a problem with concentration," she said.

But while it may be impractical for employers to monitor personal calls, Mr. Campbell says there are other means of oversight. This may come from supervisors, managers and even an evaluation of the employee's work to determine the extent to which the quality is affected.

Karlhowever, strongly disagrees, "It's your phone and your money; it should not be a dictatorship situation where people need to know what you're doing all the time. For some of us the job takes up most of the time. Sometimes you miss personal or important calls, so if you have to use time at work to keep your connections, the most important thing is that you get the job done."

However to monitor the situation some companies have informal codes of conduct for the use of cell phones at work. For example, limiting personal calls during office hours, and turning off the instrument at set times like during important meetings or training sessions. While these may vary between companies, the general idea is to use it efficiently, and not to have it become a nuisance to co-workers. Or worse, a deterrent to productivity.

Not his real name.