Mobile Phone Ethics in Office

Cell Phone Etiquette at the Office:

In our society, almost everybody has a cell phone. While you are at work it is imperative that you maintain some sense of etiquette with regard to cell phone use.  Our lives are much easier because of mobile phones; they also can be troublesome at the office.  If you are answering phone calls all day long, you likely are sending the message that your mind is not 100% on your job duties.

Many people have to bring their cell phone to office. It is important to have your cell phone for emergencies. You should discuss with your friends and family the need to only received calls on the cell. You may need to be very forward with your chatty friends if he or she continues to call while you are at work. 

Also, make sure your children comprehend what is an emergency or an important situation.  This is important because children don't always have the awareness of what constitutes an emergency. Family should know if there is a meeting where you'll be unable to check your phone. It's bad form to take a phone to a meeting and continually check to see the calls being attended.

The first thing you should do is make sure before you go in to work every day that you turn your ringer off or that it is set to vibrate or silent. This way you will be able to receive your important calls without the whole office knowing you are using your cell phone. However, it is essential to only answer the calls that are important.  You should let the rest go to your voicemail and return them when you are not interfering with your work.

Breaks are a good time to use your cell phone to return or place private calls but it would be better not to stay at your work location while doing these calls.  Otherwise it may look like you're not on break, or your boss may think you're using work time for personal issues.  To make these personal calls it may be prudent to go to your car or outside the office.