Cell phone etiquette at work

This can be a touchy and subjective subject, as we become more dependent on cell phones for our social lives. Chances are that you will need your cell phone for a multitude of reasons while you’re at work:
   >calling customers, clients, coworkers
   >keeping up to date on your emails, calendar and important personal engagements
   >even for applications pertaining to your line of work!

So how do you keep from mixing your seemingly difficult spin of business and pleasure without indulging in your phone fetish too much? I will have to admit that it can be very difficult, especially if you’re a social butterfly or can text at the speed of light or IM any or all of 20 people available on Facebook right now. BALANCE is the key. When you are at work and you are on a break, there really isn’t anything wrong with texting or calling people. After that, some call it grey area, and I think it becomes clear; why should you be calling or texting friends on company time??? A couple of texts through the day are reasonable or acceptable, but many texts a day or even in an hour becomes a distraction to anyone.

What becomes even more difficult and complex is when you are using a company cell phone. They’ll expect you to use that cell phone. What you need to pay attention to is: did you make an agreement on what it can be used for. Counter-intuitively, some workplaces expect you to have a work cell phone and a personal cell phone, but that doesn’t make sense when one cell phone is all you can realistically manage without going overboard with technology after we factor in our other technology.

Some of us will have to use a cell phone to some extent; what is the best way to keep your personal life separate from work? Well, use a personal phone in addition to your company-provided phone if you have to. That means, carry two phones if you are concerned, and work out a deal with your employer to get some reimbursement for your personal phone to use it for business purposes. This way, everyone can be happy; well, mostly. This can be dangerous and beneficial in a personal sense, with a duality with business expectations.

This is why BALANCE is so key! Stop wasting time on texting your coworkers. Consider using Skype or other messaging services via computer that are more personal, professional, and widely accepted as a tool for interpersonal interaction, especially by companies working together between remote offices or with remote customers. It will take 10 seconds to say what 10 texts could say, and you get right to the point.

Do take care to watch yourself (and you back) and not leave yourself exposed to criticism of your personal life at work (i.e. watching us on Facebook), and keep business and pleasure separate by whatever means possible. We still live in a world in which business is still run by older generations, most of whom will not understand our texting addiction!

And perhaps one day we will be truly "paperless" and texting will be the main form of communication. Until then, keep it professional.