AMEN John!!!
One of the biggest things we have lost today is respect for others and their time. And that is what it comes down to. RESPECT for OTHERS.
When you come into my office and I drop what I am doing in the shop to talk to you, I have showed that your job is important to me. Then, in the middle of the conversation your phone rings and you interrupt our conversation to take a 5min (or longer) phone call. So, your job and my time are not REALLY IMPORTANT TO YOU. I go back out in the shop and go to work. When my wife comes and gets me AGAIN, I come back and start the conversation with...' If that phone rings again you can leave and NEVER come back. My time is important and I have other peoples' work to get done because it is important to them and thus me.' I don't have all day to stand around getting part of a job description in little bits and pieces because you can't leave your phone alone for a few minutes. WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE CELL PHONES??!!
Employees, NO WAY!! No phones in the shop. You can check for messages at break and at lunch. When you punch in in the morning you have said, 'I'm going to give you your money's worth and work for 8 hours for my 8 hours of pay.' Not talk on your phone for half the day. I will not be interrupted in my own shop by your cell phone because your wife wants you to get milk on the way home. I will not have you trying to work with your head caulked sideways holding a phone and trying to concentrate on what is being said so you can't do layout or weld because of the distraction. NOT SAFE. NOT PRODUCTIVE. NOT RESPECTFUL.
There is NOTHING important enough to call the employee's cell phone for. That's RIGHT. They can call the office if it is a true emergency. My wife gets messages to us ASAP. And other places I worked as an employee were the same. I never saw an employer not relay an IMPORTANT message. Even when I worked field construction for CBI and had a son born in OR while I was welding in CA. (Few of us had cell phones back then). And there is little you can do about an emergency when you are at work anyway. Sure, ASAP you can leave and go to where ever you are needed because family is VERY IMPORTANT. People are more important than work and MONEY. Even to me as an employer. But you do not use a cell phone in my shop on my time- PERIOD!! AND IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE!! AS WELL AS A RESPECT ISSUE!!
As a business owner, welder, inspector, I tell all customers not to expect an answer when they call my cell phone. If I am with a customer in the shop or field I will not answer. I am on that customers' dime and his job is important to me. When I am working, especially in the field where it is harder to keep track of my time, I don't answer. Again, I am on someone else's time/dime. When I am driving, I won't answer. Often not even if wearing my bluetooth. Too hard for me to concentrate on traffic, shifting, directions, etc when talking on the phone. I can't tell how many times I have thought, 'what color was that light I just came through?'. The customer I am with is the one who has my attention and I WILL RESPECT his time and money.
Customers are always told that they need to call the office. That will get the fastest response from me. Sometimes it takes a while before I can check messages. But my wife knows how to get to my son or other employees to get the needed information or set up an appointment. Everyone always wants to talk to the boss. They don't always get to. I use my other resources and my wife is very good at her job. Some customers are way too demanding of the boss's time. They will call many times aday. I don't respond to every single call. Not wise use of my time.
Likewise, if you have an appointment for an interview for a job, I am not going to interrupt it with every single phone call that comes in. I will respect your time. There are calls that I have to take, but they usually get told...' He's not available right now. Can I take a message?' That is how I work.
Just my two tin pennies worth. Don't just turn it off for an interview. Leave it outside. That shows you are respecting and honoring the time they are investing in your interview and shows them the type of character and attitude you have toward your work environment.
Have a Great Day, Brent
I could never imagine a interview where the prospective employee would stop the interview to take a phone call or a text. If they did, the interview would be over.
I cannot remember how many prospective vendors I have set up a appointment with or as happened this week was in them middle of reviewing documents on a job walk when their phone rings. I turn mine off in this situation and on the job walk tell everyone to turn theirs off.
The phone rings and of course it is a important call and they excuse themselves and take the call. They do not ask if I mind, they just answer and say excuse me and walk off.
I bet they wonder why they do not get a follow up call or get considered on the bid. I have had people do a five minute conversation setting up an appointment with another coustomer in front of me. As a vendor, I have never been in the position where you are the only game in town.
Yessir, a grown a$$ man can do what they want, but remember I am one too. If you are working for me, we are having a conversation the phone rings, and you answer it I better be told either someone died or a family member has just been rushed to a hospital.
I know what you mean by using what I call "common sense"and no I wouldn't necessarily take a phone call in the middle of an interview or a walk down in the middle of a bid package overview. But if this employer wasn't in the same room as me and I was waiting there I might check the time on my phone. I guess I like to make my own rules which is why I own a business. Maybe I misinterpeted Grizzlys post but. The way I took it as "well my boss said so and he's always right" Like he is all powerful. And to some extent the boss is. From my point is I dont like to hire people people that are not free thinkers self doers. This particular boss comes arcross to me like the guy that is hiding in the dark corner spying on his droid workforce just waiting to fire someone. Im not going to fire someone or not hire someone for talking on the cell phone while at work. But I will fire him if he doesn't get the work done or comes to me every hour on what he needs to do because he cant think for himself. My workers can talk on the phone all he wants with in common sense reason and gets his work done. I prefer the simplier method of there no rules. Just common sense either your work for me and you fit in our motto of you are your own boss or you dont and your fired. We only hire the best and I try to pay more than fair. We dont get every bid especially with a new customer but when I do get one I always get another one. I dont need to explain as what kind of work I do here in this post I would just say that I see alot of employers babysit there employees and there is another way of doing business. Pay more up front for very bright compentant people and you will find that it usually saves you money in the long run jobs get done faster and with better quality.
Thats how I get return customers.
Not of what I see alot is the business method of trying to save a nickle and in the in the long run it cost you a dollar
I have seen more man hours wasted by workers on the phone. I remember a supt who would chew workers out if they took two cups of water. He had a rule if he heard the phone ring on a job he would smash the phone.
Hard core and old school. But the guys that were the core of the crew knew the rules and knew the supt kept the crew working.
I have noticed the last few years how people will look at the phone, and I am trying to break my self of the habit. Now, I turn the dam thing off if I am in a meeting so as not to be tempted. I have voice mail and if the caller cannot leave a message, it must not be too important. I think we have become too dependent on the immediate response to phone calls and text messages.
I have seen more man hours wasted by inefficientacy than talking on the phone for a few minutes. But like I said I associate with only the best. Not trying to pick a fight just my thoughts on the worker phone thing.
All shops operate differently. The last shop I was at was a custom fab shop and our field guys were always communicating with the various employees/fabricators, in the shop via cell phone, to coordinate changes to dims, additions, deletions or other things that popped up. It seemed to be a pretty efficient way to get changes done.
By strother 
Date 03-06-2011 22:31
Edited 03-06-2011 22:37
Brent, I totally agree, On sunday morning at church our preacher has to remind people to turn their cell phone off or put it on vibrate!! I'm sitting there wondering what idiot brought their phone to church. If there is anything going on in your life that you actually need to be contacted on sunday morning during church just stay at home. If ( and that is a BIG IF) I ever have employees again cell phones will be checked at the door.
Not trying to bust your chops, but.....
