Determining when it is acceptable for your employees to use their personal cell phones in the workplace, and when it is not, requires a careful balancing act.

On the one hand, employers do not pay employees to converse with friends and family. On the other hand, a cell phone policy generally should not be so restrictive as to prohibit all uses of a personal cell phone. Employees may need to check in on their children, for example, or may need to attend to important personal matters during business hours, such as doctors or pharmacists.

Employers should take the time to communicate their expectations regarding appropriate employee conduct to all employees. Workplace policies should be expressed as clearly and unambiguously as possible, should not discriminate against any employee or group of employees, and should be applied consistently and fairly to all.

Here are some policies that might help create consistent and fair policies for your workplace.
1. Employees should make personal cell phone calls during break or lunch times to the maximum extent possible.
2. Frequent or lengthy phone calls are not acceptable as they may adversely affect the employee’s productivity and disturb others.
3. Employees should be encouraged to use common sense when making or receiving personal cell phone calls at work. For example, employees should speak quietly and reserve personal or intimate details for non-work hours.
4. Personal cell phone use, even when permitted, must never include language that is obscene, discriminatory, offensive, prejudicial or defamatory in any way (such as jokes, slurs and/or inappropriate remarks regarding a person’s race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, religion, color, age or disability).
5. Personal cell phones generally should not be used for business-related purposes unless a business-provided phone is not available.
6. Employees should turn off ringers or change ringers to “mute” or “vibrate” during training, conferences and the like; when meeting with clients or serving customers; and if an employee shares a workspace with others.
7. The use of cameras on cell phones during work time is prohibited to protect the privacy of the employer as well as of fellow employees.

Hot Jobs, Inc. recruiters work closely with both clientele and candidates to create a successful placement by identifying, screening, as well as helping with retention according to the clientele’s personnel needs. We service the Roaring Fork Valley and surrounding areas including Glenwood Springs, Basalt, Aspen, New Castle, and Rifle, with our corporate headquarters located in Carbondale, Colorado.