How to Draft a Solid Cell Phone Policy at Work

Can cell phones be banned at work? The short answer is ‘yes.’ Due to the addictive nature of cell phones, it’s important to address their inevitable presence in the workplace with the use of a well-defined cell phone policy in the employee handbook. This guide by The HR Digest delves into the need of a cell phone usage policy at work as well as outlines the key components one must include when drafting a standard cell phone policy for employees.

A survey by career expect Zippia found that employees spend 56 minutes each workday performing non-work-related activities on their cell phone. Regardless of how employees are using their phone at work, it’s a good practice for employers to outline a policy regarding the matter – as excessive usage can decrease productivity.

An image of an employee spending too much time on the phone for personal matters.

A few things you should consider when creating a standard cell phone policy at work have been listed in this article alongside the need for a cell phone policy at work.

What is the cell phone policy?

The cell phone policy is a piece of document that aligns rules and regulations regarding the use of cell or mobile phones by employees in the workplace. This policy gives a purpose for it and outlines the dos and don’ts when it comes to phone usage.

A cell phone policy at work is easy to understand and given in clear terms. It also gives actions that will be taken if disobeyed. When the policy is written and communicated in clear terms, it is much easier for employees to understand and obey.

How do you set up a standard cell phone policy?

There are so many things that come into play when it comes to the office cell phone usage policy. Setting up a policy solely depends on what type of business you run and what safety guidelines should be adhered to while at work.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself and give answers to when writing a cell phone policy at work:

• Do we run a company where employees should be advised not to use their phones at work?
• What is prohibited by the policy (for example, using your phone while on the clock, talking on the phone while driving)?
• How many warnings will you give employees before taking strict actions when they disobey?
• How often are you going to check if employees are using their phones at the wrong time? When can they use their phones (For example, during their break time)?
• Do you have an open-access policy or do employees need permission from their supervisor before using their phones during company time? If so, how long does this permission last?
• Are there any rules about making calls while at work (e.g., do you allow it)? What about texting while at work? Are there any restrictions on making calls or texting during meetings or conferences?

When it comes to the phones owned by the company, it’s important to provide a clear office cell phone usage policy to entrusted employees. Some questions to help with this include:

• How many phones are there? How will they be used? Where will they be kept?
• Who has access to these phones? What kind of security measures do you want to put in place so that only authorized people can use them?
• Is there anything special about these phones? Does it make sense to have them locked?
• Are entrusted employees allowed to use their phones to make personal calls or send personal messages?
• Are they allowed to use the phone to communicate with other employees while on a business trip?

Why you should have a cell phone policy at work

The need for a cell phone policy at work can’t be overemphasized. Every company needs to have one and adhere to it. Every employee should obey regardless of their rank unless their role calls for it. Here are a few reasons why you should have a cell phone policy at work:

1. Productivity and Focus: Cell phones are a good way to while away time and they can be very distracting as well. Employees that are constantly on their phones find it hard to focus on their jobs hence becoming less productive. This is one of the major concerns of employers and that’s why putting a standard cell phone policy at work is necessary.

2. Preventive measures: Another need for a cell phone policy at work is to prevent cell phone abuse in the workplace that can lead to accidents. As we said earlier, creating a cell phone policy at work depends solely on the type of business you run. A company with labor jobs like heavy equipment or where employees are required to move around or drive will have a different policy compared to jobs where employees are at their desks all day. This is because employees can get into work accidents if care isn’t taken while using their phones.

3. Security: Reports from companies that provide wifi to employees show that there’s a tendency for a breach of information to occur. This can lead to serious problems for an organization and should be avoided at all costs.

Putting in place a cell phone policy at work will help employees to stay productive throughout their working hours and prevent any terrible incidents from occurring.

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