Are You Considering the Nuclear Option?

(Don’t) Ban Smartphones at Work

Are mobile devices a huge drain on employee productivity or a beneficial tool that improves performance?

Yes.

They’re both, which creates a dilemma for managers.

Smartphone bans are becoming more common in workplaces, but there are many compelling arguments for a more balanced approach.

Smartphones can be highly distracting, true … but they are also pretty useful and highly capable pocket-sized assistants.

Smartphones can actually improve productivity

No, really. Here’s how.

Faster responses to urgent issues

When employees are easier to reach, colleagues can get quick answers to urgent questions via text message. Employees can chat with experts inside and outside the company, get up-to-the-minute product info and data from colleagues in other departments or locations, and track down the missing details needed for critical or time-sensitive reports.

No more voice-mail tag or waiting until you can find a coworker to ask that key question in person; texting is even faster than email! It can also cut out messengers — executive assistants or receptionists — who might slow down communication or even introduce misunderstandings.

Less-stressed employees

The reality of today’s digital, screen-obsessed society is that families connect using their smartphones. Parents who cannot access their smartphones during a long workday may worry that they’ll miss a crucial communication from a child or a child’s school or daycare. Same goes for employees with elderly parents or other real-life obligations. Spouses who can’t communicate quickly may also worry about missing an important message.

All this worry is … a distraction at work, reducing employees’ focus, hurting their performance and degrading productivity. Many employees will surreptitiously check their phones or take extra breaks, further eroding both performance and morale.

Personal assistants

Smartphones can serve as tiny personal assistants, helping employees take notes at meetings or schedule meetings and conference calls, enabling them to quickly find information that answers a question — and so much more. Sure, they can use other tools to accomplish these tasks. But people use their phones all the time in their non-work lives to do these things. They’re more comfortable — and therefore more efficient — getting stuff done using their phones.

Easy access to training

Much training, including required work training, is mobile-first. That’s a nod to the culture; workers have and are comfortable using smartphones for self-directed learning; they do it every day. 

Mobile-first microlearning platforms like OttoLearn meet learners where they are most at home: on their smartphone.

Of course, workers can use a laptop or desktop computer for their training. But they are far more likely to whip out their phones and do a few minutes of microlearning while they are on hold or waiting for their lunch order. That’s because any time they have a few minutes of downtime, employees are going to fill it by doing something on their phone. They can open Instagram … or do their microlearning. Which would you prefer?

Don’t go nuclear

Rather than consider the nuclear option of an all-out ban on smartphones at work, treat your employees like the professional adults they are. The balanced option is a well-considered smartphone use policy.

Reasonable limits — not bans

For safety reasons, banning smartphone use on factory floors, in warehouses, in retail settings, or for employees who are driving is a no-brainer. But even in those situations, it makes sense to allow — even encourage — beneficial use of smartphones during breaks or at the beginning or end of a shift, for training, or as a performance support tool. And employees can absolutely be expected to leave their phones behind or silence them during meetings and while serving customers — and to be mindful of the noise created by notifications and conversations in places where others are working.

Policies that limit personal use of smartphones or restrict the types of activities that are allowed on company time and company devices might be prudent. But this applies equally to non-smartphone use; your employees shouldn’t spend hours on personal calls using any device, for example; nor should they use company email accounts or internet access to send inappropriate messages of any sort.

Protect privacy

Restricting or banning the use of smartphone video cameras at work is a sound approach to protecting all employees’ privacy. To protect the company, policies should also include guidelines on the types of conversations and information that can be accessed or discussed on a smartphone; but, again, this is merely a modern extension of confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements that have been routine in many industries and companies for decades.

In addition to placing restrictions on employees’ smartphone use, your policies should provide them some benefits: Limit managers to texting or calling employees’ cellphones during working hours or in the case of a true emergency, for example. And don’t expect that, because workers can access work email and social media accounts 24x7 that they should do so. 

Crucially, ensure that any restrictions are applied across the board and that all employees, from the management down, are held to the same standards.

Respect your people

The trick is knowing what to mandate and knowing when to trust employees’ judgment. You hired these people — and you trust them to make your company work. Treating employees with respect means letting them make their own choices — and holding them accountable for overstepping. 

Rather than policing smartphone use, keep an eye on productivity. When smartphone use impairs an employee’s performance, or you notice that they’re distracted or frequently focused on their mobile devices, rather than on work or customers, call them on it. But don’t let fear get in the way of productive use of smartphones at work.