26 February 2008 10:38 pm
Cell phones/PDA’s - love ‘em and leave ‘em off - can you do without your phone for an hour?
Posted by Robert under: Daily Grind .
How many times have you talked business on your cell phone in the middle of a public place? Restaurant, airport, shuttle bus, airplane waiting for departure? Have you ever gotten so engrossed in your phone call that you lost track of people around you then realized that you were talking a little louder than you thought? We’ve all done it.
Next time you’re in a restaurant make a quick observation. Look around and notice how many people are talking on cell phones. Either talking, texting, or emailing. Two of the three are quiet and not distracting (unless of course it is your date) - but how many times have you sat next to someone who is talking on their phone and you somehow get the feeling that they are trying to talk over the entire restaurant? Worse yet, it’s a 20 minute conversation.
I had dinner with my wife tonight and listened to a gentleman who was obviously in town on business just eating his evening dinner. His first inbound call was from home. I could pretty much tell you that his family missed him and he sounded like a kind, caring husband and father. The second call that he made was to someone at his company. This is where it gets interesting. He proceeded to discuss HR issues including sexual harassment topics. The disciplining of employees and general office politics. I was in awe. This guy was actually wearing a company logo’d shirt too! I would imagine that his company would be none-too-happy to know their dirty laundry was being aired in a restaurant filled with patrons.
What can we as business leaders do? I think we need to remember some basic general courtesy and pass those reminders to our employees. Simple steps like avoid discussing company issues in open public areas. And for safety - use hands-free calling or bluetooth headsets while driving. Many GPS units and newer cars have built-in pairing for most cell phones. Another great idea - turn your phone off or to vibrate while you eat. You will enjoy your meal so much better.
I thought it would be fun to Google Cell Phone etiquette and I found this article that was funny and pretty much spot on. Best part - it was written in May 2000. The Ten Commandments of cell phone etiquette by Dan Briody.
Gotta go, my phone’s ringing.