Cell Phone Use at Work

Who doesn’t have a cell phone? Let alone not carry it to work? It great your family and friends can reach you any time of the day….who doesn’t love that. While being connected can be a good thing it can also greatly affect your productivity at work. Checking your every couple minutes doesn’t only distract you from work but also may annoy your boss and coworkers. Follow these five tips with your phone at work: 

Put it away 

Excessive use of your phone can interfere with productivity. To avoid the temptation throw it in your desk drawer. Ok not literally throw you may break it. Doing this will help you reduce the urge to check it. 

Use it only for important calls 

Do you need to have a casual conversation with family or friends? Save it for your break time.  
Getting a call that your child is sick at school or a family member is going to the hospital? Take those.  
Use Voicemail 

Remember you do have voicemail and most calls are totally fine going to voicemail and don’t require immediate attention. You can check your voicemail during a break and call back. 
Leave the phone out of meetings

Have you ever had someone during a meeting look at their phone? Have you been that person? When a person is speaking and they notice the person looking at their phone they perceive they aren’t listening and being active in the meeting. Only use it if it needed for the purpose of the meeting otherwise it will signal to your boss that your mind isn’t on the business at hand.