Mobile phones are now part of everyday life and many people might struggle to imagine getting through the day without having their phone sitting by their side.
In the workplace, there can be a disconnect between the needs of employees to feel comfortable and the needs of employers to make sure everyone is working to expected standards.
With approximately 60 per cent of people experiencing a sense of anxiety without their phones, HR teams have no easy task in figuring out how to manage phone use in the workplace
Should HR teams help ban phones in the workplace?
It might feel easier to just impose a blanket ban on phones and be done with it, but this is seldom the best solution.
The needs of employees have to be considered, as there is a genuine anxiety among many people when they do not have access to their device.
Many people feel that they can correctly use their phones to fire off a quick text or be aware of sudden emergencies or personal issues.
These people would feel patronised should their privileges be revoked and doing this may result in an increase in suspiciously long toilet breaks.
How do HR teams create workplace phone policies?
In order for a phone policy to be effective, it needs to be well-considered and appropriate for the place of work.
This means assessing the needs of employees and seeking to understand how they may be affected by any proposed suggestion.
Respect in the workplace goes both ways, so while outlawing TikTok doomscrolling is the aim when people are supposed to be working, being overzealous and banning phones entirely may cause unnecessary tension.
Similarly, if the rules are vague or unevenly applied, then resentment can build as some staff will be seen to be more respected than others.
As such, finding a way to highlight reasonable use of phones, such as having them on the desk but limiting how much time is spent actually using them, could be the ideal solution.
There are instances where banning phones entirely would be wholly appropriate and should not be left up for negotiation.
These include:
Ultimately, handling the presence of phones is one of the biggest challenges HR teams face, as there are very few universal rules that suit every workplace.
Keeping an open dialogue with employees and continually monitoring any policies to adapt to changing circumstances is likely the most effective way of handling this issue.
