Mobile phones and employees

[The Son]

How do employers and employees deal with the above?

I am currently sorting out our Health & Safety on farm, and want to provide clear guidelines to employees on mobile phone use during work time.

I realise that they are part of modern society, and as lone workers they are useful for an emergency situation, there is also the need for me to contact them and vice versa.

Any ideas, or example policies that people are using?

 

[ridger]

Drives me mad to see folk snap chatting or whatever it's called at tea time rather than making a effort to talk to each other, I mean who in their right mind wants to look at a picture of someone's head when they are eating their tea?

 

[Bald Rick]

Didn't think men could multi task but it appears Son is capable of driving loadall & checking facebook at the same time.
Me, I have to down tools and switch off engine if the phone even thinks about receiving a call, email or text.

To answer the OP though, absolutely NO mobiles when operating machinery that is moving or where an element of concentration is required and NO phone use that gets in the way of the job in hand. So pretty much any time during work excepting breaks. Have to set the example yourself of course which would be where son is letting the side down

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

You could blanket ban their use completely outside of break times, unless for absolutely exceptional or emergency use.

By rights if you need to contact them then they should be issued with company phones and/or radios. This actually strengthens your hand as you have greater control and influence over their use.

Should anything ever happen it puts you in a much better position if you have a written policy which has been walked through and signed by the employee.

 

[GTB]

Maybe a good idea to supply all staff inc yourself with a basic 'works' mobile each. You know the type, just phone calls and texts and ban personal smartphones during work hours? At least then if anything should happen you as an employer would be in the clear.

Edit: @Pheasant Surprise beat me to it.

 

[The Son]

This is the problem, I use mine throughout the day, and am probably the worst offender, so I need to get my house in order first.

I like the idea of issuing work phones and will explore this further.

 

[Baker9]

The other big issue with technology is people with those things stuck in their lugs listening to "music", they cannot concentrate on what they are doing if they are using machinery as they can hear nothing. It really annoys me when I am trying to talk to them and they have to take these blasted things out to hear you.

 

[adda]

i hope the mobile phone ban will go to the chopper driver as well

 

[kiwi pom]

A lot depends on the work your doing and what your using it for. I don't think its realistic to ban phones at work these days, but banning snapface, instachat and all that nonsense is probably fair.
My phones hooked up to my truck and switched on, its also my ipod so I can listen to podcasts etc. I don't use it much (I hate phones really) but its on so my family can get hold of me if they need to.
Smart phones are a useful tool these days, take pictures before you take things to bits, looking stuff up, google maps, helpful aps etc. Could be shooting yourself in the foot if you ban them.
Hands free when driving and reasonable use should be fine.

 

[The Son]

But how do you define reasonable use?

Having thought about it banning the smart phone could be counter productive, and I certainly don't mind them plugging them into the tractor radio to listen to their music.

I think my daily use is reasonable as my calls are needed to run the business, others may think it is reasonable to have an hour on the phone on a friday sorting their weekends entertainment.

 

[multi power]

All very well banning phones at work, until YOU need to phone them on THEIR phone
As with everything else it's a two way thing and it's not on for people to take the pee

 

[The Son]

i hope the mobile phone ban will go to the chopper driver as well

He is like the rest of us too old to multi task now

 

[kiwi pom]

But how do you define reasonable use?

Having thought about it banning the smart phone could be counter productive, and I certainly don't mind them plugging them into the tractor radio to listen to their music.

I think my daily use is reasonable as my calls are needed to run the business, others may think it is reasonable to have an hour on the phone on a friday sorting their weekends entertainment.

I'd say reasonable is not interfering with your work unless urgent, or work related.
Talking away in the dairy shed when you should be putting a side of cows on, not reasonable. Driving up and down a paddock talking on the phone hands free probably ok as long as your not too distracted.
Common sense required.






And yes I know, its not that common

 

[wdah/him]

you could ban them to canteen/lunch box and issue a works phone. doesnt matter about how you or a manager uses their as they would be more inclined to be incharge. or else just work by the newer cb radios if they recieve over the distance, this is how it is all done in the factory I work in

 

[Lincs Lass]

How do you monitor the machine operator if they are in the middle of a field ,gps guidance doing the work and the driver is just sat there twiddling their thumbs .unless every cab was fitted with remote in cab camera to see what they are doing ,theres little chance of stoping them using their phones .
One farm near me put a complete ban on all their staff taking any any pictures of what they were doing ,,
Few years back they got a tractor stuck and I mean it was buried ,,boss told everyone that if he found any pictures of it on social media,you tube then they would be up the road ,P45

 

[Old Boar]

At one job we all had work phones, and fully understood that the bill would be gone through with a fine tooth comb. Only essential calls allowed, but they were a necessary safety implement as we were out in the community visiting people we had never met. We also had codes we could use for emergencies. This worked well and no one abused the trust. Our own phones were strictly banned. We all managed for years without constantly being on the phone!

 

[Lincs Lass]

phones not so long ago were just a means of contacting your workmates or the boss if you had to go miles away from base ,,now they are part of the machine being able to link to the guidance systems ,store cropping information and a million other bits of valuable information .
Is the operator using their phone to chat on social sites or are they storing vital information that is farm related for future use

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

At one job we all had work phones, and fully understood that the bill would be gone through with a fine tooth comb. Only essential calls allowed, but they were a necessary safety implement as we were out in the community visiting people we had never met. We also had codes we could use for emergencies. This worked well and no one abused the trust. Our own phones were strictly banned. We all managed for years without constantly being on the phone!

We all did fine for years without mobiles and especially smartphones. Yes I do think their use is on the one hand beneficial but also a *total* distraction - it's up to the business to decide how far they go, but I'd say in a lot of situations they are unecessay purely from a point of getting the task at hand complete.

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

phones not so long ago were just a means of contacting your workmates or the boss if you had to go miles away from base ,,now they are part of the machine being able to link to the guidance systems ,store cropping information and a million other bits of valuable information .
Is the operator using their phone to chat on social sites or are they storing vital information that is farm related for future use

That would be hard to argue with a personal smartphone unless it was an owner operator

 

[Old Boar]

Anything done in business time actually belongs to the business in the way of data storage. Does the business have the right to download this from a private phone, or should it be stored there in the first place?