Manager Bans Mobile Phones During Work Hours, Insists All Calls Go Through Her, Staff Maliciously Complies
Working in the healthcare sector is arguably one of the most difficult and responsible fields of occupation out there. People taking up roles in healthcare are contributing to preserving and saving human lives, which is incredibly honorable, but stressful nonetheless. Because of that, it is probably fairly stressful for the workers in the field to encounter people or rules that make their job more difficult. And even though that applies to most occupations, healthcare workers have to deal with illness, life and death on top of it all. Today’s story is dedicated to all healthcare workers who protect our lives.
Although healthcare is a field that is dedicated to human wellbeing, it inevitably has management issues in certain places, which affects the staff. Such managers typically act in a way that is fueled by their entitlement that hinders the effectiveness and liveliness of the working environment. Thankfully, sometimes these managers get a taste of their own medicine via good old-fashioned malicious compliance from the workers. The Reddit post from which today’s post originates gathered 17.8k upvotes and prompted 525 comments. Scroll down to find out the whole story!
More info: Reddit
This healthcare workplace decided to take away employees’ phones completely during working hours
Image credits: Paul Sableman
Phones are ubiquitous nowadays and we have become increasingly reliant on their fast-paced communication ability, which in itself isn’t a bad thing, especially when it comes to discussing important things in life or getting in touch during emergencies. That is why even healthcare workers, when not busy, will check their phones just in case, but most certainly not at all times. However, at one particular workplace, during a meeting, it was decided that phones were not going to be used at work at all.
The Original Poster explains that phones are not used much where they work, but one meeting took away phones altogether
Image Credits: asht*t
It is understandable that due to WHS (workplace health and safety), phone usage is to be reduced to a minimum, which is what the Original Poster (OP) pretty much agrees with. They also explain that phones are only used when they’re not busy or during breaks, which sounds like it doesn’t intervene with their work. However, during a meeting it was decided that phones are too distracting and against policy, and they would only be used out of the unit or off hospital grounds.
The hospital workers, including OP, were not happy about such a change, as some actually needed the constant line of communication for various reasons
Image Credits: asht*t
In OP’s opinion, being completely denied use of phones was an overreaction, even though they are against policy, but the issue still lies in the fact that it is complete denial of communication with the outside world. The meeting even went so far into the phone “problem” that someone said that if issues back home were that bad, the workers shouldn’t even be at work, which is obviously horrendous. Denying people of communication with the outside world altogether means that during emergencies or important occasions, workers will stay uninformed, which would eventually add to even more stress and won’t be beneficial for either the workers, or the hospital, so the new rule doesn’t make much sense.
This is where the malicious compliance begins—the manager said that if workers were unhappy with the new rule, they could direct all calls to her
Image Credits: asht*t
The manager, obviously out of touch, suggested that those who are unhappy with the new rule could just give her contacts to all relevant people so the calls could go to her instead. It is actually surprising how she thought that this was a good idea, since the workers gave loads of contacts and informed them to call for pretty much any reason, which made the phone ring non-stop. This is certainly a great and effective way to curb unnecessary workplace tyranny.
As it turns out, taking away the workers’ phones wasn’t that great an idea, as more time was wasted than saved
Image Credits: asht*t
The manager began receiving numerous calls, which is obviously not great, because she had to run around informing people instead of doing her job, whilst interrupting other people’s work. Hospital workers were later informed to tell their home contacts to stop calling the manager and that they could use their phones during breaks. Since it took time for everyone to get the memo, the phone kept ringing for a couple more days, which finally proved that the whole thing was a bad idea.
The comments were highly supportive of the malicious compliance-style resistance
All in all, as the last comment points out, managing a workplace is not the same as managing a kindergarten, as management is in fact dealing with adults who know the rules and actually just do their work. It is also good to see what clever collective action can achieve when conditions at work are unfair.
I think most grown adults are able to monitor their phone use in the workplace in an acceptable way. If you treat people like children, they are just going to act like children.
I'm not even able to manage my internet use in an acceptable way while working ;) Hello boredpanda
Load More Replies...... How is checking your phone while on a (presumably unpaid) lunch break meant to create a WHS issue?
I'm guessing it's due to infection control. The amount of germs and bacteria on your phone is astounding. They should be thoroughly cleaning their hands everytime they touch their phone anyway. Either with soap and water or alcohol sanitiser.
Load More Replies...To thar one poster that forgot about the 30 years between viable single income families being common and widespread mobile phone usage, Gen-X says hi.
Yeah, my area it would take someone making $44/hr for a single income family, or a second job to make up whatever shortfall. Tis a shame. Luckily, my wife abhors the thought of not working, so it's never been concern for us 😂
Load More Replies...I agree with the ridiculousness of the manager and applaud the malicious compliance that followed, but I'd just like to respond to the commenter that thinks "cell phones are so important". They are not, we make them so. How do you think we lived before they existed? We live our lives faster now, but only because we choose to. Before cell phones, all these things still happened. The vet had to make the call on putting down the animal, and you found out later. The husband had to wait to make his big purchase (something that should be given some time to ponder anyway). The day care had to consult the form you filled out at enrollment on your directions to treat emergencies. Life still goes on if we're not plugged in 24/7. Try it, you might find some relief from both anxiety and depression.
I'm going to play devil's advocate. I was a patient in the ICU for over 2 weeks and spent another 2 weeks just in a regular room. I cannot tell you how many times I saw nurses on their phones. I understand the work extremely hard and in a perfect world, everyone is always professional but they weren't emergency calls; it was scrolling social media and texting. It happens with all jobs. People are on their phones all the time because it's normal to them. Here i am having a catheter put in and there's a nurse assistant leaning against the nurse's station, which is directly in front of my bed in the ICU, texting on her phone toward me and I'm paranoid that she's taking a picture of me with my legs wide open. Before phones people were allowed to call employers and ask to speak to someone if it was an emergency. As a manager of a retail store, I was so tired of having the fight with employees to put their phones down. Then they complain about not having enough time to get things done.
Kate Jones, you're not the Devil's Advocate here. I can agree with you about hospital staff, sometimes, being on their phones, uneccesarrily. I suffered a Stroke and was in a Rehabilitation Center, last year. I would press the call button, and would be waiting 30 minutes or more(longest was 1 hour and 45 minutes). All the while, I could see staff walking back and forth, either on their phone or talking through their smart watches. Since I was nonverbal, at the time, I wasn't able to verbally call out for help. It got so bad that I would have to text my husband to have him call the Center's Reception Desk and overhead page the tech or nurse, to the room. Yes, phones are huge distractions for some people. I suffered several falls because the techs just had to respond to a text or a comment to their Social Media post, while they were supposed to be assisting me with transfering from bed to wheelchair. In my honest opinion, phone should be in your locker unless on break/lunch.
Load More Replies...No, there was a huge gap between single-income families and cell phones! Let me give you a pre-cell story from the late 1980s. I was an eight-year-old latchkey kid. We'd just moved from rural Nebraska to Southern California. Dad taught at a school an hour away, mom taught at a school halfway across town. I went to a school maybe a quarter mile from home, so I walked there and back, and was home alone for about two hours before mom got home. When I got home, the rule was I had to call mom's school and leave a message with the secretary. Mom would check with her before her last class of the day. Complicated system, but it worked. We lived in a housing tract at the base of a scrubby mountain, and one day, it burned. There were maybe a dozen of us who lived in that housing tract at that school who were latchkey kids, and the school had us all wait in the office while they called our parents. They called mom's school, the secretary went to her room to tell her and take over for her there.
I have a rule at work, (also healthcare setting) that mobile phones can only be used during breaks. I do not believe that this is unreasonable and if there is a compelling reason for you to keep your phone on you during work, then I will consider it on a case-by-case basis. Wanting your phone with you "just in case" is not a compelling reason.
I agree with this. Healthcare workers shouldn't feel entitled to access to their personal distractions throughout the day. I suppose it can depend on what your of care you're doing but I was never allowed to have my phone anywhere near me while I worked in my military clinic. Occasionally spouses or caregivers called the front desk if something were important, but 100% of our focus was patient care.
Load More Replies...Thank you. Having retired from hospital work, cell phone use was so out of hand that a no phone policy was put in place and people adjusted just fine.
Load More Replies...it wasn't that long ago, if you were at work and needed to be contacted for whatever reason the caller called the place of business and you were given a message. If it was an emergency someone would track you down.
It wasn't that long ago that personal calls at work could get you fired no matter what they were about.
Load More Replies...As many here use the "but before cell phones..." argument: yes, people managed their lives before cell phones were invented. They also managed their lives before cars were invented, before public transport was invented, before electricity was invented, before telephones were invented or even before smithing and metal casting were invented. Every new tool we invented changed the way we live our lives. Cell phones made us available at all times and that fact is already cemented in our collective minds. Society expects you to be available, even when you are in work. So, if you can choose to ignore or turn off your phone during the 8 hours or more of work, you are not the great person, that can still live without their phone, you are in the privileged position of not needing it.
Cell phones were not common during my childhood. Whoever said that before cell phones you could make it on one income had a VERY different experience from me and the people I knew.
Load More Replies...I work at a hospital, No cell phone allowed . I also work on the mountain giving ski tours, also no phones allowed. They are a major distraction..
Frank Quigg, Exactly, phones are distractions. I work with State Government and phones as well as smart watches, smart glasses, etc are prohibited from being seen on you, in your hands etc. You couldn't have it at your desk or even in your purse. Everything went into your locker until lunch(1hr) or at the end of the day. We did have a main call-in line, for emergencies only.If phones or other smart devices were seen, it was immediate fire.This was due to HIPAA privacy issues, surrounding private information. I have no problem with not having my phone with me. I can focus on assisting my clients.
Load More Replies...Pathetic article. Whatever happened to going to work and working. You have much deeper issues if you think no cells phones at work is an issue. Sad souls
What did all of us do before there were cellphones? We survived. Wake up people. Cellphones are a wonderful convenience, but they are NOT a necessity. If all cellphones dissappeared tomorrow , the earth would continue to spin people would still have jobs, the world would still function. Just sayin
Before cell phones you would have given your main landline of work to your family or caregivers that would need to contact you. It would tie up the lines even more, cell phones are a convenience that help out even if you have other access points. It would waste way more time to have your personal calls go through the main line, for example daycare calls because your child threw up, they call your floor's direct line, one staff picks it up puts them on hold goes and gets you to give you the message that somebody's on line one for you, you pause what you're doing go over speak to them it took two people now to get one message that could have been texted to your cell phone for you to check when you got back to your station. -a parent and a nurse
Load More Replies...Sounds like a bunch of children to me, my last job was for a large software/hardware company and phones were not permitted on the phone. 2 reasons, first for security and secondly, NO, people can't stay off their phones and get distracted. Anyone arguing against that is probably the type of person that does mess around on their phone while working.
Yes, MOST adults will know how to work with their phone. However, there's always "that one" - remember? The one who ruins it for everyone else.
The problem is using the excuse of needing it in case of an emergency can lead to misuse and abuse, by people being on their phones when they should be working. Defending it by saying cell phones are important for emergency communications is also kind of a crock of crap....we survived as a species for thousands of years with having devices in our pockets, even as few as 30 years ago, people managed just fine without constant updates and information about or lives outside of the workplace....
Generations of people managed to live happy productive lives before cell phones and I doubt many lives were lost because people couldn't chat back and forth all day long. Like omg, you know? I mean, it was like...... If parents were at work and kids were in school it was understood that unless it was an actual emergency they weren't available to talk. Everyone got caught up at the dinner table and it made for good conversation. Then, after homework was done, we were free to call friends or go see them. I didn't see my friends everyday but when we did hang together there was a lot to talk about. The work ethic demonstrated here is pathetic. Your manager at work asks you to do something completely reasonable and because you don't like it you feel free to respond with 'malicious compliance'? That's immature and counterproductive; all involved in the retaliation deserve to be fired for behaving like spoiled children.
More frightening that these HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS would take the time to plan this..... maybe they should have come up with a comprehensive plan to alter the policy in a way that benefited all parties
Load More Replies...This was obviously in response to sone employee using their phone irresponsibly, but notice that wasn’t mentioned. People that think “adults” are able to use their phones responsibly clearly don’t work with any “adults”.
I’m a CNS and I use my phone all the time at work to check MicroGuide which is an aid to prescribing, my calculator, access to the national drug formulary, also use it to communicate with my remote consultants. Not ever with any patient details but just if I need them to bleep me etc to discuss something. They are an incredibly helpful and quick way of accessing up to date information, which benefits patient care. Shared laptops and desktop computers on wards can be slow or occupied. There are also tons of apps for healthcare. I’m afraid it is a necessary thing in todays world for many health workers.
I see this you as acceptable because you are using it for your job and as a reference. It's part of your work. But I've seen tons of nurses doctors and everything just on their phone all the time for non-work things. As an example I have a major back injury to the point I couldn't even walk. I ended up in the hospital for 3 days trying to get my pain under control.I was sitting there in pain and I mean excruciating pain to the point of tears waiting on my medicine. My medication is over 30 minutes past due and I was waiting on my nurse or the doctor to bring it to me. I heard my nurses say to someone She says I'm sorry I'm late to get to my patient I got caught up on Facebook and didn't realize an hour had gone by. So because it snows was on Facebook for so long I ended up suffering even more than I because she was playing around on Facebook. So it took longer for the pain meds to work. While some use it as a reference to help people others use it to goof off
Load More Replies...RN here. Only reason why I carry my cell phone is to look up medications, look up information medical related, help with translating, show pictures or diagrams to help the patient understand their medical issues, and calculator. Otherwise, there is really no other good reason to have your cell phone on you. If it is truly an emergency, your friends and family should contact you on the hospital main line.
Literally only one of those calls should have been made in the first place. That was the kid that injured at daycare. People need to learn to let go. I worked at a place where cell phones weren't even allowed in the building because it was violation of law to have a recording device of any type in the building. We had a central number that could be called for emergencies only. You do NOT need to be connected to your outside life at the drop of a hat. Put the damn phone down and live your life, folks.
So you wouldn't want to know if your dog was going to die?
Load More Replies...Im a nurse in a healthcare setting. This us a real thing. You cannot have your phone on your person, it must be locked in your locker. You cannot be on your phone until in your car. This has caused a lot of issues. I know of no one that answers their phone in the presence of patients. Management is rediculous. Now, back to PPE during a pandemic. Loved the response we got..., "You are lucky to be employed ".
I suspect the OP is downplaying how much things had gotten out of hand that they had to institute this policy. "Now I know that working in healthcare and personal cell phones and don't mix, and it's really against policy" is very telling. You're not supposed to do it. Probably legally. I used to work in secure facilities where we absolutely could not have our phones on us. And by used to I mean just 2-3 years ago. Lots of single parents and dual-working spouses. When people needed to be contacted, they were contacted. This malicious compliance is garbage. Again, OP explicitly said it's against policy, probably for the sake of licensing. So they're basically whining that they're being forced to comply with policy in a healthcare setting.
When I worked in classified areas my job for military literally checked you and kept it outside and you cannot access your phone until you left that room. I have had times where I was in this area for 8 and 9 hours a day without even leaving. So I get what it's like to not have access to your phone during work and it can be a pain. And at this point I had a getting a car wreck that killed my dad and by the grace of God she survived. She was in ICU for month and two more months after that was in regular hospital. I was the main income for her and she didn't even live near me. My sister was in kidney failure at the same time in a different hospital. So I could go 8 9 hours when they needed me for something and the doctors couldn't act or anything without talking to me. So what I ended up doing was finding people even if was just my best friend to take these calls for me. And as always someone that will help take up the slack even if it's just a friend. society I survived without them
I didn't have a classified job but yeah, no phones where showed while in uniform.
Load More Replies...I had a boss who decided we could not have our phones on us during work. We had to leave them in his office during work hours. I asked him if he would be personally and financially responsible if my MIL, who was 99 at the time and lived alone, had an emergency and couldn't reach me. I also pointed out that they were more than phones but hand held computers that contained personal information and they helped us look up answers for customers regarding the products we sold. We got them back.
My God before cell phones how did anyone. Do any adulting at all amazing
They had stay at home spouses to handle childcare because they were paid sufficiently that the family could survive on one salary.
Load More Replies...If I was the manager I would tell non emergency calls to call them after work. someone better be dying to interrupt employees working. Big financial decisions should be discussed nat home not during work hours. Not paying people to communicate with other non work related people. Hmm seems like this used to happen before cell phones..
I had a boss way back when that said we were not allowed to take calls when we were operating a computer. My girls, at home from school, one 13, one 11. It was raining and my 13 year old had gotten the bottom of her pants wet on the way home. We had plugs on the floor and they sparked when she walked over one of them. So, of course she called me. My boss gave the call to another girl in the office. What happ6after that was not nice but I almost got my boss fired for her stupid rule.
Just skip all the fluff by the board Panda author and just read the parts that are in little paragraph chunks that you can see a share icon on and it is a much better story. It doesn't need mindless fluff reiterating exactly what was written in the paragraphs.
Just skip all the fluff by the author here and read the part that you can click the little share button on and the story is much better. It doesn't need all the fluff we explaining exactly what you read...
I disagree with not being able to use phones on your break. But I donot think medical care givers should have access to their phones while making rounds. There to much room for serious accidents. And the way people are with their phones is ridiculous. Walking down the street not paying attention causextheir head is in their phone. Driving abd sneak texting. And yes even in some hospitals you find phone abuse that can be life threatening. Lets be real of all those calls listed the only really serious one was the injured child. So while I do agree there needs to be protocols for phone usage at work there also should be some sensibility in the rules.
I can understand if an employee stays on their phone too much without working, however, we've had managers say the same thing (food service) and we complied for a while, until a manager "neglected" to tell a parent her child had called from school, sick. If it's slow and someone texts, you should be able to check quickly, wash your hands, and move on. Sometimes with different shifts, the person on the other side might not even know the person they've contacted is at work. This is where compromise is in order. An employee abusing privileges, should get reprimanded, but not the entire crew. My 2 cents.
I work in healthcare and never have my phone on me while on shift - it’s always in my locker to be checked during breaks. My colleagues are largely of a younger generation than me and always have them on them, check them between patients, take selfies (never with patients or anything confidential). None of the higher ups ever seem to have any issues with it all all. Even when phones are visible to patients and left on workstations etc. One day, my sister was in active labour with her first baby and I was so damn excited I kept my phone with me. We were having a quick pre-clinic meeting when I felt my phone buzz, quietly slipped it from my pocket to see if it was a message from my sister, saw it wasn’t, put my phone back in my pocket (didn’t even open the message). After the meeting my manager pulled me aside and said “Look, I just want to tell you, please don’t have your phone out during work - it’s not a professional look, ok?”.
So I guess Staff Maliciously Complies is the new internet sensation sweeping the nation.
I think you may be a few months or years behind, my friend
Load More Replies...At my last office job, only those in a supervisory role (2-3 ppl) had landlines at their desks. The rest of us were expected to do without, because the boss had bad experiences in the past of hiring teenyboppers with no work ethic who thought nothing of gossiping with their friends instead of working. Well, I have health issues, and I needed to be able to make doc appts, order prescription refills, etc during the day, because everything was closed by the time I got home from work at night. On days when I needed to make appts, etc, I looked my boss in the eye and told her I was leaving my cellphone plugged in and turned on. Once the appts were made, however, I'd turn my phone off and put it away. The first time it happened, she was very angry, because she assumed it'd be a repeat performance of "employee lying and gossiping on their phone instead of working." She was pleasantly surprised when I actually *did* turn my phone off and put it away, once things were taken care of.
If issues are that bad at home, you shouldn't be at work??? Do people like that not even realize we have to have money to survive? We pay for literally everything except maybe the air we breath! Plus, there is literally not one person in existence who does not have issues at home. If they want an employee who does not have issues at home, they are out of luck.
I loved being a nurse but it is true. The stress and responsibility is a heavy burden, even if you give off a chill vibe or that you are too relaxed some co-workers see that as irresponsible behavior. There is no place to hide as a nurse. I am taking a sabbatical from nursing and I am looking for a way out.
I love how this "policy" was so abruptly put into effect, with no discussion as to why it might be bad. .. But as soon as it negatively impacted the manager that sought it, it was just even more hastily dropped.
I worked full time, raised three boys, and carried a full load at the local uni. without a phone strapped time and never missed an emergency. I had to ban cell phones at my home when I was forgetting what their faces Looked like. The result, we talked, sang, played games. No phones at work should not need discussed unless needed for health reasons, although these individuals would have made them up. Empathy for trying to care for the sick with a staff of children.
In most situations most people can compromise between what they need + what their employer requires. But some can’t or won’t, which then creates sweeping rules that chafe everyone. Employers, make rules that are realistic + fair to ur employees while making ur customers feel safe + respected. Employees, follow the rules + those who don’t get pulled in each time until it’s resolved (one way or the other). Employers, have a known set standard of consequences. As an employee, its SO aggravating when management creates an unpopular New Rule simply because it’s easier for HR than dealing with each noncompliance, individually. HR/Mgmt will then just have to grow a set + do their job. Problem(s) solved.
Its kinda common sense that that would not help or save time. Like oh 100 doctors and nurses and almost all have lives going on and the world is going down fast. Usually see them taking care of whatever issues on a daily but no give my contact info and hand over your phones. Like dammit Debbie can't you see Im giving stitches right now. 10 minutes later. I coulda answered that before my patient was even in the room and you set aside my patient and your own work. And the nurse ended up missing some serious deadline.
I had a job in an office for one of the largest insurers in the country we weren't even allowed to have access to the internet. I remember I had to ask our home office in another state for access to a specific company's website in order to do something my job required me to do and they flat out refused. After hours of back and forth I finally got up from my desk and used my cell phone outside to get the info I needed. It took me less than 3 minutes. Also just before I left my job there we weren't even allowed to keep our phones on our desks. We all used to listen to music at our desks from our phones. For years this was never a problem until they decided to make it an issue. No one ever listened to it loudly or had it interfere with their jobs. There were also areas in the building we were all positive they had put cell phone reception blockers in. There was no reason for us to not have service. We weren't in a bad reception area and it was literally over night we lost service.
Now…what did we do before cell phones? Oh yeah, if we were working, we weren’t called unless it was a real emergency.
I feel sorry for all of you who can't manage a moment not connected to you trackers
I believe the manager should have been reprimanded, written up, placed on report, whatever, for wasting time and resources and severely disciplined, even demoted or fired. Like it said, they are in a health care setting and that arrogant, hateful pos could have cost somebody their life.
So... Not only does this prove that a lot of these "health care leadership" f***s have nothing better to do than to sit in an office all day, while telling actual frontline workers how to do their job... This also shows how moronic and powerhungry a lot of these managers are, ESPECIALLY in healthcare. Nothing but conceited office fillers. Karma's a b***h.
It's despicable how some employers treat their employees. It's not enough most of us are severly underpaid but on top of that they got to treat us like 3rd rate citizens. As if their business/company would be successful without their workers. It's disgraceful that workers are expected to be damn robots and not express any kind of "negative" emotions. Then when they've had enough and do their jobs halfassed they're called lazy or ungrateful. If you mention the word "Union" it's like you've just spoken blasphemy in a place with Sharia Law then they try to convince you against your best interests will bull shlt platitudes like: "We're all family here! Or Ask around we got it good here! We like to have fun here! Etc..."
Once upon a time no one had mobile phones and we managed quite fine. Many today could not have survived those prehistoric times! 😃
People keeps saying this as though it’s argument that hasn’t been rebutted already. 1) people “managed” without cars and vaccines once upon a time - should we dispense with those as well? 2) It’s not once upon a time, now. Our culture has changed and has different expectations about connecting with the world around you. 3) Phone are not just phones for calling with friends - they are our computers and our tools. As a nurse I use mine for looking up drugs, communicating with outpatients, providing patients with information, communicating with other service providers, referring patients to other services, using assessment tools for patients, as a calculator, a calendar and an actual phone. AND, bonus, if my child is sick and needs to leave school we get that sorted with MINIMAL DISRUPTION TO MY WORKPLACE. And yes, while we are making silly arguments, you are right, many people wouldn’t survive in prehistoric times - a massive advantage of our technological advances!
Load More Replies...I agree a complete ban is an over reaction but b**ch Please, these arguments are stupid. You don't actually HAVE to have a fast direct line home, you just WANT one. Humanity has survived like 99.9999% of our history without phones. It's that you've been indoctrinated by our society to be an overprotective, paranoid control freak. If your kid falls of the swing set and breaks his arm, the personal at daycare or his babysitter or whatever WILL take him to the emergency room and you will be contacted, even if you're for some reason not contacted, exactly what difference will it make if you find this out immediately or 3 hours later? Absolutely none, his arm will not be less broken, you're not a fakking magician, your hugs and kisses don't have healing properties. For economics, having a purchase decision big enough to require your partners consent is PROBABLY not something you should be impulse shopping anyway. Ask them to put it on layaway, discuss it at home, come back tomorrow...
You do know children need to be picked up from the emergency room, right? And the hospital staff would probably prefer that ASAP. Humanity also survived without vaccines, electricity, and public transit. What's your point?
Load More Replies...Great story. Okay, just one correction, by the late 1980's it wasn't possible to support a family on one income, well before cell phones became cheap enough for most people. Thanks Republican controlled Congress and white house.
Pathetic article! Unproductive workers who I wouldn't want on my team. Taking cell phones away was obviously a last resort as employees were breaking rules every day all day
Pathetic comment, would you have worked a day in your life you would have realized, that basically all official business has to be taken care of during working hours. So is it better to make a qick call or take a day off? I'd prefer the quick call.
Load More Replies...Two reasons I believe they are denying smart phones one because they can actually transmit thru 5G the covid symptims and two so many people are addicted to microwave radiation both major distractions and both are harmful for all concerned , 5G kills and makes us sick 😷 imo .
This would be considered theft tbh. I don't know how the manager got away with it. Also illegal search and seizure. They took property from there employees. Does not matter if they got it back. Also puts a liability on the company if an emergency happens and there person owning the phone could not get in contact because of illegal sezure of the phone. The suit would be filed as it was the company's theft of the phone that caused the person not to be able to respond causing "blank" tragedy.
I am almost 50 years old and didnt have a cell phone until 10 years ago. And I raised 3 children without one. So the pro-cell phone folks get no sympathy from me.
You sound extremely ghetto yourself.. this is your 3rd sexist comment, insulting woman and others. After reading them, you've made yourself clear.. you're a racist, prejudice, ignorant, human garbage fire.
Load More Replies...I think most grown adults are able to monitor their phone use in the workplace in an acceptable way. If you treat people like children, they are just going to act like children.
I'm not even able to manage my internet use in an acceptable way while working ;) Hello boredpanda
Load More Replies...... How is checking your phone while on a (presumably unpaid) lunch break meant to create a WHS issue?
I'm guessing it's due to infection control. The amount of germs and bacteria on your phone is astounding. They should be thoroughly cleaning their hands everytime they touch their phone anyway. Either with soap and water or alcohol sanitiser.
Load More Replies...To thar one poster that forgot about the 30 years between viable single income families being common and widespread mobile phone usage, Gen-X says hi.
Yeah, my area it would take someone making $44/hr for a single income family, or a second job to make up whatever shortfall. Tis a shame. Luckily, my wife abhors the thought of not working, so it's never been concern for us 😂
Load More Replies...I agree with the ridiculousness of the manager and applaud the malicious compliance that followed, but I'd just like to respond to the commenter that thinks "cell phones are so important". They are not, we make them so. How do you think we lived before they existed? We live our lives faster now, but only because we choose to. Before cell phones, all these things still happened. The vet had to make the call on putting down the animal, and you found out later. The husband had to wait to make his big purchase (something that should be given some time to ponder anyway). The day care had to consult the form you filled out at enrollment on your directions to treat emergencies. Life still goes on if we're not plugged in 24/7. Try it, you might find some relief from both anxiety and depression.
I'm going to play devil's advocate. I was a patient in the ICU for over 2 weeks and spent another 2 weeks just in a regular room. I cannot tell you how many times I saw nurses on their phones. I understand the work extremely hard and in a perfect world, everyone is always professional but they weren't emergency calls; it was scrolling social media and texting. It happens with all jobs. People are on their phones all the time because it's normal to them. Here i am having a catheter put in and there's a nurse assistant leaning against the nurse's station, which is directly in front of my bed in the ICU, texting on her phone toward me and I'm paranoid that she's taking a picture of me with my legs wide open. Before phones people were allowed to call employers and ask to speak to someone if it was an emergency. As a manager of a retail store, I was so tired of having the fight with employees to put their phones down. Then they complain about not having enough time to get things done.
Kate Jones, you're not the Devil's Advocate here. I can agree with you about hospital staff, sometimes, being on their phones, uneccesarrily. I suffered a Stroke and was in a Rehabilitation Center, last year. I would press the call button, and would be waiting 30 minutes or more(longest was 1 hour and 45 minutes). All the while, I could see staff walking back and forth, either on their phone or talking through their smart watches. Since I was nonverbal, at the time, I wasn't able to verbally call out for help. It got so bad that I would have to text my husband to have him call the Center's Reception Desk and overhead page the tech or nurse, to the room. Yes, phones are huge distractions for some people. I suffered several falls because the techs just had to respond to a text or a comment to their Social Media post, while they were supposed to be assisting me with transfering from bed to wheelchair. In my honest opinion, phone should be in your locker unless on break/lunch.
Load More Replies...No, there was a huge gap between single-income families and cell phones! Let me give you a pre-cell story from the late 1980s. I was an eight-year-old latchkey kid. We'd just moved from rural Nebraska to Southern California. Dad taught at a school an hour away, mom taught at a school halfway across town. I went to a school maybe a quarter mile from home, so I walked there and back, and was home alone for about two hours before mom got home. When I got home, the rule was I had to call mom's school and leave a message with the secretary. Mom would check with her before her last class of the day. Complicated system, but it worked. We lived in a housing tract at the base of a scrubby mountain, and one day, it burned. There were maybe a dozen of us who lived in that housing tract at that school who were latchkey kids, and the school had us all wait in the office while they called our parents. They called mom's school, the secretary went to her room to tell her and take over for her there.
I have a rule at work, (also healthcare setting) that mobile phones can only be used during breaks. I do not believe that this is unreasonable and if there is a compelling reason for you to keep your phone on you during work, then I will consider it on a case-by-case basis. Wanting your phone with you "just in case" is not a compelling reason.
I agree with this. Healthcare workers shouldn't feel entitled to access to their personal distractions throughout the day. I suppose it can depend on what your of care you're doing but I was never allowed to have my phone anywhere near me while I worked in my military clinic. Occasionally spouses or caregivers called the front desk if something were important, but 100% of our focus was patient care.
Load More Replies...Thank you. Having retired from hospital work, cell phone use was so out of hand that a no phone policy was put in place and people adjusted just fine.
Load More Replies...it wasn't that long ago, if you were at work and needed to be contacted for whatever reason the caller called the place of business and you were given a message. If it was an emergency someone would track you down.
It wasn't that long ago that personal calls at work could get you fired no matter what they were about.
Load More Replies...As many here use the "but before cell phones..." argument: yes, people managed their lives before cell phones were invented. They also managed their lives before cars were invented, before public transport was invented, before electricity was invented, before telephones were invented or even before smithing and metal casting were invented. Every new tool we invented changed the way we live our lives. Cell phones made us available at all times and that fact is already cemented in our collective minds. Society expects you to be available, even when you are in work. So, if you can choose to ignore or turn off your phone during the 8 hours or more of work, you are not the great person, that can still live without their phone, you are in the privileged position of not needing it.
Cell phones were not common during my childhood. Whoever said that before cell phones you could make it on one income had a VERY different experience from me and the people I knew.
Load More Replies...I work at a hospital, No cell phone allowed . I also work on the mountain giving ski tours, also no phones allowed. They are a major distraction..
Frank Quigg, Exactly, phones are distractions. I work with State Government and phones as well as smart watches, smart glasses, etc are prohibited from being seen on you, in your hands etc. You couldn't have it at your desk or even in your purse. Everything went into your locker until lunch(1hr) or at the end of the day. We did have a main call-in line, for emergencies only.If phones or other smart devices were seen, it was immediate fire.This was due to HIPAA privacy issues, surrounding private information. I have no problem with not having my phone with me. I can focus on assisting my clients.
Load More Replies...Pathetic article. Whatever happened to going to work and working. You have much deeper issues if you think no cells phones at work is an issue. Sad souls
What did all of us do before there were cellphones? We survived. Wake up people. Cellphones are a wonderful convenience, but they are NOT a necessity. If all cellphones dissappeared tomorrow , the earth would continue to spin people would still have jobs, the world would still function. Just sayin
Before cell phones you would have given your main landline of work to your family or caregivers that would need to contact you. It would tie up the lines even more, cell phones are a convenience that help out even if you have other access points. It would waste way more time to have your personal calls go through the main line, for example daycare calls because your child threw up, they call your floor's direct line, one staff picks it up puts them on hold goes and gets you to give you the message that somebody's on line one for you, you pause what you're doing go over speak to them it took two people now to get one message that could have been texted to your cell phone for you to check when you got back to your station. -a parent and a nurse
Load More Replies...Sounds like a bunch of children to me, my last job was for a large software/hardware company and phones were not permitted on the phone. 2 reasons, first for security and secondly, NO, people can't stay off their phones and get distracted. Anyone arguing against that is probably the type of person that does mess around on their phone while working.
Yes, MOST adults will know how to work with their phone. However, there's always "that one" - remember? The one who ruins it for everyone else.
The problem is using the excuse of needing it in case of an emergency can lead to misuse and abuse, by people being on their phones when they should be working. Defending it by saying cell phones are important for emergency communications is also kind of a crock of crap....we survived as a species for thousands of years with having devices in our pockets, even as few as 30 years ago, people managed just fine without constant updates and information about or lives outside of the workplace....
Generations of people managed to live happy productive lives before cell phones and I doubt many lives were lost because people couldn't chat back and forth all day long. Like omg, you know? I mean, it was like...... If parents were at work and kids were in school it was understood that unless it was an actual emergency they weren't available to talk. Everyone got caught up at the dinner table and it made for good conversation. Then, after homework was done, we were free to call friends or go see them. I didn't see my friends everyday but when we did hang together there was a lot to talk about. The work ethic demonstrated here is pathetic. Your manager at work asks you to do something completely reasonable and because you don't like it you feel free to respond with 'malicious compliance'? That's immature and counterproductive; all involved in the retaliation deserve to be fired for behaving like spoiled children.
More frightening that these HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS would take the time to plan this..... maybe they should have come up with a comprehensive plan to alter the policy in a way that benefited all parties
Load More Replies...This was obviously in response to sone employee using their phone irresponsibly, but notice that wasn’t mentioned. People that think “adults” are able to use their phones responsibly clearly don’t work with any “adults”.
I’m a CNS and I use my phone all the time at work to check MicroGuide which is an aid to prescribing, my calculator, access to the national drug formulary, also use it to communicate with my remote consultants. Not ever with any patient details but just if I need them to bleep me etc to discuss something. They are an incredibly helpful and quick way of accessing up to date information, which benefits patient care. Shared laptops and desktop computers on wards can be slow or occupied. There are also tons of apps for healthcare. I’m afraid it is a necessary thing in todays world for many health workers.
I see this you as acceptable because you are using it for your job and as a reference. It's part of your work. But I've seen tons of nurses doctors and everything just on their phone all the time for non-work things. As an example I have a major back injury to the point I couldn't even walk. I ended up in the hospital for 3 days trying to get my pain under control.I was sitting there in pain and I mean excruciating pain to the point of tears waiting on my medicine. My medication is over 30 minutes past due and I was waiting on my nurse or the doctor to bring it to me. I heard my nurses say to someone She says I'm sorry I'm late to get to my patient I got caught up on Facebook and didn't realize an hour had gone by. So because it snows was on Facebook for so long I ended up suffering even more than I because she was playing around on Facebook. So it took longer for the pain meds to work. While some use it as a reference to help people others use it to goof off
Load More Replies...RN here. Only reason why I carry my cell phone is to look up medications, look up information medical related, help with translating, show pictures or diagrams to help the patient understand their medical issues, and calculator. Otherwise, there is really no other good reason to have your cell phone on you. If it is truly an emergency, your friends and family should contact you on the hospital main line.
Literally only one of those calls should have been made in the first place. That was the kid that injured at daycare. People need to learn to let go. I worked at a place where cell phones weren't even allowed in the building because it was violation of law to have a recording device of any type in the building. We had a central number that could be called for emergencies only. You do NOT need to be connected to your outside life at the drop of a hat. Put the damn phone down and live your life, folks.
So you wouldn't want to know if your dog was going to die?
Load More Replies...Im a nurse in a healthcare setting. This us a real thing. You cannot have your phone on your person, it must be locked in your locker. You cannot be on your phone until in your car. This has caused a lot of issues. I know of no one that answers their phone in the presence of patients. Management is rediculous. Now, back to PPE during a pandemic. Loved the response we got..., "You are lucky to be employed ".
I suspect the OP is downplaying how much things had gotten out of hand that they had to institute this policy. "Now I know that working in healthcare and personal cell phones and don't mix, and it's really against policy" is very telling. You're not supposed to do it. Probably legally. I used to work in secure facilities where we absolutely could not have our phones on us. And by used to I mean just 2-3 years ago. Lots of single parents and dual-working spouses. When people needed to be contacted, they were contacted. This malicious compliance is garbage. Again, OP explicitly said it's against policy, probably for the sake of licensing. So they're basically whining that they're being forced to comply with policy in a healthcare setting.
When I worked in classified areas my job for military literally checked you and kept it outside and you cannot access your phone until you left that room. I have had times where I was in this area for 8 and 9 hours a day without even leaving. So I get what it's like to not have access to your phone during work and it can be a pain. And at this point I had a getting a car wreck that killed my dad and by the grace of God she survived. She was in ICU for month and two more months after that was in regular hospital. I was the main income for her and she didn't even live near me. My sister was in kidney failure at the same time in a different hospital. So I could go 8 9 hours when they needed me for something and the doctors couldn't act or anything without talking to me. So what I ended up doing was finding people even if was just my best friend to take these calls for me. And as always someone that will help take up the slack even if it's just a friend. society I survived without them
I didn't have a classified job but yeah, no phones where showed while in uniform.
Load More Replies...I had a boss who decided we could not have our phones on us during work. We had to leave them in his office during work hours. I asked him if he would be personally and financially responsible if my MIL, who was 99 at the time and lived alone, had an emergency and couldn't reach me. I also pointed out that they were more than phones but hand held computers that contained personal information and they helped us look up answers for customers regarding the products we sold. We got them back.
My God before cell phones how did anyone. Do any adulting at all amazing
They had stay at home spouses to handle childcare because they were paid sufficiently that the family could survive on one salary.
Load More Replies...If I was the manager I would tell non emergency calls to call them after work. someone better be dying to interrupt employees working. Big financial decisions should be discussed nat home not during work hours. Not paying people to communicate with other non work related people. Hmm seems like this used to happen before cell phones..
I had a boss way back when that said we were not allowed to take calls when we were operating a computer. My girls, at home from school, one 13, one 11. It was raining and my 13 year old had gotten the bottom of her pants wet on the way home. We had plugs on the floor and they sparked when she walked over one of them. So, of course she called me. My boss gave the call to another girl in the office. What happ6after that was not nice but I almost got my boss fired for her stupid rule.
Just skip all the fluff by the board Panda author and just read the parts that are in little paragraph chunks that you can see a share icon on and it is a much better story. It doesn't need mindless fluff reiterating exactly what was written in the paragraphs.
Just skip all the fluff by the author here and read the part that you can click the little share button on and the story is much better. It doesn't need all the fluff we explaining exactly what you read...
I disagree with not being able to use phones on your break. But I donot think medical care givers should have access to their phones while making rounds. There to much room for serious accidents. And the way people are with their phones is ridiculous. Walking down the street not paying attention causextheir head is in their phone. Driving abd sneak texting. And yes even in some hospitals you find phone abuse that can be life threatening. Lets be real of all those calls listed the only really serious one was the injured child. So while I do agree there needs to be protocols for phone usage at work there also should be some sensibility in the rules.
I can understand if an employee stays on their phone too much without working, however, we've had managers say the same thing (food service) and we complied for a while, until a manager "neglected" to tell a parent her child had called from school, sick. If it's slow and someone texts, you should be able to check quickly, wash your hands, and move on. Sometimes with different shifts, the person on the other side might not even know the person they've contacted is at work. This is where compromise is in order. An employee abusing privileges, should get reprimanded, but not the entire crew. My 2 cents.
I work in healthcare and never have my phone on me while on shift - it’s always in my locker to be checked during breaks. My colleagues are largely of a younger generation than me and always have them on them, check them between patients, take selfies (never with patients or anything confidential). None of the higher ups ever seem to have any issues with it all all. Even when phones are visible to patients and left on workstations etc. One day, my sister was in active labour with her first baby and I was so damn excited I kept my phone with me. We were having a quick pre-clinic meeting when I felt my phone buzz, quietly slipped it from my pocket to see if it was a message from my sister, saw it wasn’t, put my phone back in my pocket (didn’t even open the message). After the meeting my manager pulled me aside and said “Look, I just want to tell you, please don’t have your phone out during work - it’s not a professional look, ok?”.
So I guess Staff Maliciously Complies is the new internet sensation sweeping the nation.
I think you may be a few months or years behind, my friend
Load More Replies...At my last office job, only those in a supervisory role (2-3 ppl) had landlines at their desks. The rest of us were expected to do without, because the boss had bad experiences in the past of hiring teenyboppers with no work ethic who thought nothing of gossiping with their friends instead of working. Well, I have health issues, and I needed to be able to make doc appts, order prescription refills, etc during the day, because everything was closed by the time I got home from work at night. On days when I needed to make appts, etc, I looked my boss in the eye and told her I was leaving my cellphone plugged in and turned on. Once the appts were made, however, I'd turn my phone off and put it away. The first time it happened, she was very angry, because she assumed it'd be a repeat performance of "employee lying and gossiping on their phone instead of working." She was pleasantly surprised when I actually *did* turn my phone off and put it away, once things were taken care of.
If issues are that bad at home, you shouldn't be at work??? Do people like that not even realize we have to have money to survive? We pay for literally everything except maybe the air we breath! Plus, there is literally not one person in existence who does not have issues at home. If they want an employee who does not have issues at home, they are out of luck.
I loved being a nurse but it is true. The stress and responsibility is a heavy burden, even if you give off a chill vibe or that you are too relaxed some co-workers see that as irresponsible behavior. There is no place to hide as a nurse. I am taking a sabbatical from nursing and I am looking for a way out.
I love how this "policy" was so abruptly put into effect, with no discussion as to why it might be bad. .. But as soon as it negatively impacted the manager that sought it, it was just even more hastily dropped.
I worked full time, raised three boys, and carried a full load at the local uni. without a phone strapped time and never missed an emergency. I had to ban cell phones at my home when I was forgetting what their faces Looked like. The result, we talked, sang, played games. No phones at work should not need discussed unless needed for health reasons, although these individuals would have made them up. Empathy for trying to care for the sick with a staff of children.
In most situations most people can compromise between what they need + what their employer requires. But some can’t or won’t, which then creates sweeping rules that chafe everyone. Employers, make rules that are realistic + fair to ur employees while making ur customers feel safe + respected. Employees, follow the rules + those who don’t get pulled in each time until it’s resolved (one way or the other). Employers, have a known set standard of consequences. As an employee, its SO aggravating when management creates an unpopular New Rule simply because it’s easier for HR than dealing with each noncompliance, individually. HR/Mgmt will then just have to grow a set + do their job. Problem(s) solved.
Its kinda common sense that that would not help or save time. Like oh 100 doctors and nurses and almost all have lives going on and the world is going down fast. Usually see them taking care of whatever issues on a daily but no give my contact info and hand over your phones. Like dammit Debbie can't you see Im giving stitches right now. 10 minutes later. I coulda answered that before my patient was even in the room and you set aside my patient and your own work. And the nurse ended up missing some serious deadline.
I had a job in an office for one of the largest insurers in the country we weren't even allowed to have access to the internet. I remember I had to ask our home office in another state for access to a specific company's website in order to do something my job required me to do and they flat out refused. After hours of back and forth I finally got up from my desk and used my cell phone outside to get the info I needed. It took me less than 3 minutes. Also just before I left my job there we weren't even allowed to keep our phones on our desks. We all used to listen to music at our desks from our phones. For years this was never a problem until they decided to make it an issue. No one ever listened to it loudly or had it interfere with their jobs. There were also areas in the building we were all positive they had put cell phone reception blockers in. There was no reason for us to not have service. We weren't in a bad reception area and it was literally over night we lost service.
Now…what did we do before cell phones? Oh yeah, if we were working, we weren’t called unless it was a real emergency.
I feel sorry for all of you who can't manage a moment not connected to you trackers
I believe the manager should have been reprimanded, written up, placed on report, whatever, for wasting time and resources and severely disciplined, even demoted or fired. Like it said, they are in a health care setting and that arrogant, hateful pos could have cost somebody their life.
So... Not only does this prove that a lot of these "health care leadership" f***s have nothing better to do than to sit in an office all day, while telling actual frontline workers how to do their job... This also shows how moronic and powerhungry a lot of these managers are, ESPECIALLY in healthcare. Nothing but conceited office fillers. Karma's a b***h.
It's despicable how some employers treat their employees. It's not enough most of us are severly underpaid but on top of that they got to treat us like 3rd rate citizens. As if their business/company would be successful without their workers. It's disgraceful that workers are expected to be damn robots and not express any kind of "negative" emotions. Then when they've had enough and do their jobs halfassed they're called lazy or ungrateful. If you mention the word "Union" it's like you've just spoken blasphemy in a place with Sharia Law then they try to convince you against your best interests will bull shlt platitudes like: "We're all family here! Or Ask around we got it good here! We like to have fun here! Etc..."
Once upon a time no one had mobile phones and we managed quite fine. Many today could not have survived those prehistoric times! 😃
People keeps saying this as though it’s argument that hasn’t been rebutted already. 1) people “managed” without cars and vaccines once upon a time - should we dispense with those as well? 2) It’s not once upon a time, now. Our culture has changed and has different expectations about connecting with the world around you. 3) Phone are not just phones for calling with friends - they are our computers and our tools. As a nurse I use mine for looking up drugs, communicating with outpatients, providing patients with information, communicating with other service providers, referring patients to other services, using assessment tools for patients, as a calculator, a calendar and an actual phone. AND, bonus, if my child is sick and needs to leave school we get that sorted with MINIMAL DISRUPTION TO MY WORKPLACE. And yes, while we are making silly arguments, you are right, many people wouldn’t survive in prehistoric times - a massive advantage of our technological advances!
Load More Replies...I agree a complete ban is an over reaction but b**ch Please, these arguments are stupid. You don't actually HAVE to have a fast direct line home, you just WANT one. Humanity has survived like 99.9999% of our history without phones. It's that you've been indoctrinated by our society to be an overprotective, paranoid control freak. If your kid falls of the swing set and breaks his arm, the personal at daycare or his babysitter or whatever WILL take him to the emergency room and you will be contacted, even if you're for some reason not contacted, exactly what difference will it make if you find this out immediately or 3 hours later? Absolutely none, his arm will not be less broken, you're not a fakking magician, your hugs and kisses don't have healing properties. For economics, having a purchase decision big enough to require your partners consent is PROBABLY not something you should be impulse shopping anyway. Ask them to put it on layaway, discuss it at home, come back tomorrow...
You do know children need to be picked up from the emergency room, right? And the hospital staff would probably prefer that ASAP. Humanity also survived without vaccines, electricity, and public transit. What's your point?
Load More Replies...Great story. Okay, just one correction, by the late 1980's it wasn't possible to support a family on one income, well before cell phones became cheap enough for most people. Thanks Republican controlled Congress and white house.
Pathetic article! Unproductive workers who I wouldn't want on my team. Taking cell phones away was obviously a last resort as employees were breaking rules every day all day
Pathetic comment, would you have worked a day in your life you would have realized, that basically all official business has to be taken care of during working hours. So is it better to make a qick call or take a day off? I'd prefer the quick call.
Load More Replies...Two reasons I believe they are denying smart phones one because they can actually transmit thru 5G the covid symptims and two so many people are addicted to microwave radiation both major distractions and both are harmful for all concerned , 5G kills and makes us sick 😷 imo .
This would be considered theft tbh. I don't know how the manager got away with it. Also illegal search and seizure. They took property from there employees. Does not matter if they got it back. Also puts a liability on the company if an emergency happens and there person owning the phone could not get in contact because of illegal sezure of the phone. The suit would be filed as it was the company's theft of the phone that caused the person not to be able to respond causing "blank" tragedy.
I am almost 50 years old and didnt have a cell phone until 10 years ago. And I raised 3 children without one. So the pro-cell phone folks get no sympathy from me.
You sound extremely ghetto yourself.. this is your 3rd sexist comment, insulting woman and others. After reading them, you've made yourself clear.. you're a racist, prejudice, ignorant, human garbage fire.
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