How Can We Curb Excessive Mobile Usage at Work Without Issuing Warnings?

Hi all,

My concern consists of nearly 170-190 employees, and now we are facing the problem of excessive mobile usage and online chatting. We have extension phones at all desks for official purposes, and personal calls cannot be made using those phones. Despite posting a notice on the mobile usage policy, the issue persists. Issuing memos and warnings may not be effective. I am seeking good and positive suggestions from you to address this problem.

Thank you.

Dear Brindha, If employees have time to talk on mobile or chat, it suggests they have some disposable time. Instead of reprimanding them for using mobile phones, consider conducting a workload analysis to determine if they have sufficient work.

In your company, you face the challenge of excessive mobile phone usage. Conversely, in some companies, employees are known for not attending or returning calls.

Communication Preferences

Secondly, do top management officials prefer "phone" as a medium of communication? Does the top boss habitually pick up the phone to start a conversation? Is he reluctant to write emails? In the modern workplace, all types of media should be used for communication, such as email, SMS, telephone, WhatsApp messages, and so on. The choice of communication medium is at the individual's discretion. However, over-reliance on one medium can impact work, as seen in your company's case with telephonic communication.

Working Hours and Culture

Thirdly, do employees work beyond their specified working hours? Is working late customary in your company? Do top-level officials encourage working late? If so, consider implementing a rule that all employees must leave the workplace on time, and require permission for extra hours.

Socialization at the Workplace

Fourthly, regarding socialization, while it is important, has your company promoted a culture of over-socialization?

Organizational Communication

Lastly, regarding organizational communication, it seems your company may have placed too much emphasis on personal communication, which now overrides organizational communication.

In light of the above, I recommend reviewing the organizational culture of the company. Discuss the issue with managers to understand their challenges. Talking on the phone might be a job requirement for some roles. For instance, an average Purchase Manager might spend 4-6 hours a day on the phone, which is inherent to the job. Therefore, identify who needs an exemption.

Average Indians are garrulous, unlike the more reserved British. To some extent, you might be challenging the cultural norm itself!

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Thanks for your valuable inputs. In our concern, there is no need for employees to use mobile phones because we have a local messenger and email for communication purposes inside the office. Also, we have extension numbers to speak with customers and colleagues. We do understand that in case of any important personal call, they can answer. However, now it keeps increasing, and there is a distraction from work (if they get a call, they will move out to speak and return after some time). Since the count is high, it is not possible to keep track of all, and giving continuous warnings will not be good. I need an effective idea to resolve this.

Regards

Weekly Meetings and Employee Engagement

I had this experience in our office where we held weekly meetings with the participation of departmental heads and Human Resource Managers. Various issues were discussed, and minutes of the meetings were recorded and circulated. Subsequent meetings also included a checklist to ensure the issues from previous meetings were resolved. There were several employee engagement activities as well as appreciation cards.

Performance Metrics: JD and KRA

The Job Description (JD) and Key Result Areas (KRA) were well-defined. A score below 80% in KRA was not acceptable for two consecutive quarters. In KRA, 20% weightage was given to the productive use of man-hours, which significantly contributed to the final KRA score. Individuals who wasted time by speaking on the phone, etc., tended to score lower in KRA, as their targets were not met. Additional points in KRA were awarded for creativity and Kaizen in their own domain of work and for cost-saving initiatives for the company. It was more of a carrot and stick approach. This helped as KRA was well-defined, and individuals achieving more than 95% in KRA were appreciated. For creativity and Kaizen, they were acknowledged in open forums.