Cell Phones at Work
I carry one with me everywhere I go, and I’m betting you do too. Cell phones have become ubiquitous. We carry them to work, to play, and to all those little chores that need to be tackled on a day-to-day basis.
I always recommend to new professionals that they monitor their cell phone use at work. At a very minimum, I urge the professionals to use their cell phones much like their land lines, i.e., make phone calls via their cells in the privacy of their personal offices using an “inside voice.” Carrying on cell phone conversations while walking up and down an office hallway, I suggest, may easily disturb the concentrated thinking of other office workers.
I have concluded, however, that some employers should consider severely restricting cell phone use at work, if not banning it altogether. Way before the sun came up this morning, for example, I stopped by my local Starbucks (Attention Starbucks management: It’s the Starbucks at 78th and Lex in NYC) in search of the largest drip coffee available and a copy of the New York Times. When I approached the counter to place my order, I noticed that the counter clerk appeared to be in the midst of a personal call using her cell phone. Without interrupting her conversation, she took my order, filled it, rang it up, and sent me along the way.
While I am certain that the clerk was impressed with her own ability to multi-task, I was astounded that she was completely oblivious to the fact that she had lost out on the opportunity to make any sort of a personal connection. She never uttered a “good morning” or a “how may I help you” or a “thanks for stopping in.” And largely as the result of that fact, I feel little to no reason to return to that particular store.
Never forget that fundamentally all business is personal. Whether a buyer is contemplating a multibillion contract or a $3 cup of coffee, people buy from people they like. Smart professionals will never pass on the opportunity to connect personally.
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