Smartphones allow you to get things done, wherever you are, and they are quickly becoming an essential part of doing business. But distracting notifications can distract your attention from what you're doing and make it difficult to focus.
A study from the University of Texas at Austin found that the mere presence of your smartphone reduces "available cognitive ability and impairs cognitive functioning, even though people feel they are giving their full attention and focused on the task at hand.”
Setting clear and formal boundaries around cell phone use is essential in the office. Consider this simple list of rules to help everyone stay present and productive at work:
The “3 Cs” of Office Cell Phone Etiquette
1. Meetings without mobile phones.
Face-to-face collaboration remains one of the most effective means of communication, making it an essential business tool.
Don't bring your phone to business lunches. Giving your customer your full attention makes a good impression and can save you time and effort.
2. Common courtesy.
Do not use your phone for personal reasons, including texting and social media, during work hours.
Keep your phone away from your desk and out of sight.
Do not interrupt a conversation to take a call. End your chat, then answer the call if necessary.
3. Consider your environment.
Use a professional ringtone and keep it quiet if you leave your phone at your desk.
Take personal calls outside of shared office spaces and keep it brief.
Do not use speakerphone:use headphones to take calls and listen to voicemails.
Bluetooth headsets tend to make you speak louder. Avoid using one unless it is a tool of your work.
Every office is different, so you'll need to tailor your rules to your particular situation. For example, you might want to consider allowing exceptions for people with children or dependent family members.
Related: 8 Keys to Nailing Etiquette in the Workplace
Take Control of Your Cell Phone Use
Smartphones are great for staying in touch for business and personal matters, but with everything in one place, it can be difficult to separate work and personal time.
One solution is to have two phones, one for work and one for personal use. Another is to remove all distracting apps from your phone or turn off notifications.
Or consider using tech to fight tech. Apple's new Time Screen controls include a Downtime feature, and Android has a similar feature called Digital Wellbeing. When this function is activated, you only receive phone calls and have access to pre-selected applications. Set your downtime during your working hours and select only apps essential to your work (if any).
You can also set a time limit for any apps you think you spend too much time on . Once your time limit is reached, the app is greyed out and cannot be opened. You can easily override this feature, but it may be enough to keep you from checking your phone at work.
Apple and Android also offer a Do Not Disturb feature that silences phone calls and routes all notifications directly to the Notification Center, completely bypassing your lock screen. It is designed to be used while driving or sleeping, but it can also be used in the office.
This feature can be enabled in the settings of iPhones and Android phones. You can choose to allow phone calls from specific people (such as favorites) and set a custom auto-reply to text messages. In an emergency, the recipient can type "urgent" to bypass your Do Not Disturb, and you can also enable the Repeat Calls option, where a second call from the same person within three minutes won't be cut off. Once Do Not Disturb is set up, you can add a shortcut in your control center and easily turn it on or off when you need to focus.
Smartphones can be essential, but it's important to create boundaries. Collaborating with your employees will allow you to create a set of rules that meet your specific workplace needs.
Related: What Happened When I Gone Tech For 7 Days
