I recently received and article from an SGI Member that made me think. This person was recently at an upscale restaurant in Dallas, waiting for a friend to join them for lunch. As they waited, they noticed the attention to detail throughout the entire restaurant. In five minutes of observation, it was clear the manager expected perfection. However, what caught their attention the most was the manger’s quick attention to the server who dared to check her cell phone while on the job. He said to her, “Put that away. Get it together. No cell phones!” The server promptly put her phone in her pocket, and I would bet money that she didn’t pull it out again while on her shift. This made me think about cell phones and how it seems to be an addiction to checking our phones, and how this affects productivity in the work place. Without doubt, our society is non-stop “connected.”
Not only are we connected during the day, but according to research, nearly two-thirds of adults with cell phones say they sleep with their phone on or right next to their bed. Nearly 90% of all young adults 18-29 make sure their phones are never too far away at night. By comparison, 70% of 30-to-49 year old crowd sleep with their phones close, as do 50% of 50-to-64 year olds. These statistics may not have an impact on the workplace, except maybe providing an explanation for why your employees are so tired, but they make me wonder what a survey would uncover about employees who check their phones during the work day. 
Undoubtedly, employee use of personal cell phones (for non-business related reasons) is a distraction at work that impairs employee productivity and safety. Whether it is checking in on ongoing games, text messaging, or playing on Facebook, employees are on their phones at work.
Companies should have policies that address this distraction. A policy may require that cell phones remain in purses, pockets, in an employee’s desk, or otherwise out of view during the work day. It may also require that cell phones remain at the employee’s desk during meetings and that employees use cell phones only for emergencies. A policy could also require that employees keep personal cell phones on silent or vibrate during the work day. For employers whose employees drive during the work day, whether using company-owned vehicles or personal vehicles, there should be a policy strictly prohibiting the hand-held use of cell phones while driving. The policy may require the employee to stop the vehicle in a safe location so that he or she can safely use the cell phone (or similar device, such as an iPad). Employers drafting policies should be aware of local or State laws addressing the use of hand-held devices, and determine whether an exception may be carved out in their policy for hands-free use of devices.
Employers should observe their employees and determine whether this issue warrants discussion and/or needs to be included in the Employee Handbook.