July is Cell Phone Courtesy Month

Cell Phone CourtesyThere you are, in a public place, minding your own business and suddenly you’re subjected to someone else’s personal conversation and you think to yourself “Whoa! Did I just hear that correctly?”.

Cell phone use is at an all time high, and I think we’ve all been in this particular situation at one time or another. Maybe you were in the line at the grocery store, perhaps in an elevator or maybe you were just enjoying your lunch in the cafeteria at work. Either way, chances are you’ve been subjected to someone’s personal phone conversation. For some, cell phones just make us forget our manners.

July is Cell Phone Courtesy Month and a great time to brush up on our cell phone etiquette. Here are some great tips for its use in the workplace:

  1. Give 100% of your attention when in meetings refrain from checking your phone repeatedly; focus on the people you are with.
  2. Set your phone to silent or vibrate before heading into work.
  3. Choose a work appropriate tone if you must keep it on for important calls, texts or alerts.
  4. Take personal calls in private so as not to embarrass yourself if it gets intense and/or emotional.
  5. Refrain from taking calls in a rest room, you never know who may be in the stall next to you listening.
  6. Don’t subject others to “cell yell” by being aware of your personal volume control.

If your facility doesn’t allow cell phone use, displaying cellular phone prohibited signs is a great way to let people know about your facility’s policy, before its use becomes problematic. Signs visually inform visitors and workers about the cell rules and regulations of your company, and set the precedence for the work environment.

But remember, good cell phone manners don’t just apply to the workplace, they apply everywhere. So the next time you’re in a restaurant restroom and you hear that person next to you on their phone, remember this post.

Have an interesting cell phone story to share? We’d love to hear it; comment below.

This entry was posted on and is filled under general-safety.

Comments are closed.