Employeer wants to take our cell phones away

[Nate]

They want us to surrender our cell phones
...

it's pure unamerican

lol. Only in America


Not that I disagree or am poking a stick at your rights...

Why not just silent your phone and keep it in your pocket? What are they gonna do? frisk you every time you come to work? now THAT is pure unAmerican...

[ctrlfreq]

Why not just silent your phone and keep it in your pocket? What are they gonna do? frisk you every time you come to work? now THAT is pure unAmerican...

I don't know about that - there are plenty of jobs where you get frisked every time you come to and leave work. As long as you're working there voluntarily, it's up to the employer to define the conditions.

As for the OP, tell your boss to stick it on the collecting phones nonsense - it's not a invasion of privacy you're willing to put up with for this job, and so their choice is only whether to fire you or not - being it's a free country and all.

[Ranegyr]

believe me, i wish i could.

My moral delima for today. what's more important to me. Standing up against what i believe is an injustice; or putting food on my table and a roof over my head.

What is this, Russia?

[JohnNJ]

what's more important to me. Standing up against what i believe is an injustice; or putting food on my table and a roof over my head.

Yeah, I know. That whole food/roof thing always gets in the way.

[Rejekt]

in my opinion just do what you feel is right. i had a similar dilemma in a way, where i had to choose my bosses way or the highway. and i used to wor kfor an irrigation company which in ny is seasonal. and when it came the end of the season (December) he said bye and see you in the spring etc. i searched for weeks to find a job and i didnt so i contacted my boss and told him i had no choice then to collect unemployment, so he said opkay if you collect unemployment then your fired and cannot work for me ever again. its a load of bull but i needed to pay for my car and phone and such. so i collected unemployment. in my case i make just enough on unemployment to pay my bills . so i used being laid off to my advantage and went back to college. but that just how i took care if it. its similar i na way but then again isnt. i say keep the phone on silent in your pocket. and just say you left it at home or w/e i dont think they can frisk you. but then again its not my company :-p

[Lucas339]

where do you work?

if you work retail/hosptiaility im with your boss. it is totally unprofessional to be talking on a cell phone while on the floor anywhere. even if you are a manager you should take yourself out of the public eye when receiving a phone call that is on your personal line.

if you are worried about personal property then leave it in the car. unless your cell phone is used as part of your business then you shouldn't be using it.

[ctrlfreq]

My moral delima for today. what's more important to me. Standing up against what i believe is an injustice; or putting food on my table and a roof over my head.

What is this, Russia?

First, it's not an injustice for an employer to set the conditions of your employment - it's an inconvenience at best - the only conceivable way it could be an injustice would be if you were entitled to your job, which you most certainly are not.

Second, it's obviously not Russia (or more accurately the USSR) because the choice isn't being made for you, and you face no penalty for non-compliance. The fact that your choice may result in your having to find another place to work is just an illustration of freedom's double-edge.

[Slim]

believe me, i wish i could.

My moral delima for today. what's more important to me. Standing up against what i believe is an injustice; or putting food on my table and a roof over my head.

What is this, Russia?

No, it's not Russia, it called life. Making a choice between your moral distain for your bosses' rules or finding another job is just part of being a responsible adult.

For 23 years I put up with having to let a guy watch me pee in a bottle everytime they wanted to do a random drug screen. But, as an Airman, those were the rules. I could have chosen to quit being an Airman at anytime, but I made my choice.

BTW, I work in a secure facility, and haven't been able to take my celly to work since they were invented.

[Nate]

I don't know about that - there are plenty of jobs where you get frisked every time you come to and leave work. As long as you're working there voluntarily, it's up to the employer to define the conditions.

ha yeah you have a very valid point there...

I guess i was thinking - a mom n pop store frisking their employees? doesn't sound fair at all. If it was a high risk government job, I could understand

[kc261]

As long as you're working there voluntarily, it's up to the employer to define the conditions.

This is not quite true, as I'm sure you are aware. There are certain things they just aren't allowed to do. However, for the most part it is true.

One thing they can't do is treat employees differently. So they can't say that "Jimmy" (making up a name for the fork lift operator) can't have a cell phone while he is at work, but everyone else can. They could make a policy that you can have a cell phone until you get in trouble with it, and offenders are no longer allowed that privilege. However, if they make a rule like that, they have to be very careful to enforce is consistently. And, since the rule didn't already exist (or perhaps had not been being enforced), they can't just make up the rule and take Jimmy's cell phone away. They would have to wait until the next time he messes up, and they probably don't want to take that risk. So I do sort of understand where the management is coming from.

They could fire "Jimmy" on general principles of him doing something that was not safe. Since "Pop" claims he has people lined up for jobs, I'm not sure why he wouldn't do this. An employee that makes a mistake like that one time is likely to make another one, and taking away his cell phone isn't going to stop him from doing something else that isn't safe. Maybe they are concerned that they have allowed other employees to get away with similar things and keep their job, which would open them up to being sued for the thing about treating people differently.

I know it sucks for you, but as you have already said, with the current economy it might be hard for you to find another job so you have limited options. My advice would be to wait it out and see what happens. If the company is usually as laid back as you say, and things happen based on the moods of the management, then it is likely that the management will get into a more laid back mood soon.