Employeer wants to take our cell phones away

[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?

[ThyTempest]

8. it's a very laid back office usually. i can spend up to 3 hours on the net and no one cares. i don't smoke but others take 15 smoke breaks at 15 min a peice and no one cares. i can take 20 minutes to chat and get a cup of coffee each time i go for coffee and no one cares. but someone was in a bad mood yesterday and saw a guy on a forklift on his cell and now wants to play Office Hitler.

I am surprised no one has pointed this out yet. I am skeptical that boss Pop is okay with people ****ing around on the computer all day while he is trying to completely eliminate people being off task on cell phones...all in all, I agree with you, however, if my job let me surf the net for w/e I wanted several hours a day, I don't know how much I would complain.

[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

[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

[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.

[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.

[Wh00h0069]

Honestly, if you do not like it, then find employment elsewhere. They can setup their policies however they like. I see how their employees working instead of talking on their cell phones would help with productivity. I work at a large facility, and they fire anyone that they find on the production floor talking on their cell phones. No questions asked.

[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.

[fishmommy]

welcome to the real world!

hey, if you decide to quit let me know...I'd love to have the privelege of working in these times.