Mobile phones, email and other modern communication technologies are so common in today’s offices that we have stopped paying attention to how we use them and whether we aren’t bothering the people around us. Let us therefore remind ourselves of the basic ethical rules related to this that we should observe.
1. Only put your phone on speaker when in private
People in your immediate vicinity who are trying to work don’t want to listen to your phone calls and voicemail messages.
2. Keep your mobile phone off the table at meetings
Fully focus on the topic at hand, not on your mobile phone. If for some serious reason you must keep it out on the table, explain this right at the beginning.
3. Use the “Reply all” function minimally
Not everyone who was involved in a certain matter with you needs to read all of your replies in their email. Don’t needlessly clutter other people’s inboxes.
4. Choose between email and the telephone – don’t use both
Don’t force your co-workers to read an email with a certain message just because you’ll be calling them immediately to tell them the same thing.
5. When you leave the office, turn the ringer off
The entire office does not want to listen to your mobile phone ringing when you’re at lunch, at a meeting or anywhere else without your mobile phone.
6. Don’t make phone calls from noisy environments
Think about what the other person will hear in your mobile phone. Find an environment in which you’ll be able to pay full attention to your phone calls.
7. Don’t use your work email for personal matters
This will make your work easier to organize. But also keep in mind that you’ll leave the company one day and somebody else will get access to your personal messages.
-kk-