Cellular Phones and Smart Watches in the Office

Company Cell Phones

Certain employees in Marketing, Inventory, Wholesale, Boutique, Repair, and Sales have been issued company cell phones that employees may use at work for business purposes to take pictures, communicate with vendors or customers, and other business related matters. They are not to be used for any personal purposes whatsoever including sending or receiving personal texts or emails.

All company phones must have orange cases so that it can be seen immediately that an employee is using a company-authorized cell phone and not a personal phone. Salespeople and Sales Assistants will have cases with clear backs and orange rims, so that they don’t reflect orange into diamonds when taking photos or videos. Everyone else will have solid orange back cases. The orange cases may not be removed or changed.

Nothing is to be downloaded or installed on the company phones that is not strictly for business use, including apps. Company phones are not to be taken home and should remain at the office except as noted below for salespeople. Company phones may be left out on desks.

Salespeople may have their work email accounts installed on their company cell phones. Salespeople are allowed to take their company phones home. Salespeople will be paid a maximum of 15 minutes of overtime on the weekends to allow them to check their company cell phones for urgent customer messages pertaining to business that will be conducted on the following Tuesday. Time spent on checking email over the weekend must be tracked and reported on your weekly timesheet.

All company phones will be set to the passcode 9731. All company phones voice mail pins will be set to 9731379.

Personal Cell Phones

Personal cell phones are not to be used at work for making or receiving calls. Any reasonable call you need to take should come through reception. The back lines are not to be used for personal calls either. The only exception for using the back lines would be before and after hours.

All calls should come through the main number for the store in which you are working. This allows reception to “track” abuse on personal phone calls, if there ever is any. So turn off the personal cell phones at work. This includes everyone, even if you are downstairs or in a corner somewhere.

Exceptions

Anyone who is doing buy office runs or errands for the store may use their personal cell phones for business purposes such as directions, company email, or calls to and from other employees, and only while not in the office.

The IT department may occasionally need to use personal cell phones for running simple tests from outside the company network using their cell phone data plans, taking pictures of configuration settings, or while in a different office away from their desks. The frequency of this use is not significant enough to warrant issuing a company cell phone.

And just so you don’t feel the need to point this out to me, obviously the owners (Leo, Robin, Maggie, and Lisa) and honorary owners (Teri) are exempt from the personal cell phone ban.

Internet and Texting on Breaks

Employees are allowed to use their personal cell phones for internet and texting during lunch breaks and 15-minute breaks, but only in the break room downstairs. So personal cells phones cannot be used for any reason at your desk even if you are on break. You must go into the break room in order to surf the net or text on your personal cell phone on your breaks.

Do not leave your personal cell phone out on your desk during work hours. The temptation to look at the incoming text message, or squeeze off a reply, is too great. Keep your personal cell phones in pockets, handbags, or desk drawers while you are at work.

You may occasionally look up phone numbers on your personal cell phone in order to place a call through the regular phone system, but that should be a rare occasion.

Cell Phones in the Buy Offices

Everything in this policy applies to estate buyers the same as it does to employees in Old Town. Estate Buyers are not to use their personal cell phones for personal calls, texting, or surfing the net between the time they arrive at the buy office until the time they leave, except if they are on actual delineated breaks. Since you have no break room to go to, you will have to use personal discipline and honesty to declare a break, whether your 15 minute break or lunch break, use your personal cell phone during that break, and put the phone away as soon as your break is over. Personal cell phones should never be in use when customers are in the office.

We will provide a sign in each buy office that says, “On Break,” and the buyer will place this card on the desk whenever he or she is taking an official break, during which use of personal cell phones is permitted. Note that it is still not permitted to use company computers to surf the net, Facebook, tweet, shop, or watch YouTube even during breaks. Personal smartphones or tablets only may be used during breaks.

Estate buyers may use only their company cell phone cameras to photograph items for business when the desktop camera is not adequate; for example, to take and send pictures back and forth of items being considered for purchase about which there is a question of value. The Estate Buying Manager may also send pictures to estate buyers for instructional purposes from his/her company cell phone to their company cell phones.

Smart Watches, Readers, and Tablets have Same Rules

Smart watches, readers, and tablets have the same rules as cell phones. Because they can be used to text, email, and surf the net, they are not to be worn or used during business hours unless you are on a break outside or in the break room downstairs. They are to be kept in pockets, handbags, or desk drawers while you are at work, not on your desk. This applies to any electronic device that is capable of texting, emailing, and surfing the net.

Calling Other Buyers in Buy Offices

Please do not call other buyers in other buy offices just to chat. It ties up the primary phone line for that office, and customers calling could inadvertently be sent to voice mail and hang up rather than leave a message.