Personal Phone Call Policy

gina

Does anyone have a personal phone call policy they would share with me? (If so, please email it to [email]glatorre@gcwallace.com[/email]) Please share your thoughts on such a policy. Thanks.

tom

At our company, we were forced to institute a policy where only emergency emergency personal calls would be accepted and transferred to employees by our receptionist. We advised all employees to inform their family and friends. It got so bad we had people calling to purchase items that our employees were selling!
We have to periodically post this as a reminder. It usually works for awhile.
Good luck-

George Allen

Our policy is "Any personal long distance calls should be collect, charged to your home number or put on a credit card."
But the reality of the situation is that when staff members are out of town and making calls from a client's office or from a hotel room they need a little more guidance and help. Therefore, we provide prepaid long distance calling cards for them to use. If they forget to pick one up, we encourage them to make that call home a quick on and have their spouse call them back if they need to talk for more than a minute (hotel long distance calls are out of sight in many places).

Gillian

I think that working today is a balancing act and that work life and outside life are intertwined. The old days when we could tell an employee to keep personal life at home are over. Unfortunately, the employees least able to strike a balance are the hourly workers who don't generally receive the slack that managers are able to use. I expect that the same people who want to strictly enforce "emergency calls only" make personal calls when they feel it necessary.

We need to also strike a balance between recognizing the legitimate needs of workers (given the change in work life) and our needs for productivity. Then, when the balance is struck address the employee who abuses the system.

no1son

(verbage)
The telephone is very important to our business operation and every effort should be made to use it properly. Because of the large volume of Company business transacted by telephone, the use of Company phone lines for personal matteris is discouraged. However, the Company recognizes that there may occasionally be times when personal calls must be made or received during business hours. EVERY EFFORT WILL BE MADE TO ASSURE THAT ANY EMERGENCY CALL WILL BE FORWARDED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE TO THE IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR OR MANAGER. The Supervisor or Manager may request that the Receptionist page a particular employee for a specific call from their doctor, or other URGENT matter. Messages for incoming personal calls will be directed to individual parties only during lunch or break times. Messages may be picked up at the Receptionist desk. To assure accessibility of the employee telephone, located in the break area, personal calls should be limited to three (3) minutes.
Cellular Phone and Pagers may be carried, as are some other personal items, unless there is a concern for health or safety. HOWEVER, THESE ITEMS ARE NOT TO RING OR CAUSE DISTRACTIONS WHILE ON THE PREMISES. CELLULAR PHONE USE MUST BE LIMITED TO BREAKS AND LUNCH. Emergency calls must be handled through the immediate Supervisor or Manager as are emergency telephone calls.
(hope this helps you out a little on considering your policy)