General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMillennials Would Quit Job If Phones Were Banned At Work
Published on Aug 23, 2015
"Many millennials have never known a world without mobile devices. Now employers are forced to deal with younger workers who want to be able to text and use social media on the job. 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan looks at how this group is blurring the lines between work time and personal time.
Twenty-five-year-old Jonathan Perez always has his smartphone by his side at work. He says it makes juggling his job and his personal life easier. In fact, younger workers have spent most of their life with mobile technology at their fingertips and according to a new survey from MobilIron most dont want to stop texting or using social media at work. Sixty percent of workers 18-34 say if their boss prevented them from using a mobile device to take care of personal tasks, they would quit!"
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2015/07/08/3-on-your-side-many-millennials-would-quit-if-not-allowed-to-do-personal-tasks-at-work/
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)If the boss says no phone I guess it is your right to quit, but what if your next company bans them too. Eventually you will need to put away the phone or never get ahead.
roscoeroscoe
(1,370 posts)She's convinced I'm addicted to my cell phone...
But I'm always on D U, so is it OK?
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)roscoeroscoe
(1,370 posts)Just busted for reading on the loo.
liberal N proud
(60,346 posts)They will get hungry and need to work.
If the phone is necessary as part of their job, then they should be allowed to use the phone, but otherwise, turn it off and put it away. You can't focus on your work when you are reading and answering texts all day long or checking on Facebook.
Maybe they would learn that they don't have to have it permanently attached to their hands when they get in the car then.
hunter
(38,328 posts)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon's_law
I have a list of non-crap work and your work probably isn't on it.
liberal N proud
(60,346 posts)Unless you work in the sewer, all work has its rewards. You don't need to be connected to the cell phone to survive.
hunter
(38,328 posts)... far surpass the powers of the supercomputers of my University of California Berkeley-Los Angeles-Santa Barbara days.
Work "in the sewer" is actually more rewarding than some crap job at Microsoft/Apple/Amzaon and any other big bullshit corporation. Recycling sewage into fresh water is important.
So, what are you doing with those "really fast" computers? Is it more fun than the stuff I do, for free, with mine?
The only people I know who are having more fun with computers than me are receiving and digesting data from Pluto, Mars, and other far away places.
TexasMommaWithAHat
(3,212 posts)It's a problem from the professional class all the way down to the kid working at Burger King.
Good reason to hire us older folks
enlightenment
(8,830 posts)KT2000
(20,588 posts)prefers older workers for this very reason. That and the fact they have to "learn" that one is expected to show up every day.
marym625
(17,997 posts)Us older people are the best
That's really great.
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)then they can whine about boomers some more.
marym625
(17,997 posts)We rock!
Brickbat
(19,339 posts)answer after-hours emails and calls -- and many do -- then they need to be comfortable with people taking care of personal messages while at work.
TexasMommaWithAHat
(3,212 posts)because as you say, many are working after hours with no extra pay.
fishwax
(29,149 posts)Taitertots
(7,745 posts)I'm not going to apologize for prioritizing my friends and family over my employer.
snooper2
(30,151 posts)Even though it is sitting there with new tires ready to go...
I'm sure the Manager and Employee will get right with you after they get done responding to some facebook posts about the party they went to last night. What is another 10-15 minute wait anyway
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)TexasMommaWithAHat
(3,212 posts)Maybe you should ask your friends and family to write you a paycheck.
Taitertots
(7,745 posts)cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)Taitertots
(7,745 posts)OilemFirchen
(7,143 posts)Who the fuck would be jealous of that?
cleanhippie
(19,705 posts)Great job.
Taitertots
(7,745 posts)Your made up rules governing at work behavior.
Its super hilarious because I've been consistently promoted over people who thought our employer cares about how often I text/call/Facebook at work.
BuelahWitch
(9,083 posts)rules, especially if you work with the public. I've worked in call centers where coworkers were fired for diddling on their phones during (or even between) calls.
Brickbat
(19,339 posts)about plans after work. Ever.
closeupready
(29,503 posts)talking to their sisters, mothers, planning weddings, etc., on land lines. Day after day, year after year. All this self-righteousness here ... give me a break.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)must get ten calls a day from her layabout adult children. Then she bitches at me when somebody spends three seconds texting "dude let's get pizza after work" to a friend.
liberal N proud
(60,346 posts)So, that would be NO!
WillowTree
(5,325 posts).......or sending a text once in awhile and hanging out on Facebook and/or Twitter (or DU, for that matter). And few employers in my experience will hassle a good employer for the infrequent personal interruption. But unless you're self-employed, your employer is paying for your time. Using that time to play online is stealing. Eventually that kind of thing catches up with those employees who let themselves believe that they're so entitled.
CajunBlazer
(5,648 posts)If a member of family or one of your friends is sick or have been in accident, or if something equally important has come up, then sure, tend to that and then get back to work. No problem.
However, if the text concerns what Joan was wearing last night or whether you want to attend a party Saturday, then no, you are not being paid to socialize while doing your job.
Given that probably 95% to 98% of texts and other uses of cell phone of the fall into the second category rather than the first, using your phone when you should be working should be an exception not the rule. If you don't like it go find another job. And good luck finding one where they will let you play with your phone all day. Grow up, you are not entitled.
Taitertots
(7,745 posts)"entitled" LOL.
Your jealously is showing.
CajunBlazer
(5,648 posts)I work from home with virtually no supervision from by boss who trust me implicitly to do my job. All I need to do my job is my work laptop and a phone. However, I earned that trust with many years of dedicated service. Most of the young folks who have anxiety attacks when separated from their cell phones for more than ten minutes have not yet earned that level of trust in their work environments. Congratulations if you have.
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)Taitertots
(7,745 posts)I just got a raise. I'm laughing all the way to the bank.
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)Taitertots
(7,745 posts)And they are rewarded for it.
The stuff you think is important is irrelevant. The behaviors you think are bad are actually ignored.
Drahthaardogs
(6,843 posts)Wow.
NickB79
(19,274 posts)I've found quite the opposite: the more I use social media, the more DISTANT I become from my friends and family. Actual face-to-face time falls off rapidly, and I feel worse, not better.
And taking a 1-minute call every few days from my wife on the lab phone to pick up bread and milk isn't the same as looking at your smartphone every 10 minutes daily.
Johnny2X2X
(19,118 posts)These days I have my company email sent to my phone so I can better keep in touch.
This is the world we live in, the old workplace paradigms are dying. Workers expect to be task oriented and to be judged on how well they do their job, not whether or not they check their phone. I'm in executive meetings all the time where the most senior members of management are checking their phones constantly. It's just the way it is now. For the people that report to me, I could care less if they check their phones every 2 minutes, all I am interested in is if they complete their tasks on time, correctly, and within budget. I've got good metrics to tell me how they are performing, doesn't matter if they check their phones often or if they choose to work 10-6:30 rather than the 8-4:30 I choose to work. Some of my best producers work from home, so they could be checking their phones all day long for all I care.
CajunBlazer
(5,648 posts)Many of these kids are just starting out in job market and not doing jobs where they need to be in constant communications to get their jobs done. In such situations you can bet that none of the phone checking is work related and almost all is not necessary.
Johnny2X2X
(19,118 posts)Last edited Mon Aug 24, 2015, 12:52 PM - Edit history (1)
Judge them on the amount and the quality of the work that they do. This need to control every second of a worker's day is out dated. There's a reason productivity is at an all time high, maybe people being able to stay in touch with the world is a positive part of that.
And even in our production environment, we don't want worker bees, we want thinkers who use creativity to make their jobs easier and better.
Blue_Adept
(6,402 posts)Millennials (whom we define as between ages 18 to 34 in 2015) are projected to number 75.3 million, surpassing the projected 74.9 million Boomers (ages 51 to 69). The Gen X population (ages 35 to 50 in 2015) is projected to outnumber the Boomers by 2028.
Sen. Walter Sobchak
(8,692 posts)Last edited Mon Aug 24, 2015, 01:50 PM - Edit history (1)
The upbringing and life experiences of someone who is now in their thirties looked a whole lot more like mine (an X'er) than someone who is a few years younger.
Blue_Adept
(6,402 posts)The Lost Generation, also known as the Generation of 1914 in Europe,[20] is a term originating with Gertrude Stein to describe those who fought in World War I. The members of the lost generation were typically born between 1883 and 1900.
The Greatest Generation, also known as the G.I. Generation, is the generation that includes the veterans who fought in World War II. They were born from around 1901 through 1924, coming of age during the Great Depression. Journalist Tom Brokaw dubbed this the Greatest Generation in a book of the same name.[21]
The Silent Generation, also known as the Lucky Few, were born from 1925 until 1942.[22] It includes some who fought in World War II, most of those who fought the Korean War and many during the Vietnam War.
The Baby Boomers are the generation that was born following World War II, generally from the early 1940s up to the early 1960s, a time that was marked by an increase in birth rates.[23] The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context.
Generation X, commonly abbreviated to Gen X, is the generation born after the Western PostWorld War II baby boom. Demographers, historians and commentators use birth dates ranging from the early 1960s to the early 1980s.
Millennials, also known as the Millennial Generation,[32] or Generation Y, is the demographic cohort following Generation X. Commentators use birth dates ranging from the early 1980s to the early 2000s.[33][34][35]
Generation Z refers to the cohort of people born after the Millennial Generation. There is no agreement on the exact name or birth dates of the generation with some sources starting it at the mid or late 1990s[32] or the more widely used period from the mid 2000s[36] to the present day.
And within my generation, X, there's a difference between those born in the 60's and those born in the 70's with what we experienced growing up. But we're still the same generation.
Sen. Walter Sobchak
(8,692 posts)All of those in their colloquial use imply a sense of shared experience.
treestar
(82,383 posts)you end up dealing with work on personal time. The point is good about the blurring. That seems to be the effect of these devices and the internet.
RadiationTherapy
(5,818 posts)It increases morale. It provides vast networks of information available at a touch. If it seems like a distraction, it is no more so than a window or a daydream.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)"If it seems like a distraction, it is no more so than a window or a daydream...."
Or Candy Crush and Angry Birds.
RadiationTherapy
(5,818 posts)I don't think so. It is also presumptuous of one's work ethic. All tools can be toys in the hands of those determined to play around. I would call smart phones indispensable. They can hold a handbook of chemistry and physics, a list of instructions for an important job, emergency instructions for a person with medical issues, contact with a loved one on a terrible day. I can go on and on. I know many people are determined to draw arbitrary lines in the sand when it comes to technology, but I am here to argue with those people.
JustAnotherGen
(31,907 posts)To me - I read this and all I see is -
KA CHING!
GreatGazoo
(3,937 posts)Orrex
(63,225 posts)Unless they're on an assembly line or otherwise performing repetitive, easly counted work, then paying them by output is simply another way of saying "pay them shit and make them thank you for it."
Orrex
(63,225 posts)Anything less is a waste of time.
Solly Mack
(90,787 posts)Technology brings with it new ways of thinking. Of seeing things. Why wouldn't it bring on a new work ethic?
And it's just not technology. Work/employment hasn't exactly been loyal to the worker. It isn't even a guarantee of better things to come.
It is necessary - but then so is a life worth living. For those coming up in a world of instant access and one touch does it all, being connected matters. A lot.
Maybe they will be happier in the work place because they are happier in their social/home life.
I was born way too soon.
FLPanhandle
(7,107 posts)I'm also in my 50's and I agree completely.
Solly Mack
(90,787 posts)So often, the person telling you life isn't fair is the person most responsible for creating the unfairness you're experiencing. They're chiding you the same way they, themselves, were chided when they said something wasn't fair.
Cogs in the machine that perpetuate the very unfairness they all too willing accept and pass on - and they mimic what others said before them, "Life's unfair".
Well, maybe life could be more fair if people stopped accepting what someone told them about the "ways things have always been" and worked toward how things could be.
Bad things happen and such has nothing to do with fair or unfair - but too much of what is unfair has been created by people. People whose only answer to the problem is "Life's unfair" - which isn't an answer at all. It's an acceptance of the flawed with no thought to making it better.
Maybe the younger generation is no longer willing to accept those bromides that are supposed to pass for wisdom.
I hope so, anyway.
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)a "work" ethic.
Solly Mack
(90,787 posts)If I defined a work ethic with my parents thinking then it isn't.
It's not the idea of a work ethic for many people. It's not what I was taught.
Doesn't mean it isn't a work ethic. Just means it is a different work ethic.
A different take on how working should be - the relationship between worker and management, worker/productivity, the relationship between work and social/home/life.
There's a difference between having the phone at work and still getting the job done, and using the phone to the exclusion of the job.
I trust people to know the difference. And if they don't, I'm sure the expected will happen. (firing)
I trust the generations coming after me. Sure, I roll my eyes from time to time but, by and large, I marvel at the world they will grow up, and old, in.
I'm sure those that came before me complained about my generation. In fact, I know they did.
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)Solly Mack
(90,787 posts)Long, long ago.
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)Solly Mack
(90,787 posts)Thank you!!
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)sometimes - something happens and I remember....
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)My company doesn't allow anyone except management to bring phones into the office. Past instances of CC numbers being photographed via smartphone and then used illicitly on their own time, and workers attempting to surreptitiously take upskirt pictures of other workers (three workers had a contest last year to see who could accumulate the most) pretty much sealed that particular policy in cement.
But, as each worker in the co. has a phone on our desks and in our offices, nothing of any real importance is lost-- other than righteous indignation.
Sen. Walter Sobchak
(8,692 posts)It's that they're more often than not utter and complete assholes who bring a cool kids clique mentality into the workforce.
Blue_Adept
(6,402 posts)FLPanhandle
(7,107 posts)People have been bitching about the younger generation forever.
The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise." ― Socrates
Sen. Walter Sobchak
(8,692 posts)I said they bring "Mean Girl" bullshit to work with them. The office isn't a party clique and you're going to have to deal with people who just aren't as cool as you.
FLPanhandle
(7,107 posts)Put any large group of humans together and they will form sub-groups based on those most like themselves.
Been happening since humans came together in large enough groups. Hard to blame this generation. Cliques have been part of school, work, clubs, etc. forever.
Orrex
(63,225 posts)Millennials have desecrated the sanctity of polite human discourse.
However shall society endure?
Hast thou not lain eyes upon yon calendar? 'Tis 1697, whilst your attire doth bespeak 1696.
RadiationTherapy
(5,818 posts)of millennials for thousands of hours. I do not have the impression you are portraying.
snagglepuss
(12,704 posts)In my experience many HR people tend to be overly impressed with the attitude you describe
Sen. Walter Sobchak
(8,692 posts)HR isn't just part of the problem, they're the worst embodiment of it in the whole company. HR is first and foremost a party clique.
FLPanhandle
(7,107 posts)As long as a person is geeting their job done, who cares? It takes a few seconds to respond to a text from family/friends. It's less intrusive and faster than getting a personal phone call on an office phone.
olddots
(10,237 posts)I was put out of work because of these devises .
Xithras
(16,191 posts)My daughters first job was working as a cashier at Best Buy. Her, and her coworkers, kept getting warned about using their cellphones at work, but the'd just use them anyway when he wasn't around.
One day her boss used the security cameras to scan the store for a few hours and identified the employees who were still using their phones. When he was done, he walked out and fired seven of them on the spot.
She didn't get a whole lot of sympathy from me. If you're at work, you shouldn't be on your phone. If you're at work AND YOUR BOSS HAS WARNED YOU TO STAY OFF THE PHONE, then you really shouldn't be on your phone. If you ignore your bosses warning and get fired, you have nobody to blame but yourself.
Rex
(65,616 posts)Make them feel like misbehaving children - and they will start acting like children. Losing battle imo, if they spend so much time on the phone that it affects their workload - then usually a pink slip ends up in their records as they look for another place to work.
Been my experience and if I was an asshole, I could really get a lot of people at work in trouble. All I have to do is show by boss their browsing history! No thanks, since I get to make those kind of rules - as long as you can do your job I don't care what you do that day. Just no warez or porn on the company PCs and I am happy. Start getting shit like malware on my workstations and we WILL have a problem. Blab away on the phone, if you think you can handle it and your daily workload. Good luck.
Worked great for 6 years now.
Gormy Cuss
(30,884 posts)Note that the link URL describes it as not allowed to do personal tasks at work. Long before 24/7 connectivity via mobile devices employers had to deal with that issue. In some environments, dealing with personal tasks was okay as long as it didn't interfere with getting the work done. In others, employers impose harsh penalties in the mistaken belief that employees could always shut off their personal lives for eight or more hours each workday.
In my anecdotal experience, the former approach made for more productive workers overall (yeah, there are always a few idiots who yak or text all shift and don't do the job adequately, but they're the ones who get the privilege revoked or in the worse case, get fired.)
People who work on production lines or have jobs where they are using media devices obviously can't have unfettered access to personal media and do the job. My brother is on a production line and the rule is that mobile devices must be off because a moment's distraction by someone on the job could lead to a catastrophic accident. Employees use their phones on breaks.
Orrex
(63,225 posts)Students of all ages are shown to have better retention and productivity if they're allowed to doodle and even daydream during oh-so-important school lessons. As you note, there has to be some moderation, but an ironclad prohibition is tyrannical and counter-productive. It's hardly surprising that a similar trend should be evident in a professional environment.
My department has about a dozen millennials, all of whom are on their phones constantly and all of whom are every bit as productive and capable as any of the Gen X'ers or Boomers in the group.
One_Life_To_Give
(6,036 posts)Probably put an end to some Park Service and Forestry Jobs as well I guess. Although in the short term some of us boomers are thinking these out of contact places are slices of Heaven. Times do change.
daredtowork
(3,732 posts)Once they quit. Despite the advocacy and promotion, an outsider observer can see the how cellphones promote short attention spans. They are also probably a security risk at many jobs. Why pay an IT department so much money to lock down desktops if info is just going to be uploaded and leaked out over phones?
Since this is an integrated lifestyle issue, though, hardline doesn't seem a smart way to go. Developing HR rules seems smarter.
muntrv
(14,505 posts)where Kumar is interviewing for med school and answers his cell phone and talks about smoking weed?
GoCubsGo
(32,095 posts)I'll happily take their job when they quit. And, I will actually do it, instead of playing on a smart phone all day.
hunter
(38,328 posts)In my imaginary utopia there are no phones. People are well paid to crawl through biting bug jungles to bring me messages on paper, most of which I casually discard.
My parents have achieved that in a small way, but I'll probably have to retire as a crazy off my meds homeless dude, the sort who bites people who bring me unwelcome messages.
Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)School.
Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Except, I need them to help me log on to AOL when i forget my password.
Damn.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)It was always an uphill battle resulting in increased sneakiness and people hiding in the restroom to text.
Now I run the place and I pretty much let people do what they need/want to do with their phones provided they do it quickly and efficiently. A quick text here and there is really not a big deal. If someone was truly abusive and let their workrate suffer as a result of phone use then I'd make that person put the phone away, but it hasn't been an issue so far.
Texting is actually a pretty smooth way to manage your personal life and have a bit of social interaction while not impacting your actual work. Most people can bang out a text in a couple of seconds and get back to whatever they were doing.
Dwayne Hicks
(637 posts)Its pretty much a fact of life now that smartphones and social media are a part of everyday life. As another poster pointed out, this idea of having your employer micromanage your workday is outdated. Treating employees like adults instead of children goes a long way to creating a happier more productive environment. Employers are just going to have accept it and conform to it.
olddots
(10,237 posts)when you're really no place at all ? sing along yeah you can use auto tune if you like .
PowerToThePeople
(9,610 posts)I guess I have the thought that while you are getting paid to work, you should be working.
I do use my phone on breaks and lunch though.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)passing judgment on smartphone users.
Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)I did play darts at work occasionally, though, while trying to talk through bugs or design issues with one of the other coders. The boss would wander through, but I don't think he ever joined us in a game.
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)one of them is 30 yrs old and has young children so I know it's comforting to be able to stay in touch all day. One is 65 and likes to snapchat and Instagram with his grandkids all day which I find hilarious. The two millennials - 19 and 23 yrs old - are doing the usual social media thing on and off all day while the fifth is the other trainer here and is conducting her business hard core with her phone.
Nobody abuses it. It doesn't take up that much time. It isn't a source of tension with them trying to sneak it. They know I know how long it takes to do chores or weed whack the fence lines or scrub troughs or do a 30 minute conditioning set. If they put more hours down on their time card then the task assigned would take, I'll come find them and have a convo about excessive phone use. But that hasn't happened yet...
I'm totally okay with it and don't expect anyone to give it up. In fact, I think we all get more laughs each day sharing a funny video, or a particularly silly photo Feliciano has snapped of us, or the joy of watching the five month old baby nursing and drifting off to sleep in Fermin's wife's arms. It's enriched my workplace.
If you have a job that requires concentration like a production line, or a nurse, or cab driver etc then that's different. Rules have to be made and followed about cell phone use.
For the rest? Welcome to new world baby!
KentuckyWoman
(6,695 posts)KentuckyWoman
(6,695 posts)A 4 second text to handle a family situation is a lot more efficient than having a family member call the main line for the business and have to pass through a couple hands to get to whoever they are calling.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)I can conduct five different conversations AND work while a person doing things the Good Old-Fashioned Way would be stuck to a land line for an hour.
Maybe they'll be the generation that fights to get the middle class back. The previous ones piddled it away. Worker's rights? What are they?
Go Vols
(5,902 posts)has workers rights,and they include insurance,pension,annuity,vacation,ect.
He does not carry a cell phone at work as he is not paid to talk on the phone.
kcr
(15,320 posts)You'd have a point if that were the norm. But it isn't. So, you don't.
malaise
(269,186 posts)driving, using a pedestrian crossing, walking between cars in carparks, in lecture halls, libraries, funeral services, conferences, etc. etc.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)We text, like God and Nature intended.
malaise
(269,186 posts)but texting and walking or driving is soooooooooooooo cool.
One of my favorites
leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)On my smartphone. And disconnecting sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.
So I text most of the time. It's easier and takes less time than a call. And I have a record of what was said
Coventina
(27,172 posts)RedCappedBandit
(5,514 posts)I'd be interested to see a study of workplace efficiency by age. I highly doubt there is a significant difference in productivity between generations. As if people just worked nonstop all day every day without ever taking a breather before cell phones existed.
olddots
(10,237 posts)our lonelyness grows as the population grows .Oh but thats complaining to the wind .