Those Cell Phone Faux Pas… and How to Avoid Them
Shannon Hernandez
Fun fact – the world’s first commercial mobile phone cost ~$4,000 when it first came out in 1993 or ~$9,000 in today’s dollars, adjusting for inflation!! Flash forward almost 40 years, and the relatively low cost of mobile devices means just about everyone has one. So much so, that they have become an essential part of our everyday lives.
We’ve been taught manners matter – we do things like say, “please” and “thank you” without a moment’s thought. But when it comes to cell phone use (and its cousin, the apple watch), well… we seem to have forgotten our manners. According to a recent study conducted by HTC, a whopping 44% of cell phone users admit to freely texting, scrolling through social media, emailing, and surfing the internet while in a meeting or, even worse, during a conversation.
Breaking it down by age, that’s;
• 52% of young adults (age 22-30)
• 38% of 30-somethings
• 32% of 40-somethings
Ironically – in a less scientific poll conducted on LinkedIn via yours truly of cell phone faux pas that are the most annoying – it’s that same behavior that 40% of respondents ranked as the number one irritator. (Full-volume alerts was second with 30%.)
It goes deeper that being an annoyance. “I’ve literally not hired someone because of it,” commented a colleague. “They were a great candidate in every other respect - I would have hired them. At first, I assumed there must be something they needed to be on alert for, a child perhaps, but the constant looking at their apple watch throughout a series of interviews over a matter of weeks just got to be too much. They came across as being disinterested and distracted, and frankly, I couldn’t place them in a client-facing role with that type of behavior.”
Turns out - cell phone faux pas are in fact so common, that just about every major carrier has a page on their website dedicated to avoiding them. Below is a roundup of the top tips to keep you from making the wrong impression.
- Place your phone/watch on “do not disturb” or silence all alerts.
- Focus on face-to-face networking – if you are in a situation where you need to keep an eye on your phone, let those you are with know.
- Excuse yourself if you need to take a call or answer a message.
How often you use your cell phone is entirely up to you. However, when doing so, keep in mind that there is a time and place for it.