I’m a member of the management team (3 of us who directly report to the CEO), in a start-up company with 12 people. Our office is very casual, but we work really hard. We’re not strict about start times or dress codes or lunch breaks. I would truly describe everyone at the company as an A performer.
Our founder/owner/CEO is especially casual. He isn’t always in the office from 9-5, he’ll text or take personal calls. However, he works nights/weekends/vacations when most of us are not working.
The management team, including me, make and enforce the rules. We record PTO, keep projects on schedule, etc. We work hard to protect our startup culture while balancing the need for guidelines and rules. We try to not legislate problems, but to deal with them on a one-by-one basis.
One of our A performers (my direct report) is constantly on his phone. Every time one of us walks by he’s on his phone. I’m not sure what he’s doing, but it rubs me (a millennial!) the wrong way. He absolutely gets his work done (he’s a top performer!), but it feels wrong.
Is it worth saying something? Am I just being old fashioned? The precedent has been set at the top, and we strongly value our casual “just get it done” culture. How can I say something without sounding like a hypocrite (based on the precedent)?
It’s absolutely true that if you have an A performer you don’t want to nit pick. After all–if someone is doing his job and doing it well, you don’t really care how he’s doing it. (Presuming he’s not doing anything illegal, which doesn’t apply here, but just thought I’d throw that out.) But, the reality is, if someone is doing something really annoying, it is affecting the office. But is this? What do your fellow managers think about it? Do the other employees notice?
Your job as a manager is decide if it’s something that can be ignored or if it’s something that should be dealt with or if it’s something you can ignore but will affect the employee’s future. I strongly believe that a manager’s job is not just to get the job done, but to prepare the employees for the next job–internally or externally.
In this case, I’d probably approach it casually at first. “Woah, Jim. That phone seems to be welded to your ear.” He may not realize that anyone else is noticing that he’s on the phone a lot. And, it may be that he’s not truly on his phone as much as you think he is–we call this “the van is always at the corner” phenomenon. That is, when the van isn’t there you don’t notice it, but you do notice it when it is there. He’s undoubtedly on the phone more than most people, but he may not be on it all the time, like you think he is. It might be informative for you to make note of whether he is on or off the phone just to confirm that he is always on the phone.
The next question is, who is he talking to? Maybe he’s just a phone person versus an email person. So, when you and I have a question for someone, we send an email and wait for a response. Jim might just call everyone. Some people like the phone. A lot. I’m not one of them, but there’s no harm in being someone who does. As you said, he’s an A performer, so maybe this is part of the secret of his success–he can get instant responses because he calls instead of emailing.
But, if the calls are personal or he’s loud or it’s just downright weird, it’s affecting his potential and you, as a manager should mention it to him. “Jim, I’ve noticed that you’re on personal calls a lot. You’re a high performer and I value your work, but the constant phone calls are holding you back. Can you limit your personal calls during the work day?” Notice how this is not a super strict “YOU MUST GET OFF THE DARN PHONE!!!” because he’s doing his work and his behavior is merely annoying.
There’s another way you can approach this, which is to bring it to his attention and see what he thinks. He honestly may not realize that his behavior is inappropriate–if this is his first real job, he may not know. “Jim, I’ve noticed you’re on personal calls a lot. Generally, when we’re at work, we should be working and leave the personal stuff for after hours. Of course, we’re not super strict about that and we understand that from time to time personal calls at work are necessary, but you’re reaching excessive levels. Do you think that this affecting your productivity?” And let him answer. You can explain that perception is reality and when he’s on the phone all the time, the perception is that he’s not working and that could affect his potential internally and externally.
Since it’s not a huge problem, you don’t need to address it as a huge problem. If it becomes a huge problem, you need to address it as a huge problem. If, for instance, his performance starts to suffer, you will need to be more direct. “Jim, you missed the deadline on this project. Your constant phone calls are interfering with your ability to get your work done. Limit personal calls to lunch.”
Edited to add: Duh. He’s probably not talking on the phone. He’s probably doing everything else. The advice is the same, except for the personal calls things. Maybe it’s personal texts. Maybe it’s internet surfing. If it’s a company phone, he should be reminded that they company has the ability to monitor whatever he’s doing and read his texts, so maybe he shouldn’t be texting his girlfriend all the time.
I took this to mean his is always texting, surfing the net, playing games, etc. on his personal phone. As opposed to “talking” on the phone.
Ha, ha. Funny thing is, I rarely use my phone for talking and text, surf the internet and play Candy Crush on it instead.
I am wondering if you missed the mark on this one. To a millennial “being on the phone” may mean texting, Facbook, Twitter, a phone call, steaming video, or a multitude of other apps, including games. The reason I say that is because the writer says:
” I’m not sure what he’s doing,”
He didn’t say he was taking calls necessarily. I know in my office we often have to remind our millennials that “being on the phone” when they are clearly not having a phone conversation is still not appropriate when it becomes excessive.
Yeah, duh. If he’s playing Candy Crush all day it’s a big thing. Don’t know why I didn’t think of that.
I’m not a millennial (firmly Gen X) and have been taken to task for using my iPhone or iPad when Boomers have thought it inappropriate. The thing was, I was using it to take notes and/or read from a book. The funny thing is that a VP at my company (a Boomer) was taken to task by his superiors for being on the iPhone too much during staff meetings. So, it is not necessarily a generational thing. I like Suzanne’s suggestions for dealing with it. Startups are tricky things . . . good luck! 🙂
One possibility to note is that a lot of things that you might normally do on your computer this employee may be doing on his phone. For example, I have project/task management software on my phone, as well as note/list apps and other things that keep me organized. So it’s very possible that his phone is a hub for organization and he’s checking/updating his calendar or other apps frequently.
Honestly, as long as his performance is top-notch and you don’t have clients coming in (who may perceive this badly), I wouldn’t worry about it.
I like the ‘van on the corner’ comment!
Casual cultures can be wonderful things, but it can encourage slack attitudes for some. Would it also work to walk in to his office and ask for an update on what he is working on? See if he’s on task? I personally would also outright (in a casual sorta way) ask what app he is using right now. And then start the conversation about what is appropriate at work, what isn’t, what is better left to break times, etc. This could be tied into the progress of the project he is currently working on. It’s possible that he just worked his tail off & has the project almost done, and is taking a bit of a break. It is also possible that he hasn’t started the project because he is playing candy crush on his phone.
TopGuy is always on his phone, or maybe he steps out of his office to relax and is seen. Or maybe he is consulting information sources or using Excel. But, he is still a top performer.
Mangement seems too timid to ask. Maybe they don’t want to kill the golden goose.
They should adopt the attitude of Civil War army general US Grant, who was informed that one of his top, winning commanders was seen drinking to excess. Grant quipped that they find out his brand of whiskey and give it to the other commanders.
This manager is miffed that TopGuy is more than meeting expectations with seemingly only part of his attention. They should be interested in how he is doing this, or pay him more money to produce even more. Instead, they really are hypocrits, being more concerned with conformity than production.
I love reading your stuff (I’m in Payroll and HR) and it’s interesting seeing the differences with how things work in our neighbour to the south.
I’ve been at my current job about 4 months now. At my 3 months, my boss had a casual ‘how’s it going’ kind of chat. She had nothing but praise for my work, but did give me some feedback in a non-threatening way – it seemed like whenever her or her boss walked by, I would be on my personal mobile. Which, although I’m not actually on it all the time, it did seem like the 3-4 times I picked it up were exactly those times when someone would walk by! She said she wasn’t worried because I got my work done and she was more than happy with me, but wanted to give me a heads up as her boss had made a passing comment and she didn’t want it to escalate. I appreciated hearing it, as I also didn’t want to upset anyone and I’ve since made a bigger effort to not pick it up while at my desk.
if it’s done in an open, honest, and non-threatening way, with good intentions behind it, I can’t imagine anyone getting upset over it.
I totally agree with you. Some companies have policies where “no phones while working” is very strict, but the majority of places, especially casual offices have this rule of thumb that if it’s an important call then answer your phone and step out to take the call if it’s something you’d like to keep personal. If someone tells you that it seems you’re on the phone a lot, then I’d appreciate the feedback, and like you said make more of an effort to keep the phone down or away while working.
Chiming in with what others have said that he might be doing work stuff on his phone.
I’m a trainer and I have to remind fellow trainers that learners in class might very well be taking notes when they have their laptops open and are typing away during class. They are not all surfing the web, checking email, or otherwise goofing off.
It is best to assume that staff are adults until proven otherwise. This always-on-the-phone employee is getting his work done – so, to me, there isn’t a problem.
Now, I could see if he had direct reports who might misinterpret his behavior; then, it might be worth pointing out to him that appearances matter; but, that doesn’t seem to be the case here.
Just started reading your blog and I’m loving it so far! I’m deciding on becoming a HR but I’ve never had the opportunity to interview anyone on their daily work life to give me the for sure answer in becoming one . This blog is so helpful and I’m glad I found it! Keep up the great blogs!
Thank you! Glad you like it.
Very true .. I created a picture book addressing this topic (for kids) called Hank and snOLiVER in Put Down The Phone! check it out if you like this message http://www.hankandsnoliver.com