Personal Communication Devices Within the Workplace

Should Personal Communication Devices Be Allowed Within The Workplace?

I do not believe that personal communications should be allowed on the job, even during a slow period. Allowing employees the ability to fill time with personal distractions during “company time” sets a precedent that could lead to the employees falling behind in their work because they allow their personal life take over at work. Not only is allowing employees to become distracted at work disruptive but it interferes with the work flow when the slow period ends. There is also the issue of security for some jobs that must be dealt with. For a work place to be cohesive and work as it should an employer cannot allow some of his employees to talk about non related issues that could potentially distract those that are working or put forward an image to the customers or clients that work comes second to leisure at their place of operation. It can be increasingly difficult for others to continue working when their peer in the cubicle next door is making plans for dinner or talking about personal issues. It can also make customers uncomfortable because the professional atmosphere is not available in the establishment. There is also the issue of the employee including others who are busy with clientele and alienating the customer by making them feel unappreciated and that their time and business is not being properly seen to. Personal distractions also interfere with the flow of work, because they sometimes need to be continued during times that are not appropriate. Even if they were started during a slow period, they could potentially continue into a time period in which business begins to return to a normal flow or a rush might come in. Thus forcing the employee to put priorities on the issue that they were allowed to start to deal with and the influx of customers. Allowing personal diversions takes the employee out of the mind frame needed for work and their focus is no longer fully on their job. Instead they are focusing on their personal problems and cannot give the customer their full undivided time that is required of them to provide proper customer service. In many jobs, security is of the upmost importance. Unfortunately, security is put at risk when an employer allows his employees access to personal distractions on company owned equipment. Allowing personal websites access opens up the company mainframes and property up for viruses and malware that can infect all of the system and potentially put many if not all of the components in danger of malfunction. This would not only disrupt the work flow by putting a duty station out of work, it could also mean the need to buy new equipment and the potential loss of important information or risk of stolen property via the viruses. All of these issues support my claim that employers should not allow their employees access to personal distractions. Instead of the employees focusing on their jobs and their customers they could become distracted with their personal issues taking prominence over their work. It can interrupt the flow of work that an employee produces by taking their mind away from work. The personal diversions of an employee can disrupt not only their own work flow but that of their peers and the atmosphere of the office can be disturbed which could affect the customers. Not only can these distractions impact the physical aspects of the office but also the technical, with the potential introductions of viruses and malware due to an employee opening an infected personal email, link or website. Employees should focus on work when they are on the job, and not allow personal issues in the work place to distract them and their peers away from the prerogative of their job.