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To clarify, I learned of the policy while later browsing an employee handbook at home after talking to the owner that afternoon. I called the owner next morning to clarify the policy and ask questions to make sure I was not misunderstanding the restrictions.
I wasn't. They were exactly as I stated in my OP and no exceptions were allowed.
This was a very small business with only about 7 people working in this market, one of them being the owner.
So, no, I did not actually accept the position or start the job after this conversation with the owner.
In my 46 years of working I have never worked in an environment where family cannot reach me during work hours for an emergency situation. There have been many over the years and to think that I could not go to the ER or go home to assist a loved one who has fallen, for example, is just ridiculous.
Family comes first, period.
So, no, I did not actually accept the position or start the job after this conversation with the owner.
In my 46 years of working I have never worked in an environment where family cannot reach me during work hours for an emergency situation. There have been many over the years and to think that I could not go to the ER or go home to assist a loved one who has fallen, for example, is just ridiculous.
Family comes first, period.
Amen, and good for you.
In my case I have had a couple of times where the school called and my mother-in-law who was supposed to pick up our kids from school before I got home had in fact not shown up and they could not get her on the phone. She's prone to that sometimes, and I've had SOME success getting other people to help out who aren't as prone to that, but other times I'm just not able to line other people up and we have to live and die with the mother-in-law.
Most times she actually does fine, but yes there have been 2 or so times where she loused it up. They're going to call me in those situations, they're not going to let my kids stay at school until 5:30 p.m. or so and in fact I'm told in such situations they'd call the sheriff and it would be regarded as child abandonment. One time they called and I proceeded to make a couple of calls to someone I knew who was close to the school and who had a son in that same school my son's age and who in fact had watched my kids before a few times, and I managed to convince them to go get our kids and watch them until I could get there, then I had to relay to the school that this person was on the way, a few minutes later I called back and they confirmed that it had worked out.
Am I supposed to leave my phone in the locker or such and have all that waiting for me when I get off, totally unaware,and spend an untold amount of time cleaning up the mess afterwards when 1-2 quick phone calls, hands-free with me still working pretty darned well mind you, were able to prevent that? If that is their definition of a "good employee" they can shove it up their [donkey]. I made those calls, in retail while waiting on customers mind you, and yes one person took issue with it and I actually told them "my family comes before your precious Dr Pepper" (that's what they were buying at the time). I'm sure there were some self-righteous peons going "should've taken care of that before you came to work" (as if they haven't ever had any such thing happen to them, please) but in fact one person said "good for you for putting your family first, that person was a jerk." Exactly.
"Have those things square before you go to work," well in a perfect world that would be nice but unfortunately real life doesn't always work that way. You do the best you can but sometimes it just doesn't work, and a reasonable boss who isn't a class A jerk would provide some flexibility. Now if this happened every single day then yes I might have to quit my job, but something like that has happened maybe 2 times in 2 years, and I appreciate that my boss didn't blow a head gasket over it, I was provided the latitude to do that on those rare occasions. That is what a decent employer does, and like I said if I had my druthers then for most jobs it would even be an employee's RIGHT legally speaking.
I checked into a part-time retail position in a family-owned business close to home. It seemed ideal for me as a 24/7 caregiver who is retired and just wanted to work a few hours a day, a few days a week, for extra income and to get out of the house.
They wanted to hire me ''on the spot'' and the hours seemed fine considering my role at home, until their cell phone policy came to light.
It seemed overly strict to me: no cell phones at work, period. If you brought one with you it had to be left at the front desk or in your car. No making or accepting ANY phone calls at work. Not even during break, lunch, via their landlines, or your cell.
As a caregiver that was unacceptable and there was no budging on their policy, so that ended that for me.
I mean, who would work where they could not even be contacted via the store's line for a family emergency?
Anyone run into policies this strict?
What did you did before the invention of cell phones? If there was an emergency someone would call your place of employment. Frankly if I owned my own business I would be making similar rules regarding cell phone usage. My co-worker, who is always complaining how overwhelmed she is with so much work, is on her cell phone texting almost every time I walk into her office. You are getting paid to work, not to text, get on Facebook, play games or whatever it is people do on their cell phones at work.
What did you did before the invention of cell phones? If there was an emergency someone would call your place of employment. Frankly if I owned my own business I would be making similar rules regarding cell phone usage. My co-worker, who is always complaining how overwhelmed she is with so much work, is on her cell phone texting almost every time I walk into her office. You are getting paid to work, not to text, get on Facebook, play games or whatever it is people do on their cell phones at work.
"What did you do before the invention of cell phones?"
What did people before the invention of polio shots, dental work, cars, seat belts, computers, heck TYPEWRITERS, running water, electricity, glasses? People once "got along fine" without deodorants, should employees not use any deodorants and just stink all day at work because, well, people used to get along fine with them? Maybe air conditioning should be done away with because, well, people used to "get along fine" without that. Maybe someone should take their horse and buggy to work since once upon a time people didn't have cars.
"If there was an emergency someone would call your place of employment."
Yes, only to have the bosses complain about how "it's a company phone, not your personal phone." Why should the person calling have to deal with busy numbers and keeping up with multiple numbers vs knowing the one number and having to deal with someone else answering the phone whom they don't konw and why should a co-worker or boss answering a company phone have to deal with relaying messages when it could instead go straight to the main person from the get-go?
"You are getting paid to work, not text get on Facebook or play games or whatever it is people do on their phones at work."
They are also not "paid" to go to the bathroom, go on smoke breaks, chit-chat around the water cooler, or engage in chit-chat with customers if they are any. What about that?
One is presuming an awful lot to make the leap that someone is goofing around on their phones playing games and such. Chances are really good that they're contacting family members about something in the same way they would using the company phone in years past.
I agree with what others are saying about not using, or abusing, cell phones at work. But I do agree with the OP about someone needing to reach you in case of an honest-to-goodness emergency--especially if someone is a parent of a minor child, who would need your consent to receive medical treatment.
A better policy might be a maximum number of phone calls received, via the store's main number, during a 90-day probationary period.
What did you did before the invention of cell phones? If there was an emergency someone would call your place of employment. Frankly if I owned my own business I would be making similar rules regarding cell phone usage. My co-worker, who is always complaining how overwhelmed she is with so much work, is on her cell phone texting almost every time I walk into her office. You are getting paid to work, not to text, get on Facebook, play games or whatever it is people do on their cell phones at work.
Enough with these responses! It DOESN'TMATTER what we did before cell phones. The fact of the matter is that cell phones exist today, and the world we live in is totally different.
And besides, emergencies happened then, just as they do now. A policy that prevented employees from potentially getting emergency messages would have been just as oppressive then, as now.
I checked into a part-time retail position in a family-owned business close to home. It seemed ideal for me as a 24/7 caregiver who is retired and just wanted to work a few hours a day, a few days a week, for extra income and to get out of the house.
They wanted to hire me ''on the spot'' and the hours seemed fine considering my role at home, until their cell phone policy came to light.
It seemed overly strict to me: no cell phones at work, period. If you brought one with you it had to be left at the front desk or in your car. No making or accepting ANY phone calls at work. Not even during break, lunch, via their landlines, or your cell. As a caregiver that was unacceptable and there was no budging on their policy, so that ended that for me.
I mean, who would work where they could not even be contacted via the store's line for a family emergency?
Anyone run into policies this strict?
I do not find that policy out of line.
No one wants to pay for someone who is wasting their time on their cell phone on the company dime. Especially given that as a caregiver, you should not be distracted in your role while on the job.
I cannot imagine the bolded....I have a feeling you've exaggerated this statement. If not I apologize.
In my experience caregivers eat/prepare/feed lunch to their clients....so there would not be time out of your role, especially if you are only there a few hours.
I agree with what others are saying about not using, or abusing, cell phones at work. But I do agree with the OP about someone needing to reach you in case of an honest-to-goodness emergency--especially if someone is a parent of a minor child, who would need your consent to receive medical treatment.
A better policy might be a maximum number of phone calls received, via the store's main number, during a 90-day probationary period.
Really? You're going through keep a tally of phone calls? How about just addressing it on a case by case basis. If someone is abusing the privilege, talk to them. I guarantee it would be the exception rather than the rule. Better yet, treat people like adults land let them use their phones on break/lunch, AND let them get emergency phone calls on the company landline when they're in the clock. It's worked in most workplaces for years. We don't need more useless rules.
Sounds to me like the owner, who wrote the policy, has had a lot of experience trying to keep workers off the phone, and not much of it good.
I sympathize with him, but I think he has gone a step too far. Myself, I would not allow cellphones in the store and just leave it at that.
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