Hello Everyone - below are the responses I received from the group, along with my original question. Thank you to all who responded. Now we have to figure out what we're going to do - lol! - Dave Cell Phone use by Staff Question & Responses July 2018 Original question: I'm hoping someone has a great cell phone policy that assists staff in best practices for the use of cell phones on the job, especially when one is at a public service desk. Our policy is the grand old: "Use your best judgment" but it seems that some are taking advantage of their colleagues and over-using their phones. Thanks, Dave Troy: TPL policy is no personal cell phone use at the public service desk. Too distracting, takes away from patron service. Commerce: My issue is staff using their cell phone for business/professional calls. Your call-backs need to be on the library phone with library voicemail. In case you get hit by a truck or something we still need to deal with the business in your incoming calls. And I do not want to hear your personal phone ring at the circ desk. Keep in your cubicle please, they will leave you a message. At every job I've had, our staff cell phone policy has been no cell phones at the desk unless 1) Explicit approval from the Department Head, 2) There's an urgent matter where you need to have your cell phone nearby, in which case refer to #1, and 3) You are the On-Duty Librarian - Emergency numbers and Administration Home/Cell numbers should be programed into the cell phone. There are really no other instances where a staff member should need their cell phone at the desk. If someone needs to get a hold of a staff member while they are at work, they can call the library and be transferred to them. Otherwise, personal calls should be made during off-desk time or breaks. Having cell phones at the desk can give off the appearance that staff is distracted, staff is not busy enough, or staff is too busy - all of which reduce patron interaction and hurt the reputation of the library and its staff. Novi: shared their rules of conduct “listed below are founded on the principles of common sense and decency, and must be followed by all employees at all times: · Do not use foul language at the Library. · Conduct yourself in a professional manner. · Refrain from sharing your personal concerns and hardships with patrons and other employees. · Maintain workplace safety. · Keep an eye out for the patron’s safety. · Respect other people’s property. · Provide correct, unaltered information on all Library records. · Perform your job as to the job description and requirements. · Adhere to your work schedule. · Avoid tardiness. · Respect the Break Policy. · The Library is an alcohol and drug free work place. · Loitering at the Library when not on duty is not appropriate. · Always maintain a neat, clean appearance and follow the dress code guidelines. · Eat food and beverages in designated employee areas only. · Refrain from making personal phone calls, unless in case of emergency. · Do not listen to I-Pods or similar devices in public areas. · Follow all health code and safety rules at all times. · Possession of weapons is strictly prohibited, including tasers, mace and pepper spray. · The secret recording of conversations or communications is prohibited. · Do not destroy or deface property. ·Do not accept any gifts, gratuities, favors or services from patrons. Do not buy anything from patrons at the Library.” James White Library at Andrews University: We recently reviewed our outdated cell phone policy, with our student workers input. They pointed out that they frequently used their phones for work-related things (especially when working the in the stacks) for taking pictures of shelving questions and texting their supervisors for various clarifications, and the calculator at the desk for counting the money drawer. They also came up with these guidelines: No Headphones No face timing No movies, etc. No personal calls or texting No social media If you have the "Do Not Disturb" feature, turn it on while at work. *Also, look up from what you are doing every time you hear the door open and make eye contact with patrons. Royal Oak: "Personal cell phone and electronic device use is not permitted in public areas. It is important for staff to be accessible to the public." (However, personally I don't have a problem with staff having their phones, especially in this day where we have to worry about active shooters and other emergencies. I find it's best to approach the person individually if you think someone is overusing their phone and find out if something is going on at home where they would need to have greater access to their communication device and form a plan about how that can happen without it interfering with work, especially at a public service desk. Additionally, a gentle documented reminder followed by progressive discipline steps would help you enforce your policy in a consistent manner.) Baldwin: We don't allow staff to use their phones when they are at the public services. It's not a policy, but it is a known rule and is rarely violated. There was a discussion this week in the library administration group on Facebook. many wanted to leave cells available for emergencies and for demonstrations of apps. One group said proper use was mentioned in their orientation as "don't be the person who makes us need a strict policy on this." the other point that was made was some staff do need to be "on call" for fmla type reasons. so that's off the top, but you could check out the group. Mott Library: We don't have a formal, written policy. However, since we do not currently have panic buttons installed at our service desks and our campus public safety does have an app that allows to quickly contact them on our mobile phones in case of emergency, I do allow staff and student workers to have their phones with them at the service desks. However, they are not to use their phones for personal use (which includes texting or calls) during scheduled desk shifts. Phones are to be on vibrate or silent while on the desk and calls should go to voicemail. If they need to handle personal business, it needs to wait until a break or their lunch hour. That said, there have been some special circumstances (sick child, waiting on serious medical test results, etc.) where exceptions were made. Saranac: We struggled for a few years with staff cell phone usage. I understood why staff wanted access to their phones for easy contact with their kids/family, etc however it was very unprofessional for them to be on their phones when patrons came in. I instituted a policy that phones could be in the staff closet behind the circ desk and could be used back there if there was enough coverage at the desk however usage should be limited to a brief time. I only have one staff member that I have had to remind about this in the past year. It seems to work out well- they can access the phone if necessary and do so quickly without the phone sitting on the circulation desk... Shelby Twp: We do not have a written policy. However, I enforce a strict "no phones front of house" policy. We have charging stations for our part-time staff back of house. All staff (those that don't have an office/cubicle) can charge their phones there for easy access and recharging. If there's a specific reason that a staff member might need their phone, they can ask for a special dispensation from me (kid home sick that might need monitoring, husband recovering from knee replacement, elderly mother in care facility) and I will allow them to carry their phone on them on vibrate (front of house) for an agreed upon time period only. Otherwise, if you're off desk and in the back, you can use as needed. Most staff tend to use for texting rather than talking. So, it's quiet and non-disruptive. Rochester Hills: Staff may use their own cell phones at their desk, but not at the public service desks. Southgate: We have a cell phone policy in place that prohibits cell phone calls and asks that ringtones be muted while in the library, except for the lobby at the front. Staff are expected to follow the same rules, though we allow them to make calls in the staff areas. I've also prohibited use of cell phones at the service desk, so no texting or Pokemon GO while manning it. We don't have any rules for cell phone use otherwise, but thankfully no one has their nose glued to the screen all day (that I've noticed). David L. Ewick, MLS, MS City Librarian Southfield Public Library 26300 Evergreen Southfield, Michigan 48076 248 796-4300 dewick@southfieldlibrary.org P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.