# Mobile Phones: Can employer ban employees from bringing them into work



## Miner (1 Apr 2005)

Folks, does anybody have an info on whether or not an employer can ban all employees (bar the manager) from bringing a mobile phone into the workplace?

I should point out that the facility is a playschool with 4 employees and no landline.

Thanks.


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## lynchtp (1 Apr 2005)

*Re: Mobile Phone Use at Work*

I know alot of people that must leave there mobile turned off, or left in a locker/locked room where it is safe, which are provided (not as liable for loss//theft) by the employer. 
However it seems like this will be imposing rules on four staff and not the manager seems very out of place.  Would it mean the staff couldnt answer the managers phone if the oppotunity presented itself and presuemable at least 1 contact number is required to run a playschool.

Are the kids allowed phones?


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## sluice44 (1 Apr 2005)

*Re: Mobile Phone Use at Work*

Maybe the employer is worried about camera-phones and the inappropriate photographing of young children?  Still, it seems a bit silly - what if one took the children out to the park and one of them fell ill. 

I'd be more worried about the no landline issue.  Trying to make a mobile call in various parts of Dublin is a bit hit-and-miss due to 'network congestion.'  Again what if one of the children fell ill.  

Personally, I wouldn't trust a company (esp childcare) that didn't have a landline.   What do they do for faxes?


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## ClubMan (1 Apr 2005)

*Re: Mobile Phone Use at Work*



			
				Miner said:
			
		

> Folks, does anybody have an info on whether or not an employer can ban all employees (bar the manager) from bringing a mobile phone into the workplace?
> 
> I should point out that the facility is a playschool with 4 employees and no landline.
> 
> Thanks.



Even if this was possible how would the employer enforce the ban? Frisk the employees on the way in?


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## sluice44 (1 Apr 2005)

*Re: Mobile Phone Use at Work*



			
				ClubMan said:
			
		

> how would the employer enforce the ban?



Perhaps by scaring the employees; make it a serious/sackable disciplinary offence in their T&C's?


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## ClubMan (1 Apr 2005)

*Re: Mobile Phone Use at Work*

Still doesn't guarantee compliance. I would be interesting to know from the original poster what the rationale for such a ban is in the first place.


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## soc (1 Apr 2005)

*Re: Mobile Phone Use at Work*

Maybe the reason of the ban is simply to make sure that the employees actually FOCUS on their job rather than their mobile.  

The number of people I see nowadays who are SUPPOSED to be working, e.g. bus drivers, Garda, Bin Collectors, M50 toll collector, but instead are busy nattering away on the phone or texting.  These jobs don't rely on a phone yet these people bring it to work and instead of doing their job, play with their phones.  

-soc


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## ClubMan (1 Apr 2005)

*Re: Mobile Phone Use at Work*



			
				soc said:
			
		

> Maybe the reason of the ban is simply to make sure that the employees actually FOCUS on their job rather than their mobile.



Maybe. But maybe not. Until _Miner_ clarifies it's all speculation.


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## RainyDay (2 Apr 2005)

*Re: Mobile Phone Use at Work*



			
				soc said:
			
		

> Maybe the reason of the ban is simply to make sure that the employees actually FOCUS on their job rather than their mobile.
> 
> The number of people I see nowadays who are SUPPOSED to be working, e.g. bus drivers, Garda, Bin Collectors, M50 toll collector, but instead are busy nattering away on the phone or texting.  These jobs don't rely on a phone yet these people bring it to work and instead of doing their job, play with their phones.
> 
> -soc


For the record, I've heard the Garda Reps complaining that Gardai end up using their own personal mobiles for a great deal of Garda business as their radio system is up the creek.


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## GeneralZod (3 Apr 2005)

*Re: Mobile Phone Use at Work*



			
				RainyDay said:
			
		

> For the record, I've heard the Garda Reps complaining that Gardai end up using their own personal mobiles for a great deal of Garda business as their radio system is up the creek.



Don't the Gardai have free mobile phones in return for providing space for Digifone/O2 mobile phone antennas on their radio masts?


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## brodiebabe (3 Apr 2005)

*Re: Mobile Phone Use at Work*

I don't think an employer cna ban someone from bringing there mobile phone with them to work but I reckon it is within their right to ban them from using it during working hours.  They are soposed to be working and they are not working if they are on the phone.....  How would an emplyer react if an employee started to bring in their pesonal DVD player and watched the occasional few minutes of a DVD....... as far as I am concerned the only thing you should be doing in work is working, not taking personal calls..... But on your lunch break that is a different story....


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## RainyDay (3 Apr 2005)

*Re: Mobile Phone Use at Work*



			
				GeneralZod said:
			
		

> Don't the Gardai have free mobile phones in return for providing space for Digifone/O2 mobile phone antennas on their radio masts?


I think this only applied to senior ranks - Inspector & upwards, afaik.


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## GeneralZod (3 Apr 2005)

*Re: Mobile Phone Use at Work*

That sounded right so I went Googling and found [broken link removed]. 
It is even more restrictive: Chief Superintendent's and above (unless they've lowered the rank since).


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## Miner (4 Apr 2005)

*Re: CAN employer ban all employees from bringing mobile phone into work*

Thanks for the replies folks.  Just to clear up some points
- Children are not allowed to have mobile phones in the facility.
- At the start of the year all parents were given a handbook with all the teachers contact names and numbers in it.
- The building the school is in is rented and the owners wont let them put in a land line.
- The facility, not in Dublin, is a charity run by a committee who have the right to discipline a teacher but the manager does not have this right.
- One of the teachers is related to a committee member and the manager thinks that teacher is getting 'inside' information and causing grief.


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## ClubMan (4 Apr 2005)

*Re: CAN employer ban all employees from bringing mobile phone into work*



			
				Miner said:
			
		

> - At the start of the year all parents were given a handbook with all the teachers contact names and numbers in it.
> - The building the school is in is rented and the owners wont let them put in a land line.


What contact numbers were given for the teachers (are they actually teachers or childminders?) if mobiles are (?) banned and there is no landline?



			
				Miner said:
			
		

> - One of the teachers is related to a committee member and the manager thinks that teacher is getting 'inside' information and causing grief.


What sort of &quot;grief&quot;? Why does the manager suspect a particular employee? Has s/he raised the issue with this employee? How does this all relate to the issue of banning mobile phones?


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## Miner (4 Apr 2005)

Clubman,

The handbook gives mobile contact no's for the Playschool Leader and the 3 Assistants.

They're not qualified teachers in the stricter sense of the word but they each have a childcare qualification and are not 'child minders'.

The assistant texts the committee member to query her wages as a committee member does the wages for them.  The assistant queries working hours and conditions with the committee member.  She basically gets advice on issues relating to the playschool and if she's not happy with the answer she takes it to the leader or vice vearsa if the leader makes a decision she's not happy with she contacts the committee member.  The subject of the texts are always job related and not social.

Just in reply to Sluice44, camera phones are banned from the playschool for the safety of the children.


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## ClubMan (4 Apr 2005)

Miner said:
			
		

> The assistant texts the committee member to query her wages as a committee member does the wages for them. The assistant queries working hours and conditions with the committee member. She basically gets advice on issues relating to the playschool and if she's not happy with the answer she takes it to the leader or vice vearsa if the leader makes a decision she's not happy with she contacts the committee member.



Sorry - I still don't get it. I don't see the problem with any employee querying/clarifying the terms & conditions relating to their job with the appropriate representatives of the company. Is the point here that they are not doing this in an appropriate fashion or at an appropriate time? And who wants to ban mobile phones and why specifically? Maybe you can clarify?


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## Miner (4 Apr 2005)

The leader's gripe is that the assistant is texting during work time and not on her breaks.

The leader wants to ban the mobiles.  I think in essence she's afraid of being overthrown and is trying to limit correspondance between the assistant and the committee, or at the very least she wants control of all areas.


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## Capaill (4 Apr 2005)

So maybe the issue is not the use of mobile phones but that the group leader feels she is being undermined by the employee bypassing the leader to ask questions from the committee directly.

From my reading of the above it appears the people involved need to sit around a table to talk the issue out rather than blame the problem on technology.

C


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## Miner (4 Apr 2005)

Capaill, the committee had called a meeting but the leader handed in a sick cert for stress covering her for a month!


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## ClubMan (4 Apr 2005)

_Capaill's_ suggestion is the most sensible one so far in my opinion and should be followed up when all parties are available to meet. Avoiding the issues just exacerbates the problem and stress for all concerned.


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## Miner (4 Apr 2005)

I agree with Capaill and we're working towards it.  It looks like it will go to a vote, but I'd hate to see the ban coming in if its not strictly legal.


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## Doodle (5 Apr 2005)

It certainly isn't illegal to use a mobile phone at work.  But an employer is entitled to set the terms and conditions of employment, within reason.

If the use of mobile phones (either calling or texting) is being abused, it may be reasonable for the employer to impose restrictions.  He/she may reasonably argue that attentin was being unreasonably diverted from the care and attention of the children.


You could argue the point


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