Personally I'm not bothered by this. If you want to get out of work on time you have to multi-task at any available moment. Do you leave it in front of you so you can give it the occasional peck whenever it buzzes? Or are you bold enough in the board room to hold it up while you type your replies, a practice that's provoked comedian Jerry Seinfeld to respond, "Can I just pick up a magazine and read it in front of your face while you're talking to me?"
Unless you work in a company that bans BlackBerry use in meetings, you've seen all these behaviors. Most likely, you've been that person. But is it bad etiquette? Don't the pressures of time and overflowing inboxes make this a necessary evil of the 21st century workplace?
Most of the offenders I've witnessed are actually checking on work things and not looking at scores on ESPN. The workplace will forever evolve and this is just the latest permanent trend that's getting pushback at the moment.
3 comments:
It is kind of like people who whisper to each other while you talk to them or people who speak in a different language to each other while leaving you out. It is rude. They may be talking important stuff, but it makes you feel like they are talking about you. And it makes me want to beam them on the head.
When we're in the office, we ALL have our cell phones on the desk in front of us and MOST of us are polite enough to NOT take calls in meetings or to text back to someone during a meeting.
But OF COURSE there is one young lady who is dumb as a bag of rocks and giggles when the phone rings with whatever latest jerk-ass "ring-tone" she has recently downloaded. (Smart enough to do that, but can't figure out how to take messages without just sticking everybody in voice mail -- even when you're IN the office!)
Recently she has taken to keeping it turned down more, altho then she'll go outside to talk -- even in the rain. Idiot.
My boss always uses his phone on in meetings. Hence it makes it acceptable for everyone else as long as it is also business related.
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