Career Couch - New York Times 10 March 2012
By EILENE ZIMMERMAN
Q. Your company allows employees to bring their own portable electronic devices — like phones and tablets — to the office. Does that mean you should feel free to use them whenever you see fit?
A. Although these devices help keep you accessible to colleagues and clients, they should be used with discretion and in ways that help you do your job, not for things like playing games or updating your Facebook status, says Anna Post, etiquette expert at the Emily Post Institute in Burlington, Vt.
As much as possible, give your full attention to those with whom you're speaking or meeting, rather than allowing your attention to wander to a ringing cellphone or a new text message. "The jury is still out on whether or not we can multitask effectively," Ms. Post says, "but the perception of you when you are typing on a device is that your attention is divided."
Q. During meetings, you like to take notes on your tablet, smartphone or laptop. Is that acceptable?
A. Smartphones and tablets are a fairly new presence in meeting rooms, and unlike laptops, they are usually associated with games, texting and other nonwork activities. That can send a message that you aren't paying attention, says Matt Eventoff, owner of Princeton Public Speaking, a communications training business in Princeton, N.J. "As soon as you take the device out, tell the other attendees, 'I use my iPad or phone to take notes.' That way, no one will question if you're paying attention," he says.
If you like taking notes on your laptop, keep in mind that it can be a barrier between you and others. "The screen often blocks part of the other person's body or face," Mr. Eventoff says. "That's why I think a tablet or phone is actually the better way to take notes."
Q. Is there any harm in discreetly reading personal e-mails or text messages on portable devices while in the office and among co-workers?
A. Even if you are discreet, it's easy to get caught up in reading and answering messages. You may wind up spending so much time hunched over your device that you miss important social cues and signals that can only be picked up face to face, says Rachel Weingarten, a business etiquette expert and president of Interrobang, a marketing strategy firm in New York.
Q. What about answering your cellphone while at work?
A. If you must take a personal call, find a private place to talk — not the hallway or areas where you can be overheard, says Ms. Weingarten, author of "Career and Corporate Cool."
If you are in a meeting, take only urgent calls. Let others in the meeting know that you're expecting the call, set your phone to the vibrate mode and leave the room to answer it, Mr. Eventoff says.
Don't wear your Bluetooth or other wireless headset, says Mark A. Gilmore, president of Wired Integrations, a consulting firm in San Jose, Calif. "No one wants to stare at your blinking blue light during their presentation," he says. "It's rude."
Q. If you are running a meeting or a presentation, how do you make sure that attendees pay attention to the speakers and not to their phones and tablets?
A. Before the meeting, set ground rules for using the devices, Ms. Post says; ask everyone to turn off phones or tablets in order to give full attention to the presenters. "Good manners are really concerned with social expectations," she says, "and when you make those expectations clear, it's easier to raise an eyebrow if someone picks up a phone."
Q. Although the mobile devices are yours, the Wi-Fi network you are using belongs to the company, as does some of the information you view and store. What precautions should you take to protect your company and yourself from liability if you lose your phone or tablet?
A. First, find out whether your company already has an "acceptable use" policy for mobile devices. If it doesn't, put your own protections in place, says Kieran Norton, a principal in the security and privacy practice of Deloitte, the professional services firm.
"Make sure a PIN number is required to unlock your device and if possible enable auto wipe, which allows you to remotely wipe all the information if the device is lost or stolen," he says. You may need help from the manufacturer, your wireless carrier or your company's information technology department to do that, and to encrypt the data on your device so it can't be read if it falls into someone else's hands, Mr. Norton says.
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