T-Mobile: Mobile Etiquette Opinion Piece

A ringtone too far: Mind your Mobile Manners

Mobile phones have become ubiquitous: we all have one and we all canít imagine life without them. They donít just keep us in touch with friends and family, they also make us feel safe when out late at night and help us to work where we want, where we want. However, essential as mobile phones are, we must not forget our manners when using them.

In a world full of bleeps, buzzes and Crazy Frog ringtones weíve forgotten the dos and doníts of modern etiquette. Weíve all been there: youíre sitting on a train on the way home from work thinking about what to have for dinner, or reading the paper, only to be interrupted by someoneís mobile going off. If youíre lucky, you might just have to tolerate the latest ringtone ñ rapper 50 Cent shouting at its owner to pick up the phone, for example. If youíre unlucky, the phone will ring for a while before its owner answers and starts to organise their social diary, explaining loudly that theyíre currently ìon the trainî, to the annoyance of everyone else in the vicinity.

Itís not only our phones ringing and others having to listen to one-sided conversations that are bad mobile manners. Checking for text messages when talking to someone has the same effect as checking your watch or yawning ñ it implies that youíre bored and don’t have your full attention on your companion.

But the tide on bad mobile manners is turning. A woman whose mobile phone rang three times during a West End play recently found herself being asked to leave by actor Richard Griffiths ñ much to the delight of other theatre users. Weíre fed up with hearing one-sided conversations, being interrupted by text messages and having to endure loud ringtones that go unanswered. Bad mobile manners are no longer acceptable.

The mobile etiquette problem is actually more serious in the workplace. According to T-Mobile research1, two thirds of UK workers have poor mobile etiquette and donít consider the effect their mobile manners have on colleagues. In fact, 62% of British workers say they are the victims of colleaguesí bad ëmobile habitsí, such as answering mobile phones, sending text messages, or using laptops and mobile devices during meetings - yet a staggering 61% admit to practicing bad mobile manners themselves! So although most of us are annoyed by our colleaguesí bad mobile manners, we are not willing to give up our own bad behaviour.

It is vital that we make sure mobile devices enhance our working lives without impinging on them. More and more UK workers are calling for businesses to put policies in place on the appropriate use of mobile devices. However, itís time we all took responsibility for ourselves to make life - at work and elsewhere - that little bit easier for everyone.

Mobile technology is a positive addition to our working lives ñ it helps us keep in touch with the office and enables us to make best use of ëdead timeí - catching up with emails when travelling, for example. Devices such as the BlackBerry can help manage peopleís time and workloads by giving them the flexibility to work autonomously and on the move.

Yet, with over 65 million mobile phones in use in the UK, there still seems to be a clear lack of generally accepted standards for the use of mobile devices. It is important that individuals consider their mobile behaviour and that collectively we raise standards to ensure that weíre the masters of our mobile devices, not their slaves.

To make sure your mobile habits arenít annoying your colleagues, T-Mobile has put together these easy-to-follow guidelines:

- Ensure your mobile phone is off or on silent mode during meetings

- Never answer calls or send texts or emails unless it is strictly necessary. Turn on your ëOut of Officeí to alert those emailing you that you will be in a meeting and unable to respond immediately

- If you are expecting an important call during a meeting, let the participants know at the outset. When you receive the call, discreetly excuse yourself from the room

- Leave laptops closed during meetings. Only open laptops if resources are needed to support the meeting

- Donít stop in the middle of a conversation to answer your mobile

- Choose a distinctive, but not annoying, ringtone

- Lock your keypad to avoid accidentally making calls

- Change your phone setting so that the keys donít bleep when you are texting

- Do not leave your mobile device on the table in vibrate mode

- Remember to take your phone with you if you leave your desk, or turn the phone off or onto silent mode

- Ask your employer or HR department to provide a policy on the appropriate use of mobile devices in your workplace

Camilla Cochrane, T-Mobile UK BlackBerry Marketing Manager