In an uncharacteristic frank-speak Ratan Tata made headlines when he said it was impossible to get hold of British workers from either firm - Corus and Jaguar - at the weekends, starting from 3.30 pm on Friday. Maybe Tata was making an international call, and Brit workers, so used to switching off as the weekend arrives, put it on call divert.
While mobile phones are not allowed to interfere in the work-life abroad, for Tata it was unprofessional behaviour. After all, we come from a work culture where the phone is constantly on and ringing and people are always walking in and out of meetings to take calls. When someone said mobile phones are the cigarettes of this decade - it's an addiction, they must be thinking of the Indians.
Etiquette trainer Pria Warrick, founder of Pria Warrick Finishing School, is sensitising global executives to the level of mobile phone dependence in the Indian work culture. "I have clients from the UK, Germany and Hong Kong who tell me that the work culture in India is affected by mobile phones," she says. So if Tata had called, none of us would have let that call go to divert.
"The work timings are defined in the global working culture and the phone, especially for the frontline to mid-level management, gets switched off the moment they step out of the office," Warrick adds. Etiquette trainers, however, claim that Indian workplace is immune to this concept.
While a recent survey in the US claimed that 40% companies will come out with a mobile phone usage code for their organisations, India Inc has no such intentions. Uday Sodhi, CEO, HeadHonchos.com, the job search portal focussed exclusively on mid- and senior management professionals says all that is changing. "Mobile policies range from mild, self-regulated policies to blanket restrictions on carrying mobiles during office hours," he says.
Depending on your business, the mobile can boost productivity or be a distraction, so the policy needs to be linked to the business as well as the employee's role. Sodhi cites his own case as a job search portal. "Our mobile phone policy covers internet usage from the mobile. The key is that the policy should be measurable and not 'open-to-interpretation'."
The thing about cellphones is: we all love our own phone, but we hate yours! While talking loudly and embarrassing ring tones are everyday mobile phone code violations, there are some others that we overlook. Like following an email immediately with a call. Give it 24-48 hours. Unless you know someone personally don't call from mobile to mobile, use a landline.
And finally remember the person sitting in front of you is more important than the call. If the call is really important, inform the person that you are expecting an important call and may have to take it. "Updated mobile contact information is equally important. Your number should be updated on all online touch points and profiles - outdated numbers create a poor first impression," Sodhi adds. He adds that mobile content is as important - if you are using your mobile for work, the choice of caller tune or text languages needs to signal your professionalism when dealing with customers. "And avoid texting, it's a teenager thing," says Warrick.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/9165580.cms
While mobile phones are not allowed to interfere in the work-life abroad, for Tata it was unprofessional behaviour. After all, we come from a work culture where the phone is constantly on and ringing and people are always walking in and out of meetings to take calls. When someone said mobile phones are the cigarettes of this decade - it's an addiction, they must be thinking of the Indians.
Etiquette trainer Pria Warrick, founder of Pria Warrick Finishing School, is sensitising global executives to the level of mobile phone dependence in the Indian work culture. "I have clients from the UK, Germany and Hong Kong who tell me that the work culture in India is affected by mobile phones," she says. So if Tata had called, none of us would have let that call go to divert.
"The work timings are defined in the global working culture and the phone, especially for the frontline to mid-level management, gets switched off the moment they step out of the office," Warrick adds. Etiquette trainers, however, claim that Indian workplace is immune to this concept.
While a recent survey in the US claimed that 40% companies will come out with a mobile phone usage code for their organisations, India Inc has no such intentions. Uday Sodhi, CEO, HeadHonchos.com, the job search portal focussed exclusively on mid- and senior management professionals says all that is changing. "Mobile policies range from mild, self-regulated policies to blanket restrictions on carrying mobiles during office hours," he says.
Depending on your business, the mobile can boost productivity or be a distraction, so the policy needs to be linked to the business as well as the employee's role. Sodhi cites his own case as a job search portal. "Our mobile phone policy covers internet usage from the mobile. The key is that the policy should be measurable and not 'open-to-interpretation'."
The thing about cellphones is: we all love our own phone, but we hate yours! While talking loudly and embarrassing ring tones are everyday mobile phone code violations, there are some others that we overlook. Like following an email immediately with a call. Give it 24-48 hours. Unless you know someone personally don't call from mobile to mobile, use a landline.
And finally remember the person sitting in front of you is more important than the call. If the call is really important, inform the person that you are expecting an important call and may have to take it. "Updated mobile contact information is equally important. Your number should be updated on all online touch points and profiles - outdated numbers create a poor first impression," Sodhi adds. He adds that mobile content is as important - if you are using your mobile for work, the choice of caller tune or text languages needs to signal your professionalism when dealing with customers. "And avoid texting, it's a teenager thing," says Warrick.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/9165580.cms
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