The Etiquette of Using Mobile Phones

The use of mobile phones presents some of today's most chal­lenging problems of business etiquette. Most companies now expect their staff to be 'on call' by mobile when away from their desks and often during their leisure time as well. However, while you can't control the actions of others, you can and should observe good etiquette in using your own mobile phone. These are the basic principles:

· Only leave your set switched on at times when receiving incoming calls will not inconvenience others.

· Never make outgoing calls in a place or manner that will cause annoyance or embarrassment to others.

· Always remember that you are likely to be overheard.

· Use message taking and paging services to back up your system when it is switched off.

You should never leave your set switched on in meetings. If you must take an urgent call during a meeting, get the chairman's permission to take it and leave the room as soon as your mobile rings. If you are travelling, remember that your conversation is likely to be overheard. When taking an incoming call you should offer an immediate apology to anyone you are with and keep the telephone conversation as brief as possible. If the time and place of the call is inconvenient to you, tell the caller that you'll ring him back later. Never leave your set switched on at public events such as at concerts and the theatre and only in restaurants if you're expecting a particularly important and urgent call. Message taking and paging services provide invaluable back up to your system when taking calls is not practical. You must, therefore, return calls recorded in this way as quickly as you conveniently can.

The etiquette of outgoing calls is exactly the same whether made by a mobile or conventional telephone. It is particularly important to think about how convenient taking the call is likely to be to the receiver and whether or not the subject matter justifies using your mobile. When making a call from a public place it is essential that you move as far away from other people and speak as quietly as you can. It is extremely bad manners to disregard the feelings of those around you in both what you say and the way that you say it.

Sometimes colleagues or business contacts are thoughtless in their use of their mobiles, for example by taking calls during meetings. It is perfectly correct for you to ask them politely to turn off their sets for the benefit of the other people involved. Where you can you should offer some helpful alternative such as a secretary intercepting any incoming calls during the meeting.