WHAT TO SAY · BEHAVIOUR AND CONDUCT
How to tell an employee to stop using their phone at work
The issue is rarely the phone. It is missed work, slow replies or customers waiting. Talk about the effect, and be clear about what is fine (a quick message) and what is not.
Before you start
- Note specific moments and what they affected.
- Decide what a reasonable rule looks like for your team, and apply it to everyone.
The script
- OPEN WITH
[Name], can we talk about phone use during work time?
A few times this week, for example [moment], you were on your phone while [customers were waiting / the task was overdue].
Checking a message now and then is fine. What I need is for your phone to be away when you are [with customers / on shift].
Is anything going on that means you need to be reachable? We can work something out if so.
Replace the [brackets] with real details. Say it in your own words; the structure matters more than the exact wording.
If they say…
“I was answering a work message.”
Thanks for explaining. When customers are waiting, can that wait until they are served?
“Everyone does it.”
I will be talking to the whole team about it too. I wanted to start with the times I saw.
What to avoid
- Taking phones away or public call-outs.
- Banning something you do yourself.