What We Really Do at Work on Our Mobile Phones
January 20, 2012 
104 Comments
A recent survey sheds light on what people do on their mobile devices at work—and what they think others are doing.
More than 60 percent of those surveyed reported using their mobile devices to watch videos, including ones unrelated to work, such as sports clips and viral videos. A majority of respondents said workers should be able to use whatever mobile device they prefer to do routine tasks at the office, rather than being required to use the company computer.
Perhaps the most interesting findings of the survey related to what respondents suspected other people were doing on their mobile devices at work: searching for another job, researching embarrassing medical conditions and visiting online dating sites, among other things. Then there were the clever ways people assumed others were slyly checking their mobile devices—using tactics like pretending to tie their shoes or ducking into the bathroom.
Do you use your mobile device at work and, if so, for what? Ever gotten in trouble for it? Come clean in the comments.
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Categories: Distribution Services, Mobile Apps, Work Humor, Worker safety
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I use it for my email. Boss demands it
all the time for an overdose of apps, no problem
Not an issue for me since I am self-employed. I would say about 80% give or take of time on mobile is work related.
Rich Bradford recently posted..Welcome
I use mine mostly for texting purposes. I’ve never gotten in trouble for it either
I don’t yet have a “smart” phone, and, it’s pretty easy to resist using the dumb one at work!!
I only use it for giving a shout when I’m too late for an appointment. Am hardly on my mobile.
I always used my phone at work. However, I was a manager so it was acceptable.
Self employed and nobody really calls me
Elza recently posted..Aquaponics here I come #sustainchat #Aquaponics
i use it when needed when i worked for someone else otherwise there was no need for it
Sure I use my mobile at work. For me, there’s hardly any boundary between private time and work anymore. Doing private stuff at work, and working at home is totally accepted at my company.
BOB
As a Owner of a company and one that uses social media I would suggest that people not come clean about use of anything not job related during work hours . Bosses , Employers , future Employers READ Comments and evaluate folks based on comment left on sites like Yours . Good information but Coming Clean is Opening what you do to the world and can have consequences . best to heed good advice .
Always, using BB, usually checking my email or replying short message, I’m a manager so I have some short of privilege…lol
i would like to NOT use my mobile for work !
I’m “self-employed” so my phone is my life line. When I was employed as a Government Contractor I would use it to check my personal email, Facebook and text with my friends.
I don’t watch videos on my mobile phone as I dislike the small screen. But I do check in on social media platforms and occasionally read blog posts. That’s something I can do if I have 5 free minutes.
Last time I had a job where anyone would have even noticed was before cell phones.
Scott Allen recently posted..When You’d Like To Leave LinkedIn
When you work 10-12 hours a day, 5 minutes here and there serves as a break. Although I would just use my laptop instead of smartphone. I know there are managers that don’t get that, but most need to step away from time to time.
Steven Hughes recently posted..How many of your 100K+ Twitter Followers are Real?
I use it for business email
I never owned my own phone, have always been given one to use by my employer, so i would use it at work all the time.
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I use my smart phone quite a bit – but to a large extent for work, so there’s no reason to get in trouble. Well, besides the fact that I am my own boss, which makes it even easier of course
I don’t really use it much at work, I usually have it charging at the front counter on silent/vibrate. If I do use it for work, I may use it to help a client (Like WiFi tether if the network is not working properly) or have to contact a coworker to ask them about a project, ask if they can work etc.
%95 of the time I don’t need to use it though, and resources at work are just fine
I probably use my smartphone and tablet more than a laptop or desktop these days… with the smartphone (iPhone in my case) coming in as the most utilized piece of tech I own.
I rarely use my mobile when I’m working. This may change in 2012.
Nicolas Liu recently posted..No. 1: Hawaii – Janet Novack – Forbes
Texting mostly. I’m now self-employed, but the company I used to work for frowned on MSN on the computer for some reason, but tolerated texting. Whatever …
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I use it for email and Foursquare (mainly)!
Mostly for email and texting. But of course twitter too!
I’m self-employed & I use my mobile, ipad, laptop as needed
Anne Thomas recently posted..January Recipes & Specials from Anne Thomas
Yes I do use my mobile phone at work to take service calls and to contact my suppliers etc.
I work in the advertising industry. Mobile use is part of my job and our company culture encourages Social Media participation. So I guess I am lucky!
Ernie Arias recently posted..Skills, Motivation and Attitude: Which is the most important?
Just to check personal email, Foursquare, nd texting family. No trouble yet, though we were warned to “not make it a problem”.
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not allowed mobile phones at work. Not allowed to actually HAVE them at work, never mind use them
I do – mostly to keep track of the kids, but expect when I upgrade away from Blackberry usage could increase.
What’s the difference between employees who abused a “company” wireline phone while at work to conduct personal business vs. those who use personal mobile phones in the same manner. Same productivity loss, right? Isn’t this a relatively simple issue of hiring, supporting and training people so that they understand how to balance work and personal needs/issues? My point is that it doesn’t matter if the device is a personal mobile phone, work computer or work wireline phone – if employees don’t have the ability and support to balance work/life issues, the device is going to support the imbalanced behavior.
Like many replying here ( a surprisingly large proportion?) I am self-employed, so the question in a way doesn’t apply as I am the only person I would get into trouble with. Do I use it for time-wasting activity? Yes. Do I try to cut this down? Yes. Am I successful? No, not very!
Laura Sykes recently posted..The Dowager Countess of Grantham Invites the Primate to Tea
I actually sell cell phones, it’s encouraged that I use my phone on the sales floor.
I check texts and such but the phone is in a storage room and I don’t constantly look. Boss knows and as long as it doesnt detract from work or we arent neglecting work its ok.
I would use a sell phone to my work only for an emergency reason.
c for sell. Thanks!
I have an iphone, and have to use it at work.
You know, I wrote an article about 3 years ago that said not to use your smart phone at work (work was work and personal was on personal time), but that has really changed.
This is a great question – and I think we’ll find that most people are using their smart phone at work.
I have an iPhone and use it for everything — emails, text and all my Social Media connections.
Don’t have a smartphone since I am online all the time anyway.
txwikinger recently posted..I am soo Tired of the Endless Desktop Flame Wars – Can we Please all Stop This?
Occasionally, and with permission. I have a great boss.
Jim recently posted..BREAKING: Perry Dropping Out
Overall seeing as I am a student my teachers prefer for us not to use our phones. However I use my phone during non-instructional times without a teacher giving a hoot. During that time too I am organizing for my political campaign…hoping after my senior year I might be able to get assistance from my government teachers.
I use my mobile at work and my company pays a percentage of my bill so it is not an issue.
I do have my phone on and I do check the number who calls at work, and if it is a family member, I will let it go to voice mail and will call them back.
If it is one of my chamber members, because my mobile number is on my business card then I will answer.
I always use my mobile smartphone at work.
For me is like a third hand and at the moment I can’t do anything without it.
The advantages of working for yourself…
I try to get away with it! haha
I will text once in a while. I have not gotten in trouble.
Ron Romero recently posted..Today’s Macro Photograph. Food.
Self-employed. Occasionally
I use it to complete EA Missions! It only takes about 45 Minutes to complete via The 9870 BlackBerry!!
When a customer or collegae needs my help they can phone me easily.
I use my iphone4 and my iphone3 at work without any kind of problem!
I have used it for checking email and occasionally wasting time
4square, Facebook, iMessage , Gowalla ..
In the past, I used (maybe overused) my phone to stay in touch via text message. To confess, there have been times when I took personal calls that lasted longer than my “break” time. It can get a person into trouble with their job & even looks bad when clients see this. It’s important to focus on the task at hand when we’re on the job.
Cole Ruddick recently posted..Season’s Greetings – Holiday Thoughts
I have Lotus Notes forwarded to my gmail so I can get my work email on my phone when I am out of the office and so I don’t need to check every 15 mins when I’m in office.
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Fascinating. I take my work with me, simply by having a phone that allows me to text and take calls. Anything else that a smartphone would do, is probably not work related, which is why I don’t have one….
M
Mike Shields (@MatchesMalone) recently posted..Warning: Math Ahead
Self-employed with the occasional contract. I don’t ever let my cell interfere with my contract work, and it’s an absolute necessity for my business.
Ian Spiers recently posted..The Right Tool For The Job (DAM and Workflow)
Great question.
If one is employed in the Fortune 500 industry, there are constraints like corporate governance, IT policies, external social media restrictions, firewalls, SEC (industry dependent).
The two most likely areas affected are Sales and IT. Most often these professionals are issued a corporate asset to be used for company business.
Device dependent networks require limits on what people can do with the corporate asset and phone records can be pulled and analyzed to call frequency. Personal cell phones/smartphones usage may be limited/restricted for policy reasons. Banking and finance come immediately to mind. However, employees with young families, school age children most often are accounted for, or should be in the governance.
That said, if one works for a corporation with rules and guidelines, violations are cause for trouble, meaning, reprimands, poor performance reviews and dismissals.
It requires employee discretion. A sick child is one thing. Sports scores, pornography, illicit affairs are another ball game.
Companies have the right to mandate how their assets will be used. Like it or not, that’s the call.
However, companies are just now re-evaluating all such governance policies within the context of employee retention and talent acquisition in light of the advances in social media.
People have unlimited access to information off site out of corporate campuses. Working in a locked down environment causes people to evaluate whether or not a candidate company is the right place for employment.
Have I ever gotten into ‘trouble’. No, not when working within the confines of corporate rules.
In my own shop, not an issue.
However, I do recommend this: if you work in a macro environment with a corporate issued device (smartphone, iPad, laptop, etc), and the company pays the bill, use those devices strictly for company business.
Save yourself headaches and unnecessary visits to a higher-ups’ office to give an account of yourself, your expenses, and your non-business use of the device.
I teach… so I can’t use mine if I don’t allow them to use theirs… and I don’t.
Use it for email, CRM and….use as telephone
Michael
Tasks, notes, messaging, browsing if necessary, and photos, besides voice calls.
Been in trouble for most things atone time or another! Happily a mobile is small enough to hide.
Unless you are obsessed, using social media for breaks increases productivity. See http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mr-personality/201103/can-cyber-slacking-be-good
Use it for read emails + facebook
I try real hard to ignore them totally and emergency use!
It was expected and that I was available 24/7. Now that I work for myself- it is another arm
Used at work, at home, at play, all the time!
personal and professional use
What survey result is being mentioned here? Hope you can link to it for further reading / reference.
Janette Toral recently posted..Speakers are not Heroes
I have used my personal phone at work but for calls that were important. You should not be playing games or surfing the web unless your company pays you to do so. If you feel that it is your right to play and surf then you should think about how many hours are lost to this activity and realize the lost produtivity it causes the company. If it was your business would you accept the loss?
I tend to follow the rules and I have felt uncomfortable using it even for emergency purposes.
I have a work mobile and a personal mobile, I do use both at work, but generally I’m just texting and checking e-mails on my person one. Occasionally I will make a phone call at lunch or receive a personal call during the work day. I have never got in trouble for this.
i would like to NOT use my mobile for work! I’m a teacher… i can´t use my mobile everytime
A quick text should always be appropriate, 100 texts a day is what causes massive productivity loss and strict rules.
Moderation, Respect other peoples time and your own.
Mobile phones were not so smart when I was working for a company. Now I work for myself and it’s a non-issue.
Mary Haight recently posted..Bloggers Going “Dark” to Protest SOPA and PIPA
i use it for mail, and call, but i would like to not use it for work because every incoming call made me loose a little part of attention
I use mine for mail and call for working
I actually use my mobile phone to check out use cases that I can’t experience via my work network and company kit. So I carry a Blackberry in one hand and an android phone in the other. The alternative would be to have our IT department ‘manage my device’ in order to allow me to do ‘me’ and ‘work’ on the same device. As it is, I still do ‘work’ on my ‘me’ device… but not via our infrastructure.
Nick Buckley recently posted..Would you credit it?
HAHA!
I’ve been caught “ducking out” from time to time.
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What’s a mobile device?
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I use my Droid almost all day to keep on top of my emails from clients.
I am encouraged to use social media at work – so my phone comes in handy for tweeting work-related things!
I haven’t used my phone to slack off at work so much, but at one job in particular, almost every employee that wasn’t in a management position was constantly playing words with friends. I think some of them spent more time on that than actually working.
I use mine all the time for work and fun. I take pictures of error messages and serial numbers and things that I need to order, research or submit to help desk. I check my email, and other stuff too.
I regularly use to play Pandora in order to be able to buffer the noise while I’m trying to write emails, blog, etc! Guess people tend to leave you alone if you have your headphones on…
Alvaro Coraspe recently posted..Vea cómo se dice Internet en español
Self Employed right now. So mobile used big time. Earlier yeah for texting primarily. No question of getting caught cos was the boss.
Typically I use it for audio alerts that I have email… that and keeping track of some of our/my social media pursuits.
Text, chat, watch videos, etc. The boss is OK with it. I’m the boss.
Emmanuel Gonot recently posted..Switching Facebook Profiles On Empire Avenue and Klout
I used mobile just to call and received,no other purpose cause it’s an old nokia phone
Andy recently posted..Business Letter Format Example
I don’t usually use mobile at work, I largely prefer using my PC for internet browsing, but since we’ll soon be present on several social networks, I assume I will get a new phone to monitor social media even when I’m away from my room on meetings or for other assignments.
I use it as reminder my TO DO list, checking email, as remote control for my laptop when I’m presenting something on meeting, and much more. Its really helpful for me at work
I use it all the time. It’s another tool of work. Everybody at the office use it to communicate (in conference mode), email, etc.
Use it all the time, texting, checking personal email, etc.
My cell phone number is on my signature line, so I get calls & texts on it all of the time. As a Director this is acceptable, but the worker bees that are in the cubicals can get written up and/or terminated if they are caught using their cell phones.
I use my Iphone to check emails from staff, text family and friends, and answer priority paging at work. Some personal calls are acceptable.
I use mine all the time at work and for work. I keep appointments, contacts, email, text and call, all related to work. My phone is my life line. So I have to use it at work!
I love the term “Smart Phone”. Personally, my iPhone has made me much more productive, particularly as relates to sales prospecting and responding quickly to clients emails and text messages. On the entertainment side, the radio aps are wonderful on long drives, as I can plug into my favorite shows even when my radio has poor reception. Smart phones are here to stay and will only get smarter.
David Burke recently posted..Rules for Fools
So much for smartphones enhancing productivity.
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I’m sel-employed, there fore I work 24/7 and I am on my phone 24/7. I get in trouble constantly…from my hubby! And kids….and friends…
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My work’s network blocks all the good sites, so yes, I use my mobile
simply a digital world in my pocket
I couldn’t be happier that mobile phone use is on the rise. I sell mobile advertising B2B showcasing the owners products/services.
I love it that consumers are using it for searches at work, at home, at play, at ….