Why are some employers banning smartphones during the workday?
The following article comes from Inc.com, one of the most influential websites for small and medium-sized businesses in the United States, covering topics such as startups, new technologies, human resources, marketing, business, leadership, and more. It was written by Bruce Crumley, a former correspondent and bureau chief for Time magazine in Paris. He has also worked for Fortune, Sports Illustrated, Agence France-Presse, and as a freelance journalist. He divides his time between Biarritz and Paris in the most irregular way possible.
Security concerns and productivity goals are prompting some employers to reconsider the use of personal phones at work, although this is not without resistance.
The number of schools banning students from using smartphones during the day continues to rise in the United States and around the world. While companies don’t seem to be embracing the ban with the same enthusiasm, there are signs that more and more employers are requiring their employees to leave their devices at work for reasons of data security, productivity, and even basic etiquette.
Increasingly, younger students, who were practically born with smartphones and tablets in their hands, are facing the harsh reality of having to give up these devices during school hours. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), «in just a few years, the ban on mobile phones in schools has gone from an isolated national initiative to a widespread global policy trend,» now encompassing 58% of the world’s countries. This means that many children and teenagers are struggling with anxiety as they are prevented from checking their social media, and nearly as many teachers are celebrating the resulting improvement in classroom concentration.
However, would such bans be beneficial in classrooms, or even feasible, in the workplace? Given the lack of abundant examples of employees testing this theory, anecdotal evidence suggests that banning personal smartphones at work is not yet widespread, but it is being implemented with mixed results.
The most cited case is that of the online legal identity verification platform id.me.
A few years ago, id.me began requiring its employees to store their devices in magnetically secured bags, similar to those made by Los Angeles-based Yondr. While the bags can be checked and opened during the day in case of emergency, id.me suspends the use of personal phones by its employees at work to reduce the risk of leaks of confidential customer data.
Other companies have followed suit for different reasons. Posts on the social media platform Reddit report that owners of pharmacies, bars, restaurants, retail stores, and offices have instructed their staff to leave their phones at the start of their shift and forget about them until they go home. According to users, the goal was improved customer service and, overall, greater productivity.
In the corporate world, the most frequent example of device restrictions was that of Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, who last year strongly reprimanded employees he saw «constantly in meetings receiving notifications and personal messages or reading emails.» He called this behavior «disrespectful» and ordered that it «must stop.» Since then, Dimon has taken steps to eradicate device use in situations where it creates distractions without adding value to the business.
«If you have an iPad in front of me and it looks like you’re reading your email or receiving notifications, I tell you to put it down,» Dimon told CNN regarding his response to detecting digital devices during meetings.
How likely are numerous American companies to follow the stance of id.me, Dimon, and many schools across the country regarding smartphone use in their quest to improve security, employee productivity, and respectful interaction?
It’s probably not a serious problem.
For starters, the apparent rarity of these policies in the workplace suggests that employers consider the distraction harmless, or at least not important enough to combat it yet.
Meanwhile, companies that impose bans would likely face strong resistance from employees accustomed to regularly checking their social media, emails, texts, and other notifications. Some observers see additional problems for companies attempting to enforce the ban.
«It’s funny how this is the kind of place that doesn’t want you using your phone during work hours, but does want to call you outside of those hours and add you to a work WhatsApp group,» Reddit user WorstITTechnician replied to an employee’s post about the new smartphone ban at work.
«I saw this rule at a store where I worked, which was funny because the salespeople were prohibited and had to lock their phones away in a box,» maybenothis agreed. “But people working in HR and Administration were allowed to use them.”
Despite this skepticism, Yondr CEO Graham Dugoni recently told the Financial Times
that his company is increasingly selling magnetic-closure bags to a growing number of employers, government agencies, political organizations, and even courts. This often happens, he explained in a recent newspaper article about workplace smartphone bans, when initial, well-intentioned bans fail to achieve their objectives because workers continue to surreptitiously check their screens.
However, the results of implemented smartphone bans have been mixed.
A potential threat to performance
A European study published in 2021 concluded that, due to the omnipresence and constant use of these devices in the workplace, “they appear to pose a potential threat to individual performance in routine work tasks, and we provide evidence that banning smartphones is a way to increase employee effort.”
On the other hand, the researchers noted that it was necessary to convince employees that the reasons for ceasing smartphone use were important and justified in order for them to comply. They indicated that failure to do so could generate “negative side effects” if staff perceive the bans as excessive and unreasonable.
When implemented effectively—and with some flexibility—smartphone bans in the workplace can also offer additional benefits. The Financial Times report quoted id.me employees who noted that they can still access and use their phones during scheduled breaks, allowing them to stay connected to the outside world without neglecting their colleagues or tasks.
“I wasn’t the best employee; I was always on my phone,” Kamilah Muiruri, an id.me employee, told the FT, describing the positive changes in staff resulting from the company’s smartphone restrictions. “It helps us connect with each other. I didn’t really know the people at the office because I was focused on my friends outside of work. Now, we’re a really close-knit team… and we love hanging out together.”
It wasn’t specified whether these extracurricular activities include or exclude smartphone use.
Smartphones Consume Up to 2 Hours of Professionals’ Daily Work Time
The following contribution comes from the Lumiun portal, which specializes in internet security and control solutions.
Author: Team
Mobile phone use at work has generated ongoing debate about the best approach for companies regarding this practice. There are numerous drawbacks for employees and managers, ranging from wasted time and decreased productivity to wrongful termination and subsequent labor disputes between employees and the company.
A survey conducted by the Methodist University of São Paulo revealed that one in five professionals loses up to 15 minutes per hour on their mobile phone during the workday, representing 25% of their time. This equates to a loss of 2 hours, considering an 8-hour workday. To calculate the cost of this lost time to your company, use this time waste calculator, which allows you to determine the number of employees and the cost per professional.
The company has the autonomy and right to restrict the use of personal mobile phones in the workplace, provided it offers alternative means of communication for emergencies. Employees who fail to comply with these guidelines may be notified and even dismissed for cause. Therefore, it is essential that employees are aware of the restrictions and the corresponding penalties for non-compliance. The company must prepare a document outlining the rules regarding device use and the relevant sanctions. Download a template for this document here.
To avoid unpleasant situations and friction between parties, it is recommended that companies have clear and consistent guidelines. Furthermore, employees should exercise common sense and self-control when using devices, always prioritizing company activities and their professional productivity.
Productivity and Results
Mobile phone use at work does not necessarily lead to decreased productivity. Therefore, managers are advised to always monitor the execution of activities and results, focusing on output and defining goals and objectives for each employee and team. Furthermore, for some activities, such as sales and customer service, mobile phones can contribute to the execution of certain tasks.
Companies should strive to develop a healthy and productive culture regarding mobile phone use. For example, educating professionals about the responsible use of smartphones—such as posting photos during work, making jokes on social media, or engaging in personal conversations—can negatively impact their performance. However, this also demonstrates that the conscious use of smartphones can be leveraged to develop contacts and communicate with clients. Device usage should focus on the collective benefit for both the company and its professionals.
Another important point is that managers and leaders must set an example of responsible use, employing devices only for company tasks and for communicating with the team, clients, or suppliers.
In the case of mobile phone use for internal team communication, such as in WhatsApp groups, it is the leader’s responsibility to define the rules, add or remove participants, and address those who send inappropriate content.
It’s better to monitor and supervise than to prohibit.
Banning mobile phone use at work is considered a radical and ill-advised measure. The company may project an image of authoritarian management that doesn’t consider employee needs. It can even demotivate some professionals. The ban can also be considered abusive if the company doesn’t provide employees with other means of communication.
Once again, common sense and balance are key. The company can manage device usage by allowing it during specific time periods or through access control tools like Lumiun, defining what can and cannot be accessed on the device. In addition to restrictions, these tools allow for detailed tracking of employee access, generating information that can be used to adjust device usage policies and even to make decisions if employees don’t comply with the rules.
Within this management framework, some basic guidelines are also important, such as requiring that mobile phones be stored in drawers or bags and always on silent. Professionals can also disable notifications from apps that might disrupt their concentration and check the news only during breaks.
A formula for everyone to benefit
Finally, given that mobile phones are increasingly present in our daily lives, it is the responsibility of companies and professionals to develop a conscious way to use this powerful tool so that everyone benefits.
And in your company, how are mobile phones used at work? Share your experience, mentioning the positive and negative aspects of the policy implemented in your company.
How much time are your employees wasting on their phones?
The following contribution comes from the Business News Daily portal, which describes itself as follows: Business News Daily is the leading online source of information for entrepreneurs and startups, providing the crucial news and information they need to launch and grow successful businesses.
Our news and resource content covers more than 30 topic categories vital to the success of any business. These categories focus on business finance, human resources, marketing, and technology. Our team of experts and writers creates comprehensive and insightful guides to help entrepreneurs answer questions such as how to find the right business loans, how to develop a human resources department, and which technology best suits their needs. This technology coverage includes guidance on managing a remote team, processing online and in-person payments, and choosing the right business phones and video conferencing systems.
The article is authored by Dock Treece, a senior writer. Dock David Treece is a finance expert with extensive experience in business finance, including Small Business Administration (SBA) loans and alternative financing. He is senior vice president of marketing at BNY Mellon and a former editorial director at Dotdash.
It’s true that your employees are using their personal phones during the workday, but what can you do about it?
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Employees Wasting Time Using Their Mobile Phones at Work
Even though their time cards show they’re working full days, many employees don’t spend all their time at the office on their jobs. Many are distracted by their mobile devices, spending hours a day texting, shopping online, or browsing social media. So, what can you do about it?
The Best Employee Monitoring Software of 2026
Finding the right employee monitoring software for your company is time-consuming, so business.com analyzed dozens of options to develop the following recommendations.
A recent survey by Screen Education revealed that employees waste, on average, more than two hours a day using their phones.
That’s more than two hours of unproductive work for the company. And it’s not just productivity at stake: 14% of those surveyed said that employee distraction by mobile devices had led to workplace accidents, many of which resulted in injuries or even death.
A 2017 study by Robert Half Talent Solutions and OfficeTeam revealed what employees do with their phones instead of fulfilling their work responsibilities: the majority use their mobile devices to check personal email, while an additional 28% of respondents admitted to browsing social media. Sports or entertainment websites, mobile games, and online shopping are some of the other activities for which workers admitted to using their mobile devices during work hours.
Given people’s reliance on their phones, it’s no surprise that these devices are such a common source of distraction at work. «It’s understandable that employees occasionally use their mobile devices or perform personal tasks during work hours,» said Brandi Britton, executive director of Robert Half’s finance and contracts accounting group, in a statement following the publication of the survey. “But these activities can easily become major distractions.”
Tip: Even if your company provides mobile devices for employee use, you might allow some personal activities, such as talking about childcare. Always establish clear rules about permitted use.
How Employees Use Their Phones for Non-Work Tasks: Employees use their mobile devices in a variety of unproductive ways during the workday. Here are the most common ways smartphones distract employees:
fAccess to Restricted Content
Employees are using their mobile devices to circumvent the restrictions companies impose on laptops to keep their staff focused on work. In fact, 58% of respondents in the Robert Half study reported frequently using their personal devices at work to access websites blocked by their company, a significant increase from 22% in 2012. Managers underestimate the frequency of this activity: only 39% suspected employees were using their mobile devices to access restricted content.
More than half of the employees surveyed indicated that their company prevents them from visiting at
