Working (part 2) - Telephony tantrums
Unless you are old enough to remember rainbows when they were still in black and white, then the chances are that you will have a mobile phone. Everyone has one these days.
Mobiles are so advanced and complex now that there are probably at least half a dozen ways you can contact me through my phone without having to speak to me. This is ideal for me as I ignore 95 per cent of my correspondence.
When you think about it, mobiles are amazing pieces of technology that have completely changed the world we live in. Nevertheless, there are several ways mobile phones and more often, their owners contrive to annoy and bemuse me.
The principle purpose of having a mobile is to be able to be reached no matter where you are. The clue is in the name… It's a MOBILE telephone device, the beauty of which is that it is not tethered to your desk or wall like a landline phone.
Therefore, in a workplace environment, please explain to me what the point of leaving your phone on your desk while you wander off with a folder to make yourself look busy, or hold an impromptu corridor or kitchen-based meeting? Because you can guarantee that as soon as you leave it unattended, someone will be wanting to get in contact with you. Now, there's nothing I enjoy more than hearing a tinny chorus of Rhianna shining bright like a diamond,* Gaga and her Pokerface, or even Darth Vader's Imperial March. But as 'amusing' or entertaining you think a ringtone may be, after a couple of airings it really begins to grate.
Considering all the accessories available from hands-free car-kits, to the ultimate accessory for looking daft - the Bluetooth earpiece - it should be nigh on impossible to not be able to answer the phone. So leaving the phone ringing and breaking my concentration is inexcusable.
Beyond contemptible however are my colleagues who feel it is acceptable behaviour to have their phones on their desks while they are there, but will let their phones ring out, ignored and unanswered. These people need their Blackberrys (other fruit-based phones are also available) bouncing off their skulls. Or maybe just pointing out the silent and/or vibration function would be more suitable, less physical-assaulty options?
At the other end of the scale are the 'floor-walkers'. The people who get up from their desk whenever they take a call on their mobile and wander around with it. You do know that just because they are called mobiles, it doesn't mean that you HAVE to be mobile to keep the phone working don't you? What is the point of this behavior? It certainly can't be for privacy because you're sharing the call with the whole floor. You can only be doing it to impress me: "Look at me, I'm taking a call on my mobile. It's a very important call. I'm also VERY important. So important that you all must give me your attention and watch and listen to me take the call."
It's a real head-scratcher for me, this one.
Dishonourable Mentions:
• Remember to bring your own charger rather than wanting to use mine.
• No phones out at lunchtime round the table with your colleagues. It's rude, even by my standards.
• Message tones going off every few seconds while you have a full conversation via text.
Next time, I'll look at phrases you will probably have heard your line manager or HR administrator use that drive me up the wall.
*Technically RiRi, if you're reading, it should have been "Refract light like a diamond" – diamonds themselves do not emit any light. But I get your gist.
