How do I get my restaurant employees to stop using their cell phones othen than firing them?

Question

I don't feel like firing someone is a good option, but I believe there needs to be some consequence to getting busted. It is our policy to not use your cell phones at all in the building while you are working. Any good ideas out there?

Answer 1

I really liked the answer about cutting their hours for breaking the policy, and as long as you have that policy written and posted that is legal. (If you have some sue happy employee's I would also make them sign a sheet acknowledging the policy.)

But truly, you don't have to fire everyone, just ONE bad employee that you want to get rid of anyway. The rest will now know you are serious and start towing the line, or they will get their hours cut.

Being the boss sucks sometimes, although personally firing people is my favorite part :)

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

If you haven't already, send out a policy notice. Cell phones are to be turned off when they enter the building, and if they want to use them when they're on break, they have to leave the building. Warn that they will be subject to corrective action if they fail to regard this policy. Then, if you catch someone, the first action should be a letter of warning or formal reprimand, which would affect their next performance eval. And the second breach would result in suspension or termination, depending on the employee's performance otherwise.

Now, keep in mind, you may need to allow some lattitude. Would you really refuse to let an employee whose wife was expecting leave his cell phone on at work, when they're nearing her due date? Obviously, you'd need to set up some arrangement where they can take special circumstances to a supervisor and get approval for things like this.

Before you do ANY of this, though, consider whether you really need to do it. Does your business work with sensitive material, and that's why you don't want cell phones (particularly with cameras) inside? If not, then are your employees really abusing their phones? Maybe you should just deal with the abusers, and allow others to take the occasional call - do you want to be one of those tyrants that has to control every single thing an employee does when they're on the clock? Most people appreciate the latitude of being able to occasionally handle personal business at work - we can't control, for example, when the doctor's office is going to call with a test result, and if we can't take that call, we will resent the hell out of you. Keep morale in mind. It's worth a lot more than you'll lose by giving a bit of leeway.

Answer 4

Well you could get a cell-phone jammer but that means you jam your phone, your employees' phones, etc.

Best policy is to start a "written up" policy. That is if you get written up so many times for each violation, you get your hours reduced to 1/2 (and so pay is reduced to 1/2).

If that doesn't work, then fire them. When they go for unemployment, report that they were canned for being written up numerous times for making or receiving private cell phone calls when they were on your clock, against company policy. Then they don't get unemployment and it really hurts.

Eventually they'll get it and you'll get a new employee or two that won't get caught using their cell phones on your clock.

Otherwise, unless its costing you money or exposing you to liability, is it just a nuisance to have them all lingering about talking to their friends? Or are you sick of paying them to do their business instead of take care of yours? I think the latter than the former.

Answer 5

Well, you could do a teacher type of thing. Tell them that if you see one of them using it on your time, not on a break or something, but it does include the bathroom when it's still your time, that you will take it and if THEY remember to ask you for it back, you'll give it back at the end of their shift. Or you could do what the the building where they have trials do and make them check their cell phones when they arrive and pick them up at the end of their shift. If the City of Philadelphia can do that successfully, making sure they don't get stolen or lost, you sure could do it. If you've got to treat them like children because they refuse to act like adults, then that's what you've got to do! Good luck! (Contact me if you think about it. I'd love to know what you do.)

Answer 6

If your not willing to fire them, then just telling them to stop won't help....
Who's the boss here you or them? Everyone can be replaced... anyone can apply for the job, and there is always someone out there who really needs the job willing to do as you ask.no one is an exception to the rule.
You need them to have attention to run your restaurant not get paid to chit chat on their cells...they have breaks right? then there is a time to be allowed to use them...
what you need to do is have a meeting and tell them in the meeting "as of today if you use your cell phone while on the clock you will be written up>>> 3 write ups and your gone.
plain and simple."
YOU CANNOT LEGALLY CUT THEIR HOURS! TO PUNISH THEM i don't care what the other chick said.

Answer 7

you should fine them or have them turn in their phones before work, and make it easy for customers to report the employees. if the rule is no cell phone calls and they still do it anyway, there is probably an issue with lack of respect for you and the rules, I say fire one or two after a warning then everyone will know that you are serious about it.

Answer 8

Lay-out a clear written policy.

1) If you are caught talking on your phone, you are written-up.
2) Your write-up goes in your file.
3) When you accumulate 3 (or whatever you feel comfortable with) phone related write-ups, disciplinary action will be taken.
4) The disciplinary action will be...

Make sure it is written policy that is verbally explained to all of your employees, then make them each sign a copy of the policy, and then put it in their file.

You can decide what the disciplinary action is: firing, docked pay, garbage duty, etc, but make sure to include that with the policy write up so there are no surprises.

If/when you have to take action, there will be no excuses and no basis for legal action against you for unfair practices.

Good luck.

Answer 9

All the answers were very good and legal, but no fun at all. Next time you see an employee using a cell phone, take it away and drop it in the deep fryer. They'll learn their lesson.

Answer 10

Create a cell phone bucket. EVeryone must put their phone in it , turned off, and can get it back when their shift is over or when they're on break. - Assuming your employees are trust-worthy & won't steal each others phones