My employer has passed a rule that in the place I work I can't use a cell phone, or carry one can he do this?

Question

in Phila Pa. Supermarket chain, can't use cell phones in bathroom back area dock areas or outside of the store. or discharge from job. What about emergency at home ? My husband is sickly, How is he supposed to get hold of me if something goes wrong? I can understand no cells i the customer area, But where we don't come in contact with the customers is crazy. We are not even allowed to carry them. Don't we have any rights anymore. Our supervisor says he don't care about these problems. What can we do .

Answer 1

Yes he can have that rule. It will only change when something happens and he gets sued because the system he wants you to use fails. This usually is the person calling your office and asking the supervisor to call you because it is an emergency. Ask if there is an emergency policy in place to contact employees via the office since he is disallowing cell phones.
If an emergency occurs and you are not informed and serious injury, or death results because of this, then he can be nailed. If as you have indicated that he could not care less that your husband is sickly, there is nothing you can do but follow the rule and document everything if your husband calls, what time he did and when you were notified or just find another job. There are just some people who can only learn when they have to pay out money because of stubborness.

Answer 2

I think that's a bit extreme but unfortunately, the employer has the right to set their own rules. I'd look for another job.

Is this the whole company or just this store. If it's just a store issue, take it up the ladder above the super. But then if you open that can of worms you may wind up unemployed. So many companies have "open door" policies. Yeah...right...in a perfect world.

I can understand where they're coming from though. I used to be a technical expert (got promoted thank God), people would come to me (soap box time...without doing their research first) to ask a question. I'd look at their casework, read procedure/policies/laws, find the answer and begin explaining how to work the case. Then their cell phone would ring. They would actually step away to take the call. I found that really annoying because they were there on my time seeking help.

Ok, enough of that. You said your super doesn't care about your problems. That's a given. Show me a super who cares and I'll show you an man who is an honest politician by day and a uses car salesman by night.

Are you unioned? If so, file a greivance. If not, you probably don't have a lot of recourse in the matter I'm sorry to say. Surely there are other supermarkets in your area.

Off the subject, why is Skippy talking about himself in the third person? Sounds like he's been hanging around Bob Dole to much.

Answer 3

Sure he can. Cell phone are probably causing a constant problem in his work environment, therefore he is rectifying the problem by discontinue any use of them. If you NEED to carry your phone, turn it off, and keep it in your purse or in yoru vehicle, and on your break, take a walk away from the supermarket and make the calls you need to make, check messages, etc. Otherwise, if your husband needs to contact you, have him call the office and leave a message.

What did we do 30 years ago, when the mobile phone available were as big as a purse and we could not just carry them around and use them at our leisure?

Answer 4

Your supervisor can set all the rules on his premises as he pleases. Even rights that are protected, like religeous rights can be governed in the work place. They cannot not hire you or fire you for being of a certain religion, but they can tell you not to pray on the job.

If you husband is sick or some other emergency arises, could you not be given a message by way of the office or customer service phone line?

Answer 5

Your employer is perfectly within the law in setting rules specific to his business.

Please don't confuse "rights" with "privileges". You have the right to talk on your phone.... just not while he's paying you to perform a specific job for him.

Any emergencies that occur will be addressed around this rule as they were before cell phones were invented.

In some states, you are considered an "at will" worker if you do not have a written employment contract. Under these "at will" circumstances, your employment may be terminated for no reason at all and the employer is not even required to provide you with a specific reason for termination.

If this is your situation, please be careful. You may be next.

Answer 6

Does the store have a main phone through which emergency messages can pass. He does absolutely have the right to pass this sort of rule, just as you have a right to find another job. Likely the rule was made not to be aimed at individuals but to solve a greater personal phone call problem.

Answer 7

You can quit. No one is forcing to keep this job. Talking on a cell phone is not a right. It is a perk, or a privilege. Your particular job obviously does not offer this perk. Besides, you talking on your cell phone is costing the company money. Do the math, if you have a job that pays 12.00 per hour and you talk 5 minutes an hour, it is costing the company $1.00 per hour in lost labor. In in normal 40 hour work week, this is $40.00 per week, and $2240.00 per year. How many people work are your your chain? 1000? If so, it is costing the company $2,240,000.00 a year in lost labor. If it is a larger chain like Kroger, who employs over 100,000 in its grocery division alone, the cost is more than $224,000,000.00.

Answer 8

Yes, your employer can have a no-cell phone policy at his place of business. The only option you have is going to talk to your boss about it, explain your husband's health problems and need to contact you and ask if you can be exempt from the rule. If he says no, then ask him to work with you on coming up with a solution that would be workable for you both (maybe an office number that your husband could call if he gets sick).

If that doesn't work, then the only other option is to find another job.

Answer 9

At your place of work too many people were taking advantage of company time by being on the cell phone. It is his business or he is the companies representative at supermarket. He can disallow cell phones if he deems them to be a problem. If your husband is sickly he can call the store and you can either answer the call or call him back on a pay phone.

Answer 10

I suppose your husband can contact you like we used to in the olden days, call the store office and they get hold of you.

Cell phones are real nice, but they have become a distraction in the workplace. If the employer wants their employees focused on the work and not a cellphone, they have every right to make those rules.