Ah, the cell phone!

How did we ever manage without it?

Well, we did for hundreds of years and many lived to talk about it.

One of the many frustrations that I hear from clients is the “relationship” their team members have to their phones. My clients share: “They need them by their side all day long” or “The employees with children are always insisting that it is imperative for them to have access to their phones in the event of an emergency” or “I only use my phone during breaks and during lunch” is the promise of many.

But how many team members are truly disciplined enough to restrict their phone usage when there are no firm cell usage practice rules?

How did we ever exist without cell phones back in the 60’s or 70’s? How did we care for our families, check in with our spouses, learn that our mother needed an emergency appendectomy?

They called the office and asked to be connected to you either immediately or if it wasn’t necessarily a critical situation, then as soon as you, the employee, had an opportunity to call them back. This is how it was accomplished during the pre-cell phone era.

While some employers have successfully managed to develop these office protocols, there are still many that have lost control and subsequently the ability to restrict cell phone usage. The Morning Huddle Phone Protocol is one that I endorse and is observed in many practices. This requires relinquishing all cell phones into one common location, away from the business of the day including all patient interaction. And would you believe that the teams that follow these

guidelines manage very well. No children are neglected, no parents or husbands stress due to not being able to get a message to you at work, and yet no emergency calls go unanswered.

This is managed very simply. All it takes is a phone call to the office with the caller either leaving a detailed message for the recipient of the call, or perhaps the timing is such that the person who is meant to receive the call happens to answer it as it comes in. Nonetheless, this is a much more efficient way to manage calls as well as assuring that many more messages get to the right person immediately. After all it’s highly unlikely that one can carry a phone around in their pocket and continue to be an effective employee.

Let’s face it, even on vibrate the timing to take the call must be perfect. It’s difficult to answer a cell phone during a procedure, while checking out patients, answering the business line or simply when trying to stay on schedule.

I know we have all been on fast-track since technology has played a big role in our lives, but I do believe that there are some situations where we need to allow technology to take a back seat and instill old values and go back to simpler times.