Pokémon No Go?

Unless you’ve been living in a box recently, you will no doubt have heard about the new mobile phone app – Pokémon Go!

You may think the world has gone mad! But there’s no getting away from it – people of all ages are becoming addicted to the new game.

Every new craze, brings with it concern and frustrations. As an employer living in an era where smart phone usage is at an all-time high, you might feel up against it when it comes to keeping your team focussed on the job in hand.

And now you’re up against pocket sized cartoon monsters as well!

The experts on our advice line have already taken calls from clients who have seen issues brought by the new app – employees spending hours playing during work time and disrupting the rest of the team, desperate to catch that Pokémon.

Whether you’re seeing the effects of gaming and social networking during work hours or not, it might be a good time to review your mobile phone and social networking policies.

Here’s some quick tips from us:

Implement a robust policy

Set out your expectations. Having a clear mobile phone policy in place will allow you to implement your rules and expectations properly. It will also support your ground if issues do arise at a later date.

Communicate

Even the best policy is useless if it’s not properly communicated. Have an Employee Handbook in place to lay out all of your company’s policies and procedures. A copy should be given to all new team members upon employment and an Employee Handbook Receipt should be signed and returned to the employer to state that the employee has read and understood all of the policies and expectations laid out in the book. Your social media policy should also be included here as well.

Consider your position

Good management is all about balance and mutual respect. Be reasonable. In some businesses – take child or social care for example – it is vital that mobile phone use is heavily restricted in the workplace. If that’s the case, make sure that it’s clear in your policies and explain the reasons why. If you can allow flexible mobile phone usage, perhaps in an office environment, a gentle reminder communication, focussing on professional expectations will be helpful.

If you need advice or support on mobile phone policies, employee handbooks or any other aspect of HR management, Citation can help. Contact us today for more information.