Universidad del Istmo

English Department

Compossition

Parts of a Report

Research Report

Professor
Madelyn Moreno Pinzn

Students
Cheryl Best
Madlyn Richards

IV Quarter

February 201
Why Banning Cell Phones in Meetings is good for Company
Culture
Cheryl Best
Madlyn Richards

Executive Summary:
The objective of this report was to investigate the staff attitudes to
personal mobile phone use in staff and team meetings. A survey was
conducted to colleagues to know what they thought about the use of cell
phones in work meetings and as was expected the vast majority
considered it is a method of distraction most of the time. As expected,
opinions on cell phone usage vary greatly by age too.

Introduction:
In the digital age, not only are tech devices commonly permitted in
boardrooms and meeting spaces, but theyre also widely considered
essential tools for doing business. But a new study suggests that that
mindset is not as universal as many industry insiders might think: Many
meeting professionals still consider smartphones and tablets to be a
disruptive force that interrupts thoughts and discussions that happen in
meeting spaces.

Methods:
This research was conducted by questionnaire and investigated staff
members attitudes to the use of mobile phones in staff / team meetings.
In total there were 554 surveys. No personal information was collected;
the survey was voluntary and anonymous.

Results
Researchers surveyed 554 full-time working professionals who earned
more than $30K in income and were employed by companies with at
least 50 employees. They asked survey participants about the use of
smartphones in formal and informal meetings to uncover attitudes about
answering calls, writing or reading emails or text messages, browsing
the internet, and other mobile phone related behaviors. The research
indicates that older professionals and those with higher incomes are far
more likely to think it is inappropriate to be checking text messages or
emails during meetings of any kind.

Discussion / Interpretation of Results

Key findings include:
86% think it's inappropriate to answer phone calls during formal
meetings
84% think it's inappropriate to write texts or emails during formal
meetings
75% think it's inappropriate to read texts or emails during formal
meetings
66% think it's inappropriate to write texts or emails during any meetings
At least 22% think it's inappropriate to use phones during any meetings

Conclusion
Many people find smartphone use in meetings to be inappropriate
because of these reasons:
Lack of respect. You consider the information on your phone to be more
important than the conversation in the meeting; you view people outside
of the meeting to be more important than those sitting right in front of
you.
Lack of attention. You are unable to stay focused on one item at a time;
the ability to multitask is a myth.
Lack of listening. You arent demonstrating the attention and thinking
that is required of truly active listening.
Lack of power. You are like a modern day Pavlovian dog who responds to
the beck and call of others through the buzz of your phone.
The use of mobile phones in staff meetings is clearly disruptive and they
should be switched off. You must receive personal phone calls in staff
meetings under certain circumstances, but with permission from the
team leader, manager or chair.

Recommendations
We recognize that cell phones (and smartphones especially) have
become an integral part of everyday life. They may be a great asset if
used correctly (for productivity apps, calendars, business calls etc.)
But, cell phones may also cause problems when used imprudently or
excessively.
It is recommended to have an official policy that should recommend the
following:

Turn off or silence their phones when asked.

If an employees phone usage causes a decline in productivity or
interferes with the operations, that employee will be ban from using
his cell phones.
Mobiles phone may be used in exceptional circumstances but only with
the permission of the appropriate manager or chair.
Apply policy to all staff in the business.

Glossary:

1. Tech device : a unit of hardware , outside or inside the case or

housing for the essential computer (processor, memory, and data
paths) that is capable of providing input to the essential computer
or of receiving output or of both, for example a smartphone.
2. Boardrooms: a room set aside for meetings of a board, as of a
corporation.
3. Disruptive: causing, tending to cause, or caused by disruption;
disrupting
4. Multitask: (of one person) to perform two or more tasks
simultaneously.
5. Asset: a single item of ownership having exchange value.