Employee Cell Phone Use

[battalion51]

Unfortunately this is one of those topics where there will never be universal consensus. There are always appropriate and inappropriate times for cell phone use. A lot of it has to do with social acceptability. Some people say it's completely inappropriate to use phones at work, text/e-mail, whatever. But here's what most people miss, CONTEXT. There are many times when I've stood in the lobby of my hotel, been talking with my GM, and we're both on our respective Blackberries reading and writing e-mails. But we're both ok with it because we're in the right context. Now, if I'm standing there and talking with an irate guest and I'm typing on my Blackberry, not appropriate. Same location, same surroundings, completely different context. It's all about appropriate context y'all.

 

[Bierboy]

Man....maybe I'm not paying attention but I have never had a trip on Amtrak where I have seen any one other than the conductor on a telephone...

I think I saw a SCA on one, outside at a fresh air break, on this last x-country trip. That's about it for the 14k miles I've ridden.

I've done about 10k the past 7 years, and I don't recall seeing one Amtrak employee using a cell...

 

[The Metropolitan]

I certainly don't condone social blabbering on a cell phone while on duty, and I've honestly never seen an Amtrak Employee doing so in all of my time on trains.

However, I do have to ask this to those who have replied that the rules should be hard and fast regarding this.

If you were an OBS employee, and one of your very closest loved ones whom you've lived with for years suddenly called you, had just encountered something very traumatic and was pretty much on the verge of a nervous breakdown, would you be able to tell them you had to hang up on them in order to sell a bag of potato chips to a stranger?

 

[D T Nelson]

If you were an OBS employee, and one of your very closest loved ones whom you've lived with for years suddenly called you, had just encountered something very traumatic and was pretty much on the verge of a nervous breakdown, would you be able to tell them you had to hang up on them in order to sell a bag of potato chips to a stranger?

If I were on duty, selling bags of potato chips to strangers, my cell phone would be turned off, so I would not receive that call. Later, when I was off duty, I would turn my phone on, listen to the hysterical voice message, and call that person back. Professional people do their jobs; only slackers make personal calls on paid time.

 

[AmtrakPDX]

Well, when I was stuck on a Silver for 24+hours, I am so glad that the Conductor had a personal cell phone. Amtrak made no attempt at all to provide our train with any info (even the Conductor). Thankfully, the Conductor was able to use his personal cell to call co-workers (on other trains and in their offices), and collect some info.
Clearly, Amtrak should require all employees to have cell phones, since Amtrak itself isn't able to officially get important info to its own trains. Amtrak demonstrated that to me, leaving no doubt at all.

Our recent experience was that all AMTRAK personnel who HAD to have official communication had company issued radios. We monitored the RR frequencies with our handheld scanner and appreciated an 'appropriate' amount of information being exchanged.

 

[transit54]

If you were an OBS employee, and one of your very closest loved ones whom you've lived with for years suddenly called you, had just encountered something very traumatic and was pretty much on the verge of a nervous breakdown, would you be able to tell them you had to hang up on them in order to sell a bag of potato chips to a stranger?

If I were on duty, selling bags of potato chips to strangers, my cell phone would be turned off, so I would not receive that call. Later, when I was off duty, I would turn my phone on, listen to the hysterical voice message, and call that person back. Professional people do their jobs; only slackers make personal calls on paid time.

Actually, that did happen to me when I was in the airlines...and my phone was locked in my locker (per company policy) and I only got the call after my shift was done. Not much I could have done anyway. At the same time, I did check my phone on some breaks, including paid breaks.

I think that's really the dividing line - is the employee on break or not on break? It shouldn't matter if its a paid or unpaid break - a break is a break, and the employee can do what they choose.

 

[battalion51]

Well, when I was stuck on a Silver for 24+hours, I am so glad that the Conductor had a personal cell phone. Amtrak made no attempt at all to provide our train with any info (even the Conductor). Thankfully, the Conductor was able to use his personal cell to call co-workers (on other trains and in their offices), and collect some info.
Clearly, Amtrak should require all employees to have cell phones, since Amtrak itself isn't able to officially get important info to its own trains. Amtrak demonstrated that to me, leaving no doubt at all.

Our recent experience was that all AMTRAK personnel who HAD to have official communication had company issued radios. We monitored the RR frequencies with our handheld scanner and appreciated an 'appropriate' amount of information being exchanged.

Cell phone use, and radio use, completely different things. Radios are used for operations like clearing the train for departure, signal calling, slow orders, etc. However, it is necessary to use cell phones for company business sometimes. For example, if the boss man needs to call you from JAX and you're in BFE, radio doesn't work. I can recall a couple of occasions where a dispatcher would pull a, "CSX Dispatcher JAX to P098, Mr. Fortune has requested you call him on his company phone." It's also necessary on occasion to call CNOC in Wilmington which is completely unreachable by radio. Finally, the third instance when necessary is when you tone the dispatcher and they straight up just don't answer. So you call their landline, or you call the chief.