By Robert W. Wendover

This article concludes the author’s three-part exploration of a five-step process geared towards surmounting the obstacles and unlocking the opportunities around smart phone technologies in the workplace. Read Part One  or Part Two. Or, here is a brief summary that leads us up to the final step:

1. Begin by brainstorming a comprehensive list of the ways in which smart phones are being used in your workplace.
2a. After you have developed this list, consider the environment in which you and your colleagues work.
2b. At the same time, consider the costs and benefits of smart phone use within your workplace.
3. Conduct a cross-generational review.
4. Introduce the guidelines.

5. Enforce the implementation consistently.

Any new practice will inevitably be challenged by those who find it inconvenient or limiting. But rather than attempting to adjudicate every transgression, managers should be encouraged to use their common sense. If the guidelines have been explained in such a way that employees find them reasonable rather than arbitrary, then most should embrace them willingly. In most places, there is a significant portion of the staff who find these devices distracting and intrusive. While these guidelines are necessary, those to whom they are really targeted may be few in number.

It is only after an inappropriate behavior has become a pattern that it should be addressed. What is inappropriate? That resides in the judgment of the supervisor. Is it acceptable, for instance, for someone to spend an hour or more on their smart phone every day checking Facebook, sending Tweets and shopping for personal items? How about if their work gets done? If it is okay for that person, does it become acceptable for everyone else on the team? Suppose the others are not as productive? How do you draw distinctions without appearing unfair or inconsistent?

Much of this comes down to setting clear and specific expectations in the first place. If this is done, there will be fewer times when enforcing these guidelines may be necessary. Those enforcing the parameters of a smart phone protocol need to be encouraged to use their judgment for individual situations rather than setting new sub-rules for every individual situation. After all, that’s what managers and supervisors are paid to do.

The use of smart phones and other mobile technologies are here to stay. There will always be concern among employers about time drain and inappropriate use. But the organizations that actively embrace their use within reasonably developed parameters will be able to take advantage of the opportunities they present as well. Initiate the effort now.

Robert W. Wendover is Director of the Center for Generational Studies and author of the forthcoming book, Common Sense by Friday: The Future of Critical Thinking in a Menu-Driven World. Contact him at robert.wendover@generationaldiversity.com

This article was originally published on www.generationaldiversity.com. Reprinted with permission.

Interested in more information on managing electronic devices in the workplace? Check out this ‘Bring Your Own Device’ Infographic from BizTech magazine:

BYOD: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly