If you haven’t typed THX, LOL, or GTG on your phone keypad within the last 24 hours, chances are you eventually will. Every year, texting is becoming more and more popular. According to Nielsen Wire, a media research corporation, over 2.5 billion texts are sent each day in the US, and the primary use of cell phones is now to send texts, not make phone calls. In particular, the texting use of the generation that will be entering the workforce in a few years is exploding. The average American teen sends over 3,300 texts every month.
With that kind of popularity, the workplace couldn’t expect to remain unaffected for long, as a survey from textPlus, a free texting app, recently showed. According to the survey, 11% of college students and recent grads think it’s fine to ask for a raise through a text, 32% say it’s appropriate to “call in sick” by text, and 11% think it’s ok to quit a job via a text. More than two out of 10 respondents have actually texted in sick, and the numbers for the following generation, ages 13 to 17, are even higher.
This research indicates that texting will continue to impact the workplace as more generations enter the business world. Just like the push to incorporate social media policies, companies will soon be building texting policies and procedures to guard against liabilities and address proper workplace texting etiquette, if they haven’t already. And, just as businesses’ attendance, dress code, and social media policies come in all shapes and sizes, so will texting policies. So, take the time to tailor your team’s texting procedures to fit your company needs.
I know of managers who have told their employees its fine to text in sick, while others expect a phone call and doctor’s note instead. So, what do you think about texting in the workplace? Have you clearly communicated with employees what your texting expectations and rules are? And what are your employees texting you? Share your thoughts below.
CUL8R.
In South Africa texting is very popular as well. It is pretty normal for people to text in sick or late or stuck in traffic. However resigning via text for me is okay but you still need to submit your letter. At this stage we have not set texting rules or spoke to employees. The key question is Has the employee communicated their absence within reasonable time by what ever means?
We use texting here at the office to connect with all of our practitioners. Keeps you on your toes, gets the info to them quickly and keeps them mobile so that they are not tied to a computer station to look constantly for inter-office emails. A quick text and you can keep progressing on the same project without long interruptions.
It our workplace city, the people have changed their attitudes about employment. When a local huge department discount store came to town, they received tons of applications, but few that could actually qualify to pass a drug test! These types of people have no scruples about quitting a job and not bothering to tell anyone, let alone writing a letter. A text is better than nothing, but you can bet that their recommendation is going to be by text too!
Texting is just one more step removed from reality. People need to interact with each other face to face, or at least over the phone, and not through a tiny little screen.
I’ve had to threaten employees for texting during work.
At lunch or on break is fine but when it affects productivity the plug gets pulled.
Call in sick or have someone call in for you. Quitting via text is about as spineless as you can get.
We have had 3 associates loose their assignments because of texting while they were supposed to be working.
I’m sorry, I just don’t get it, they are being paid to work not chat with friends, or make plans.
All that can be done on their lunch hour or break.
We do not receive text msg on our phones and people get mad because I did not get their message. Here is an idea, call me,
I love to make plans and catch up, I also love the sound of my friends voices.
I’m not a big fan of texting and would much prefer communicating by phone. About the only time I feel texting is OK is if I get someone’s voicemail and they respond by text because they are in a meeting or somewhere that they don’t want others hearing their conversation. Although I wonder how they manage to take a voicemail while in a meeting in the first place!
I greatly disapprove of quitting by texting, but I’ve also had too many people quit by simply not showing up or just dropping out of sight without any explanation and never responding to my phone calls to find out what is going on.