Mobile phones- necessity?

[Andy Mac]

Hi there,
I am aware that this thread is barely associated with woodwork, but it seems to touch most people, and especially those running a business.
I'm just interested to know what the general feeling is amongst workers, both bosses and underlings, about the need for mobile phones in the workplace.
Reason I ask this is because at my workplace, a university, where I manage the art studios, we are very close to having all mobiles taken away and replaced with pagers. This is company supplied mobiles, not personal ones, and the reason given is cost. We are indeed strapped for cash, as many uni's are, and the $*,000-odd/year for our faculty's mobile bill is deemed too much.
I wouldn't want to be forking out that bill, but I think of my mobile as a very valuable productivety tool. I spend most of my time outside my office, walking through and around 3-4 buildings. I am contactable by students, admin, academic and other tech staff, as well as on-campus maintenance people, outside contractors and suppliers. There is also the very real safety issue in workshops and studios. I can only imagine the chaos of having to break off from whatever chore, to go searching for the nearest landline, or back to my office whenever I get a page.
I don't use the phone for personal calls, except to home when something comes up, but often I'll do that on a landline anyway. I don't get into SMS texting, its just a contact point for work related stuff. I actually dislike using a mobile for any length of time, don't like it stuck to the side of my head, so any call is brief anyhow.
That's my rant over, I'm just sick and tired of this whole profit margin based education system. How can I personally make money for a governement organisation to justify the cost of a "perk" like the mobile, when all it really is, is another tool like a set of spanners.

Look fwd to seeing the results of the poll, my first!

[RufflyRustic]

I hear ya Andy, would love to comment, but prolly better I don't..

cheers
Wendy

[Papa]

Of all the things technology has given us, they are the
bottom of the food chain.

I waste more time waiting for people to get the hell out of my
way while they are talking on the damn things. Sitting at a green
light, with their head up their,, walk away from their cart in the check
out line, block the door, block the isle, and if you say something,
they give a go to.,, look.

I will not ever have one.

We have a judge here that if a phone rings in his court room. you
go to jail for five days, no fines no appeals, five days.

[Ianab]

I do IT support work part time from home. Customers are mainly small businesses and their computers are generally vital to them. Without the mobile we just couldn't work as we do.

We have an office, but it's often un-attended. If clients need to contact me they can, if I'm busy they can leave a message and I generally call them back on the land line from where ever I am.

I have teenage children that only live here part time, so SMS gets used to keep in touch with them, and the rest of the family. Even my Mother uses SMS, it's the only way she can keep in touch with the grandchildren.

I also think they are horribly annoying, and I wouldn't have one is they weren't so darn usefull. But they do have an off switch, turn it off and people can talk to the nice machine and you can call them back later... or not.

Ian

[damian]

I used to work in IT, and had the darn mobile to go with it. hate the things.

Personally I think the "availability" argument is BS. People have got used to being able to contact others in an instant so they now expect it. So your computers down for a few hours. What does it REALLY matter ?

I have a personal one. Almost no one has my number and I often don't answer it even if I her it ringing. The mobile is for MY convenience not other people's. If you want me you email or sms, or call my home and leave a message on the answering machine (another piece of technology people USED to complain about). My mobile is for making calls when I'm on holiday, so I don't have to hammer my friends phones. That's it.

Oh and $20/year from vodafone and fantastic coverage. I'm happy.

[Bob38S]

Only turn mine on when I want to make a call or I know that a call is coming.

The rest of the time it is OFF - my time is mine - sounds selfish but I don't really care

[DavidG]

Having lived without them I would not be without one now.

For emergency calls they are great.

For family to keep in touch no matter where they are. We use them when going overseas.

As an alarm clock, reminder alarm. Good.

BUT I do not hand out the number for business reasons.
I never call back.

If I don't want to answer (unknown number) then I let it ring out.
If I am busy I ignore it.

I am boss.

[Andy Mac]

Thanks for the replies and votes. The one that sticks out is the support, or lack thereof, for a pager! Unfortunately, it looks like that's the way we're heading at work. They always seem like a dog whistle to me..."Here boy, that's a good boy!"
I actually don't have a personal one either, but the coverage is so atrocious here that its a gamble if it'll work.

Cheers

[silentC]

I don't think there is a one-size fits all answer. Some people's livelihoods depend on being contactable. If you're in any kind of on-call support role or business, there's no doubt you need one. My neighbour is a project manager for a construction company. He can run several jobs from whereever he is - order materials, contact trades, speak to clients so on. For him it is worth it's weight in gold and then some.

IT support - especially if you're out and about - I would say indispensable. If the uni had any nous (why are academic institutions so often so thick?) they would create a job profile for people who need them and fund on that basis, rather than just hand them out to all and sundry. Backwards thinking if you ask me to just introduce a blanket ban.

I've got one so my wife can tell me what to do and when to do it. 99% sms. If it rings, it's usually work or a client, so I ignore it One of my clients had the audacity to text me about a system problem at 9:30 the other night. I turned it off. I'm not paid to be on-call.

[damian]

And that brings up the other problem with them, people who insist on talking on the darn things regardless. It's bad enogh when they break off a conversation to do it, but when they have the darn thing in their ears driving I see red.

I realise I'm singling out only one problem group but has anyone else noticed how tradies, especially building industry tradies, seem to have taken to driving great big utes, talking on the phone constantly and showing absolutely no regard for anyone else on the road ? I swear if one of them hits me I'm going to deck him.

I realise there are plenty of other problem drivers on the road, but those guys really shock me.

[silentC]

I was on my way into Merimbula yesterday and a guy in a tray top pulled out in front of me. He tooled off up the road but shortly after we got into the 70 zone, he starts to slow down, causing me to have to brake, then on come the brakes and he pulls off the road (no indicator). As I went past, he was picking up his phone. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

[Ron Dunn]

Damien, DEFINITELY ... I nearly got run over by one of the pr*cks in Swanston Street yesterday ... busy with his phone in his lap, didn't see the lights change at a pedestrian crossing.

[Cliff Rogers]

Where is the Rat's Ring option?

I'm a computer tech, I've had one for 19 years now.
The first phone I bought cost me $3000 & I reckon it had paid for itself in less than a year.

Very handy for tradies, road warriors, anybody who lives more than walking distance from a public phone or a neighbour (as long as they are not that remote that there is no service)

Also useful for rounding up stray family members while they are away from home as long as they have the bloody thing switched on, charged & are in a service area.

[Andy Mac]

Where is the Rat's Ring option?

Sorry Cliff, didn't know you'd be here, but tis my first poll. I'll make sure of it next time!