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Speakerphone Etiquette 9

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Sparweb

Sparweb

Aerospace
May 21, 2003
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I thought I'd take a poll of the etiquette of using the speakerphone in cubicle office spaces.
While I would agree that it can be annoying if used frequently, at high volume, or needlessly, I find that it is useful in some cases. If some folks disagree with me, I'd like to hear their opinions. Who does use it, who doesn't, when it is OK?

If anyone is interested, here is a specific situation when I do use speaker, roughly once a week, even if it could be bothersome to others in neighboring cubicles.

I use speakerphone when I need to call in to a remote office and discuss complicated subjects, especially when others from my office need to listen in and take part in the discussion, and this will often involve using my computer for on-screen demonstration through my software (they will share my screen and see what I'm showing them, and vice-versa). Headphones only help if I'm the only one listening on this end, but often there are 2-3 others beside me taking part. They pull up a chair and we can all chime in when needed.

Obviously, this would be a good use for a boardroom, however the boardrooms at my company are usually booked, and more to the point, the software I need is not installed on the computers in the boardrooms (3D CAD, finite-element analysis, etc.). My other option is to remotely log in to my workstation computer from the boardroom computer. This is painfully slow, both to get set up every time and to use (mouse lag). So I usually gain nothing in computer power when using a boardroom. So, I'm back to speakerphone at my desk.

Some of you may suspect that I have a problem with the IT department of my company - this is true. If I get a couple of good suggestions from the group, I will see about making changes to the equipment we use and how to convince the IT guy that he should waste spend his time doing it.


STF
 
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Hi,

If you're alone in your cube, I'd say that it is rude to use the speaker, unless you are also alone in the office area.

If you need to include others from your location, then use a conference room phone or a manager's office behind closed doors.

Using a speaker on a phone call with other non-interested parties in the vicinity is downright rude and uncaring of your colleagues!

Skip,
[sub]
[glasses]Just traded in my OLD subtlety...
for a NUance![tongue][/sub]
 
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Group settings are acceptable to me, as are (rare) times when you need both hands free (such as helping debug a circuit remotely). While I'm not a fan of group meetings in a cube, I would begrudgingly accept one knowing the limitations of software install locations and tied up meeting rooms.

Sounds like you have a reasonable grasp on their "proper" use. If you want the IT guy to fix things, you'll likely have to convince management the current behavior is interrupting the usual workflow of others and costing the company money. This will be a very hand-wavy proposition, so make sure it waves heavily in your favor.

Dan - Owner
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In my opinion i would consider you to be a rude person if you used speakerphone in an open office - unless everybody was a part of the teleconference! Get a meeting room or use a headset. If other persons in the same office wants to listen in they can dial into the meeting too using their own headsets. I even think prsons having long phone conversations with headsets or "normal" phones are annoying and wish they would go somewhere else - but once in while you start a phoneconversation that drags out...
 
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I find it annoying. A guy in my office does so routinely; even 20 meters away, one can clearly hear both sides of the conversation. He is a rude and annoying person, with limited intelligence, and cannot take the hint. It is amusing at times, though, like listening to him try to grasp basic engineering principles, or the time he got his less than stellar performance review over the phone.

If, in your case, you need to use the speakerphone in a group setting:

1. Keep the phone volume to a reasonable, minimal level
2. Keep your voice and those of your peers in the cubicle to a minimum
3. Keep the meeting to as short as possible
4. Ask if you can acquire a white noise generator to somewhat alleviate the situation for your co-workers
5. Make speakerphone use the exception, rather than the rule
6. Stay on topic. Its one thing to discuss work over the speaker phone, but your neighbors don't want to hear about your plans for the weekend.
7. Ask those not talking to mute their phone. Dog's barking, a bad connection, noise in the background, etc. add to the frustration
 
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Perhaps you need to see if one of these works
For me, use of a speakerphone in a "open" or even cubicle office is one of lifes no no's. A bit like going out with your friends ex girlfriend. Yes it happens, no it's not illegal BUT....

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.
 
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About the only time I use it is when something has hit the fan and I'm working on the problem with someone in my office, and get a phone call about same.


P.S. I have a rule to add: ask if you're on speaker before you start cursing.
 
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I haven't had to work in a cubicle for 20 years, I guess I'm lucky. I do use speakerphone sometimes when I have to move around my office, looking at drawings, using the whiteboard to sort something out, and using a computer, to answer questions over the phone.

I understand the concept, but I think doing the same in a cubicle would be hard on your co-residents in the cubicle farm,

And always tell the other party that you're on speakerphone, and list those who are with you or join you in your space.
 
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SparWeb - while I see you've tried to find alternatives and are stymied by your IT infrastructure I don't like what you're doing.

People using speaker phones in their cubes where I can hear them tends to be disruptive - even with head phones on and music playing. Oh - and I used to have noise cancelling headphones but they didn't work well cancelling speaking or similar 'variable' sounds. So when I got new headphones I didn't bother with noise cancelling.

I never use speaker phone by myself, a few time I've had someone in my cube from another dept that wants to call someone and have both of use talk in which case I've used it but try to keep the call short as possible - and don't like it.

Posting guidelines faq731-376 (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​
 
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By the way, regarding any ideas to keep the calls short etc. - sadly the damage may already be done by the initial interruption. I've seen/heard several articles/stories etc. about how after an interruption it can take 15-25 minute on average to get back to the level of concentration you had on a task before being interrupted. A quick Google search brings up a bunch of results along these lines.

Posting guidelines faq731-376 (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​
 
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I think the OP is doing everything right. I too prefer a conference room for these types of meetings but have worked for companies where more often than not those rooms are occupied. Use speaker phone in a cubicle as a last resort. Hopefully it's rare that you do this and your coworkers are in the same boat you are so they most likely understand.
 
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Dan - is that you?

I told you before, I do not care to listen to you calls, I have my own work to do without you dominating any sense of peace. Find an empty office/conference room I don't care. It is not my problem if believe everyone around you needs to hear how important you think you are.

Please - see the secretary get a head set, or schedule a conference room.

If this is Tim sorry Dan.
 
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Thank you, everyone!

As I suspected, there is about 90% dislike among those who responded. In my office, it's really becoming the norm (I'm not the only one) but this is sounding more like settling down to the lowest standard of office etiquette - especially for those who suffer in silence. Most people in the office are now doing this, but now I'm thinking the ones who don't, just know they're in the minority so they don't say anything.

Forgive me - I was born with a pretty thick skin, and the work environments of my first 15 years have been much noisier than this one. I'm used to noise. It's not fair to expect this of everyone, of course. The only way I can find out, though, is by reading off-hand comments about it on Eng-Tips since nobody mentions anything at work. Another reason for me to read these forums!

What I really need to do is encourage "cultural" change to raise the standard of consideration, for everyone's sake. OK I'll try to set an example, make the effort to fix the boardroom computers, and get headsets that can be plugged into everyone's telephones. Just having all the phones set up properly would probably cut the abuse in half.


STF
 
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I'm a little less strongly opposed to it. I think only frequent abusers should be publicly flogged. The occasional instance is to be understood, and if a coworker does it /rarely/ I would afford them the benefit of the doubt that it was necessary for reasons possibly not apparent (headphones broke, needs both hands for computer/other things, etc)

We have but one conference room here, and sometimes a closed-door office is unavailable - especially when the call doesn't include a participant with a closed-door office.

I went from being in an office alone with a door I could close, to a group setting with 3 others recently. It was in the interest of "increasing collaboration, and better utilizing our specialized talents to better the group performance". (the other two are estimators/sales, and the third is a prjoect manager/estimator) Given the large amount of communication the others need, I had to get used to it.

I got some cordless bluetooth earphones. For the first long while, I had them in all the time. Now I rarely "plug in" to silence my surroundings. I also work attached to a manufacturing shop so I may be more accustomed to noise during work.
 
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If you overhear a conversation that seems like it shouldn't be on speaker, it means they must want your input. So feel free to chime in by yelling over the cube wall.
 
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You don't need speaker phone to produce lot of noise.

I worked once in the office building converted from warehouse. The managers and salespeople were given "private" drywalled enclosures with doors but without ceilings.

You have no idea how loud person can be if he / she thinks nobody can hear the conversation.

"For every expert there is an equal and opposite expert"
Arthur C. Clarke Profiles of the future
 
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