Speakerphone Etiquette 9

[Sparweb]

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

 

[BSVBD]

I've been in this small firm of seven employees for 20 years. Other than the boss who has his own office, we are in open cubes.

I'm grateful that (2) of the original employees (when i came on board) are now gone, only for the fact that the first thing they did every morning was turn on the overhead radio that we all had to involuntarily listen to. Now that they're gone, the overhead does not come on.

Apparently, in my office, i've been conditioned to what we've been doing for the past twenty years. We have phone conversations with clients throughout the entire day, that everyone in the office can hear. If two or more of us need to speak to the contractor, we simply put it on speaker-phone, as is necessary, we have our conversation, conduct business, and we all move on with our work. Why is this a problem? Nobody (in our office) is doing anything malicious!

We DO have a small and large conference room available, but, why uproot all of our plans, construction documents, etc, and pull away from our computers where much more of the critical information usually is?

Apparently my office environment is much different than most.

Do any of you listen to radios while working? How much of that language is related to your job?

Please forgive me - i don't mean to be critical, but, i apparently work in a much more tolerable and peaceable office environment where people are content. Open speaker-phone conversations have never been considered a problem.

 

[SkipVought]

If I were doing monkey work, some conversations going on would not be a problem. But when I'm working on a design or anything that takes consentration and thought, those same voices would be a deep distraction.

Maybe folks in your area just aren't doing much creative work.

Skip,
[sub]
Just traded in my OLD subtlety...
for a NUance![/sub]

 

[monkeydog]

BSVBD -
If a coworker asked you to refrain from using the speaker phone in an "open area" and/or turn the volume down - would you give your coworker the same "I have been doing this for 20 years - deal with it" response?

 

[zelgar]

I do think it's a little funny that BSVBD had a problem with 2 former employees turning on the radio, but doesn't see a problem with using a speaker phone. Either item is being discourteous to your fellow employees by forcing them to listen to what you want to hear. In most cases, technology has advanced to minimize our impacts to others (e.g., headphones for radios, 3-way calling or networking of computers instead of using the speakerphone in the middle of the office). Why is "common" courtesy so uncommon anymore?

 

[Debaser]

Three words 'Skype for Business'.

Has the advantage of allowing conference calls where everyone can stay at their own PCs and the meeting leader can either present their screen to everyone or allow any one of the participants to take control to point out a problem. It also means if someone needs to consult reference material they can search their hard copy library or their hard-drive without leaving the call and missing out on any of the conversation - then share their screen if they need to refer to a .pdf or .dwg. Can also allow conference calls the old-fashioned way with one group in a meeting room with a speakerphone and the rest all over the shop.

Has the disadvantage of making an engineering office look like a call centre. And some people just do not like headsets.

 

[BSVBD]

Skip, monkeydog, zelgar...

I didn't mean to cause strife...

All i meant to express is that in our (small) office, everyone uses speakerphone, only in rare cases when more than (2) people need to be part of the conversation, as it seems to be the most expeditious procedure, especially when the boss initiates it.

Since we all use speakerphone, nobody would ask another to refrain or turn the volume down, and solving a problem with a client is not what i would voluntarily "want to hear".

 

[monkeydog]

BSVBD,

No strife here, my company is larger then 20 people, my office area is close to 15 people. Most people in my office are on some sort of conference call at some point in the day, most people in the office are courteous enough to their coworkers as to not pollute the office with that noise pollution.

I don't have to deal with everyone in the office using speaker phones when a conference call-in number works well.

 

[JTV01]

I detest the use of speakerphones in open/public spaces. Unfortunately at my current company as well as my last company everyone is in love with their speakerphone and are more concerned with their convenience than others. I view these people as arrogant and rude and with very few exceptions I learn that that is exactly what they are.

Any speakerphone conversations belong behind closed doors with everyone involved in the call aware of who is attending.

Just my two cents.

 

[wtxhorsman]

Honestly it depends on your cube space. Most of ours are laid out in a way that the sound won't travel to your neighbor. That doesn't stop them from giving us the nice wireless headsets though, which make it easier to multitask since you can actually step away from your desk to some degree.

 

[SectionIX]

Perhaps equip each cubicle with a "Cone of Silence"?

 

[geesamand]

I put my desk phone on speaker when I have someone else with me. I advise the other caller "I'm putting you on speaker - I have (xx) here with me". Then I ensure everyone is able to hear each other clearly without making too much fuss. This is occasional (weekly at most) and impromptu. For any planned call I find a conference room or empty office and make it professional.

It is definitely rude to handle a call with a handsfree device just so that you can multi-task. Especially if the caller is your customer. I guess if my customer is doing it, I have to no place to be offended, but if I'm not able to hear them I might politely insist on adjustments to ensure we have zero miscommunication.

 

[RyreInc]

It seems to me that a speakerphone conversation is akin to a face-to-face conversation. Is the latter annoying to some of you as well?

Or is the volume of phone conversations so much larger than face-to-face ones that it is the shear quantity, rather than the type, of overheard communication?

I would even say a phone conversation where you can hear both parties is better than one where you can hear only one of them - you don't have to try and work out what the other person must have said to elicit a given response.

 

[KENAT]

"It seems to me that a speakerphone conversation is akin to a face-to-face conversation. Is the latter annoying to some of you as well? "

Can be, some peoples voices are at volumes/pitches where they are more distracting than others. Or some discussions may be easier/harder to ignore for other reasons too.

In cube farms with high walls and good sound absorption sitting down in the cube reduces sound quite a bit, but often conversations have at least one participant standing which negates this. Low walls or truly open office you don't even get this respite.

Speakerphone with the volume turned well down may be OK but there are still issues:

1. The person in the office will typically speak louder with crisper diction when using the speaker phone - not sure if this is actually necessary all the time or if it's psychological concern over the microphone being further away than when you hold the phone in your hand. However, makes them more intrusive than when they are just on regular phone a lot of the time.
2. On true conference calls the volumes of different callers can vary - speakerphone has to be turned up so the quietest/poorest line quality participant can be heard.

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[ohiocad]

I can see both sides on this one, and can argue for and against both sides on this one. We have an open office plan with cubicles here as well, and there are a few people that routinely use speakerphones for meetings.

Sometimes, that can be justified, like multiple people around the desk where that specific software is installed. Solves computer performance issues over remote connections, leaves all necessary related documents close at hand, etc. Other times, it is a single person here on the call, and that is when I believe that it crosses over the line into unnecessary distraction, etc. (Unless there is a valid reason, like needing two hands to manipulate a sample that was sent, and is a subject in the call, etc.

I know it can be unavoidable if the conference room is booked, and multiple people have to be involved in a conversation, so at those times, grin and deal with it. I know everyone could simple dial in from their phones, but spread through the office, it's tougher to see if someone picks up a drawing and points to something.

When it is all said and done, strictly in-house, in an open office setting, I err on the side of no speakerphone conversations, unless there is a specific reason to do so. That said.... with respect to the party on the other end of the phone, I believe that it can be quite insulting to put them on speaker so you can keep on working, especially if it is something unrelated. Basically telling them they're not worth your full attention. Even if it is a conversation that is related to the job, but not your scope, so it really doesn't involve you, never want to give the client the impression that they're unimportant, or less important. Bad form.

As an aside... my favorite.... when someone in one of the edge offices talks to someone else in another one of the edge offices... BOTH on speaker... both loud talkers. I get to hear the conversation 3 times, at least. Once when they say it, slight delay coming through the other end, and a third when it echoes off the walls in the open area. That's assuming that the mic in office 1 doesn't pick up the speakerphone in office 2, for what office 1 just said.... then that gets to be unrelenting feedback that makes you want to start cutting phone cords. When this occurs, I can see no valid reason for it. If it's necessary for the speakerphone, close the office doors. If it's not necessary, don't do it.

 

[Korichnevijgigant]

I used to have a project manager who would (loudly) talk on his cell phone to customers while walking up and down the main hall of the building (even though he had a nice office). My teams office space was across the hall from his office so he would regularly stand next to our cube farm door and talk on his phone.

He would even talk while in a stall in the restroom.

It was RIDICULOUS as well as rude to everyone in the building and in my mind to the customers he would talk to on the phone.

I dont mind my coworkers having private conversations, but it can get rather annoying depending on the common sense level of the person having the conversation.

 

[IRstuff]

I've never understood the notion of answering your phone in a toilet stall; it's my quiet time and it sucks to have it interrupted by some knucklehead in the next stall talking to someone on their cell phone.

TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
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[BSVBD]

Guys / Gals / Engineers / Team…

I CAN see SOME aspects of BOTH sides of this discussion.

I have MY opinions… You have YOUR opinions… We are ALL different… So are “THEY”… We ALL have to work TOGETHER.

I understand the challenge.

I’m in a small office. Some of you are in large cube farms. As much as I may be able to sympathize and imagine, I CANNOT empathize with the cube farm.

I work with reasonable people. I work in the luxury that all seven of us ARE on the same page.

Giving the benefit of the doubt, and considering that EVERY participant in this discussion is a reasonable person, and EVERY individual that we are speaking about, that are causing these speakerphone offenses (myself included), to varying degrees of intolerance, are NOT reasonable persons, perhaps even intentionally proud, arrogant, disrespectful, agitators, agent provocateurs… I DO perceive that the participants of this thread ARE experiencing a greater degree of stress / disturbance / annoyance / disrespect / etc… than what I am exposed to, in this area of speakerphone-abuse.

We ALL experience stress. I DO understand what a 60, 70 and 80-hour work week is like. I experience stress, unfairness, imbalance, fatigue, unreasonable people (and they experience me) etc… I DO experience workplace conflicts and unreasonable people... and they experience me.

What concerns me is that this alleged speakerphone-abuse is causing needless mental and emotional stress, grief, pain, trauma…

EVERY… ONE… of you are comrades for an indispensable cause at your workplace. NONE of you needs this pain!

There are FAR MORE weightier matters to be distressed over.

If “they” annoy you… if they cause pain… if you are disturbed because of them… THEY WIN!!!

OVERCOME!!! YOU ARE WORTH IT!!!

If you feel the abuse MUST be stopped… do something about it.

If doing something about it will cause MORE hardship (ONLY by “THEM” – I understand!), then you have a decision to make. One month from now, if the abuse continues and you see no resolve, is it worth clinging to the anguish?

We each have a choice… if it continues and there is no apparent resolution to your preference… smile… or frown… the choice is yours. Have a good day or have a bad day. “They” cannot control that! (If they CAN, there is certainly something more than speakerphone abuse at hand.)

You ALL have a job to do… be content… or complain and be miserable…

The choice is yours… HAVE a GREAT weekend… relax…

 

[monkeydog]

IRstuff -
I like it when the next stall over is on the cell phone.
I take it as a personal challenge to outdo myself with as loud of a bodily noises as I can.[flush]

 

[SkipVought]

Sorry, I cannot be content when I'm attempting to do my work and some person persists to disrupt others with no regard for their work environment. How can anyone be content with not being able to perform at their best level because of some rude colleague?

Of course there are thing one can do under these conditions. I've scooped up my laptop and headed for a quiet place, for one. That's not the issue.




Skip,
[sub]
Just traded in my OLD subtlety...
for a NUance![/sub]

 

[VEBill]

Who would even install a speakerphone in cubicle?

Offices (with doors) and Conference Rooms (with doors) have speakerphones; Cubicles (open) just don't. It's one of those common sense rules that you don't even notice, until it's broken.

It's a failure of Facility Management or I.T. or whoever installed it.