Personal Cell Phone Use by Employees

Nobody seems to get the fact that the employee may have been the bi
lingual person on duty taking orders from the drive thru is both
english and spanish

Where I work (in a schoo), we are not allowed to be on the phone (our
cell phone or a land line that is in the building) without permision
from our supervisor. How ever, my superviser takes this to mean, get
your work done and don't let anyone else catch you on the phone. I had
a parent complain on me one day because she saw me on my phone having
what she new to be a personal call because I was smiling, and talking
nicely about what I had left to do. The parent walked by me, didn't
even need me for anything and then went and reported me. Turns out I
was on the phone with my supervisor who called to ask me what I had
left to do so she would know if I had time to come help her with
something a parent needed. She called me because she wasn't sure where
I was and didn't want to waste everyone's time by trying to hunt me
down especially if I didn't have the time to help. You never know why
a person is on a call and as long as they are doing their job and not
using inapropriate language it is none of your buisness IMO.

How do you know it was a personal cell phone earpiece? I work in an
office where the hands free for the desktop phones look just like the
bluetooth earpieces. Maybe they're trying something new?

Perhaps you should have addressed the issue with the manager rather
than making your assumptions.

When I'm making a purchase at a place of business, I want the clerks
undivided attention.

I don't want her taking another order or discussing a "family
emergency".

If this is the stores policy, it's wrong. It's rude and it's ignorant.
I would go somewhere else.

I work in the Customer Service Industry and if I get caught using my
cell phone on the job I would be fired!
Burger King should have a "no cell phone" policy! In your position I
would dial the phone number of this particular BK establishment where
the aforementioned incident occurred!

My sister worked in FF and had a few emergency calls that were not
answered because no one was in the office and the employees couldn't
hear the phone ringing out on the floor. She was also let go from a FF
job for looking at - not answering or talking - her cell phone during
a lull.

The same thing happens at the convenience stores as well and it is
very rude

I think people will defend all bad behavior on this site. It doesn't
matter what or who she was talking about. No personal calls should be
taken when dealing with customers for any reason ever. If an emergency
arises, then store manager will inform the employee and the call
should be made in private.

how do you feel about customers who yap on a phone while the employee
is trying to take their order?

even if the girl was taking drive up orders she still should have said
something to the OP. A simple statement like "I'm sorry I am taking
drive up orders as well" or "I am sorry, I have to take this call but
they really need me on the register as well" most likely would have
helped the situation.

Everyone's reply is centering around Race - being that the OP put "The
young lady who took our order was having a personal conversation, in
Spanish, on her cell phone"... take out the part about the
conversation being in Spanish, and I'm sure 99% of the garbage replies
would be non-applicable.

In no retail/fast food establishment, does their exist a Drive-Thru
headset device that is the shape and size of a Bluetooth ear-set.
Size is prohibitive and the cost of such an item is restrictive.

Chances are this person was on a phone call. If you all seriously
think that it's OK (regardless of reason) to speak on a call, in any
language, while a PAYING customer is waiting to place an order...
there is a problem. When I am in line, I don't care where I'm at, I
best have your full attention. If you have an emergency that requires
you to be on a phone call, go get your manager (who was standing next
to the employee in this case) and have them take the order for you.
NO reason for you to be rude to the customer in line.

I don't care what the response, what the opinion, you should NOT be at
work (in a public restaurant) taking orders and talking on your cell
phone... bluetooth headset or not. Next you will tell me that it's OK
for order takers and waitstaff to walk around the restaurant, talking
on their bluetooth devices "because they might have had an
emergency"... give me a break.

Who cares if she's on her cell if she still takes your order? Maybe
an emergency came up or maybe she was working the drive through as
well. There's no way I would allow a manager to take my call if it
was an emergency and I hope you're never in that position. I will be
visiting BK this weekend thanks to this letter, thank you!

What the hell does that have to do with anything?


Please do not tell me you are suggesting that employees be banned or
punished for speaking Spanish.



I mean what? Would that include punishing them for speaking in
Spanish to a customer over a headset? Punishment for talking to
family members in Spanish?


That is the start of a good racism suit for any company that decided
to pull that kind of stunt.

Have you ever worked retail, and had a family emergency call??? What
would you do under the circumstance??? You really don't know what
that
call was about, and I'm sure if it was you and it was an emergency you
sure would want to know and just maybe "LEAVE WORK".

Until you've worked in a retail environment you really shouldn't judge
anyone else.

Besides, just stay home and cook what you want for dinner instead of
eating out and complaining. I'll bet at some time while you were
cooking at home you took a phone call or two and didn't even think
about who or what was going on while you were cooking - AM I RIGHT on
that?

Have you ever worked retail, and had a family emergency call??? What
would you do under the circumstance??? You really don't know what that
call was about, and I'm sure if it was you and it was an emergency you
sure would want to know and just maybe "LEAVE WORK".

Until you've worked in a retail environment you really shouldn't judge
anyone else.

Besides, just stay home and cook what you want for dinner instead of
eating out and complaining. I'll bet at some time while you were
cooking at home you took a phone call or two and didn't even think
about who or what was going on while you were cooking - AM I RIGHT on
that?

In general I agree that employees should not be on personal calls
while working with the public. But, I agree with other commenter that
since you don't speak Spanish you don't know if she was taking an
order from Drive-thru(the headsets they where at many places do look
like blue tooths), was on an emergancy call, or even on a work-related
call of some sort. Since the manager was there, I have to really
wonder if it was just a personal, non-important call.

unless you know exactly what the employe was talking about and to whom
you cannot make a real judgement on whether or not it was a personal
phone call.


it could be an emergency call, or a work-related call (after all there
is no ban on using non-english languages in most work places).

or it could be a headset-conversation with a customer.

did you see an actual cell phone? Newer fast food headset systems run
on bluetooth, and can look just like a cell phone earpiece. Perhaps
she was helping a customer who only spoke spanish. There have also
been times where ive seen one cashier running the counter and the
drivethru.

since there was a manager standing right there, im sure this was work
related.

Sounds like she was working the drive thru. You even say it was in
another language so how do you know?

I just can't imagine a manager standing there allowing her to take a
personal phone call but who knows....Maybe it was an emergency and he
needed her up front?

I agree.

I wonder what OP's work cell phone policy might be? And if "personal
cell phone use by employees" at her place of business might negatively
affect client/customer care??

Great job letting the company know about the clueless employee and her
clueless manager!

You dont say anwhere that this phone call inhibited her ability to
take your order or serve you.

Since the manager was working side by side with her did you mention it
to the manager?

Your personal opinion on cell phone use really doesnt matter if the
manager is aware and allowing it. You have no clue clue what it was
about or how important it was.

First off, please don't be so condescending about foreign languages.
Secondly, was she maybe helping a customer who was going through the
drive thru?