When ring tones are jarring

Steve Evans is a cell phone user some people may find annoying.

Evans, vice president of information systems at the PGA Tour, admits that he uses his cell phone in elevators. But he says his calls aren't likely to be a long-term nuisance to other people, who may be hoping for a bit of stillness in the midst of their workday.

"I'm rarely in an elevator that's more than four stories," said Evans, whose professional-golf group is based near Jacksonville, Fla.

"I just think (cell phone chat is) very uncomfortable for the other people in the elevator."

--Jaqueline Whitmore
Director, The Protocol
School of Palm Beach

For better and for worse, cell phones are becoming a bigger part of the workplace. The latest example: More than 8,000 employees of Ford Motor will be getting mobile phones in place of desk phones through an agreement with Sprint.

Wireless phones can let workers be more effective and less chained to desks. But they also raise potential liability concerns for companies, threaten to eat into employee productivity and annoy others.

Jaqueline Whitmore, the cell phone "etiquette spokesperson" for Sprint and director of The Protocol School of Palm Beach, says many more personal calls are now being taken on the job. That's a problem in an office setting full of cubicles, she said. "Then all of your co-workers hear what you have to say," Whitmore said. "That can be distracting to other people."

Elevators are not a nice place for cell phone gabbing, given the way people tend to raise their voices for mobile calls, Whitmore argues. "I just think it's very uncomfortable for the other people in the elevator."

London-based CC Consulting recommends using the vibrating-alarm feature of cell phones in office settings. Taking a call during a meeting is generally a no-no, according to the firm: "When in a meeting or even in a public place, it is best to have your voice mail set to receive your calls--unless you are looking for an important call."

At Microsoft, not surprisingly, a higher-tech issue related to cell phones has surfaced. Given wireless connectivity at the software giant and newer cell phones with e-mail capabilities, employees are apt to be checking their e-mail during meetings, Microsoft software developer Adam Barr said.

What's more, one person putting a cell phone on a table