A: Yes, you absolutely do have the right to set a cell phone policy. In fact, it's a good idea to include this in your Employee Handbook. Cell phone courtesy may seem like common sense to some, but other employees need guidance on what's appropriate.

It is becoming more common for people to utilize a cell phone in lieu of a land line at home. This is increasing the number of cell phones in the workplace, along with the number of calls to those phones. It's one thing when employees receive a personal call on the company's phone, which is handled through the corporate phone system. But a ringing cell phone can only be answered by one person, and it disturbs everyone in its vicinity, whether it is in the office, or in the conference room.

Some elements you might want to include in your policy would be whether cell phones must be on vibrate during work hours, the number and nature of calls employees may receive during the workday, whether employees may bring cell phones into meetings, restricting cell phone use while employees are driving on company business, and the use of camera phones in the workplace. This last issue is of particular concern in regards to corporate security, confidentiality of company information, and employee privacy. Many companies are developing policies prohibiting or restricting the use of camera phones in the workplace.

Good employers want to be family friendly work environments. This means we want our employees' families to be able to reach them when necessary during the workday. However, setting a reasonable cell phone policy will reduce the interruptions and annoyance for all concerned.

Q: My employee has given me 2 weeks notice that she is quitting her job. I am worried that her attitude during the next 2 weeks will be negative and affect other employees, since I have recently given her a couple warnings about her poor performance. I would like to decline her 2 weeks notice and make her resignation effective immediately. Can I do that?

A: I understand your concerns about having an employee remain in your company who might not be loyal to the organization. However, there are a couple reasons that you might not want to handle it this way.

If you let her go immediately, you have effectively terminated her rather than accepted her resignation. She will likely qualify for her unemployment benefits based on this termination. If your company has a written policy regarding employee discipline and termination, you may then be violating that policy as well. Also, in the future other employees who are resigning may not be as likely to give you the 2 weeks notice that you desire after seeing that you have terminated another employee immediately upon their resignation. This could work against you having sufficient notice to replace another valuable employee.

A better way of handling this would be to graciously accept her resignation, but let her know that she does not need to complete the remaining 2 weeks of her employment and that you will provide her with compensation for those 2 weeks. Handle this discussion with as much respect for the employee as possible in order to prevent the negative attitude that can come back to harm your company. In this way everyone wins.

(Editor’s Note: West Sound Workforce is a local woman-owned staffing company with offices in Gig Harbor and Poulsbo. The company provides temporary and permanent staffing solutions to companies throughout the Kitsap Peninsula. Started in 1998 by Julie Tappero, the firm is staffed by professionals who are committed to the human resources profession. Tappero has her Bachelors in Human Resources and has worked in the HR field for over 30 years. West Sound Workforce may be reached at 360-394-1882 or 253-853-3633.).