Having just returned from 2.5 busy weeks in the UK, my blackberry is now firmly part of my anatomy. It can be found attached to my right arm and it is safe to say I am addicted to it.
In all seriousness though, when I left the UK five years ago, Blackberry’s were reserved for senior management. You rarely saw them come out during a meeting and NEVER saw anyone checking for messages over beers on a Friday night. Well the latter doesn’t seem to have changed that much (except senior management and the spattering of American expats), but it seems that the addiction has spread across the Atlantic with 38% of Americans and 31% of Brits now carrying a smart phone.
So, during a full day meeting, we began to question Blackberry etiquette. According to a Dealbreaker post in 2009, Wells Fargo fines people $100 for looking at their Blackberry in a meeting. However, in today’s ‘want it now’ culture, is it right to expect that all attendees will ignore the outside world for eight hours? Is the odd stealth trip to the ladies room the only ‘proper’ way to deal with your exploding inbox or is it perfectly acceptable to whip out your ‘Berry’ at the table and email away?
It’s hard to say what ‘proper’ Blackberry etiquette should be, but my thoughts can be found after the jump. Comments welcome!
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Al Capone once said, “You get further with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone,” and as we come out of the recession, I often wonder whether the workplace will emerge with a more Capone-esqe, dog-eat-dog approach to doing business (although without the gun!) or whether it will be a more collaborative world where nice is necessary.
As an Englishwoman in New York, I know something about experiencing new cultures (I still refuse to call it a fanny pack), and thanks to the generous 6-week vacation I was granted in the UK, I managed to escape the rainy English shores on a frequent basis to visit Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and North and South America. The differences are vast and my travels have taught me the importance of understanding local cultures when dealing with overseas clients and media.
