Mobile phones are ubiquitous and research shows that although most users think they have good mobile manners, many people report being irritated or annoyed by the handling of these mobiles. Good mobile phone etiquette is similar to common courtesy. Conversations and text exchanges have a tendency to distract people from what’s happening in front of them. Mobile users should be thoughtful, courteous and respect the people around them. Clearly there’s a lack of understanding of what is and isn’t acceptable in terms of mobile etiquette.

I’ve put together a pop quiz each one of us may want to answer and rate ourselves on our mobile etiquettes at our workplace:

1. When engaged face-to-face with others, either in a meeting or a conversation, do you avoid giving them your complete and undivided attention by texting or taking calls?
2. No one wants to be a captive audience to a third-party phone conversation or to sit in silence while their colleague texts with someone. Are you in the habit of leaving your ringtone on and placing your phone in front of you on the table?
3. When you must use your phone in public, do you take the call where you are instead of respecting your colleague’s personal space and moving to at least three metres between you and others?
4. Nothing is more irritating than to be cut off while calling someone. It is akin to being snubbed in a conversation. Rather than putting the phone on silent immediately (in case you have not done it earlier) and allowing the phone to continue ringing silently, do you disconnect a caller ringing you when you are busy?
5. In case you send a standard auto reply message while receiving a call which you do not want to pick up, do you often forget to call back as promised?
6. While in a meeting, are you in the habit of picking up a call and then informing the caller that you are in a meeting?
7. Do you answer calls at work on your speaker phone?
8. Do you keep your phone on vibrator mode during meetings and yet keep the phone on the table, so that the sound is as disturbing as a ring tone?
9. Do you make calls from the bathroom, ignoring the fact that it is an extreme put-off?
10. Do you use your phone as a watch? If so, then are you tempted to check your messages whilst checking the time?

A “Yes” answer to any of the above, as you may have guessed, is a no-no!

To how many of the above have you answered “NO” to? The ideal score is 100%… how much have you scored?