Reddit User Reveals How Manager's "No Phones During Work" Policy Went Wrong

A Reddit user has revealed how a manager's strict "no phones during work hours" policy backfired. The policy required employees to leave their phones in their cars or lockers. The rule had "no exceptions". In a viral post, the employee revealed that he works in IT support for a medium-sized company and they have always "been allowed to have our phones at our desks". Mobile phones are important in situations like family emergencies, a doctor's call back, and more.

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"As long as we weren't scrolling social media all day, nobody cared," he wrote. However, it all went wrong when a major server issue occurred and an IT worker didn't fix it immediately because his phone was locked in his car, and he hadn't received any notifications. Meanwhile, the manager was frantically trying to reach him.

The server was down for 30 minutes, causing many departments to be unable to work. The manager later sent an email allowing phones at desks for emergency purposes.

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"By the time I get to my car and check my phone at 5:15, I have 17 missed calls and a string of increasingly panicked texts from my manager. The server has been down for 30 minutes. Multiple departments cant do anything," he mentioned in the post.

"He's furious (malding and seething), asking why I didnt answer. I remind him about the no phones policy. He says that's different, this was an emergency. I point out his email said "NO EXCEPTIONS" and I was just following policy to avoid a write-up."

The next day, the rules changed as employees received new mail stating, "Personal phones are permitted at desks for emergency purposes."