I’ve put together a snapshot survey of how colleagues in the LSJ use the web, social media, digital technology, etc., and one device that didn’t feature as largely as I thought it would was the mobile phone.
This puzzled me. I gave my mobile number out to students as soon I started here. I could see a landline wasn’t much use for keeping in touch with students on teaching matters, and no use at all for tutorial contacts. And, of course, none of the students has a landline anyway.
Private
In discussion at a staff meeting, some colleagues took a different view: the landline is the work phone, and their mobile number was private; they didn’t want students calling them all hours of the day and night; they could be contacted by email outside office hours (on their phones?); and email and office phone contacts seem more ‘on the record’ than texts or mobile calls.
University policy
The university policy is set out here.
Key points:
- University phones are for ‘designated staff’. (It doesn’t say who does the designating.)
- They’ll be provided ‘only where resources permit and when the nature of an individual employee’s duties requires it’. (Fair enough.)
- Only University mobile phones should be used for work purposes – though it adds that the university won’t ‘pay for the use of other (personal) mobile phones on University business by any member of staff’.
Professional boundaries
That’s clear (ish). My next contact was Judith Carey, head of student services, to get her views. She said her colleagues don’t give out their mobile numbers; to do so would be ‘crossing professional boundaries’, and might mean that students would call staff at inappropriate hours – though she did say she knew of only ‘three or four’ such incidents in as many years.
A matter of choice
She felt that ultimately, it was for staff to decide whether to give out their numbers or not. Ideally, we would all have work mobiles. Given that we don’t, it’s up to us.
So there you have it.
This is a great summary – thanks Bernie. As many colleagues know, I don’t give out my personal phone number to students – one instance of drunken calls through the night is enough to put anyone off – I had that – I also had another who rang me numerous times a day…. every day …. Since then, I don’t share my number. A work mobile would be great – I could turn it off when I want to sleep. I’m not a designated work mobile owner but I find I use my home phone quite a lot on university business (and my mobile too) when contacting colleagues, and of course can’t claim that back … still, it’s all for a good cause ;-))
useful stuff, I am very flexible with students about my personal mobile number and realise it is one of the best ways to keep in touch. I tend to switch off my mobile when I sleep anyway and always screen calls before answering them as a matter of course so in the five years of doing this work have not received any drunken calls – usedf to get more of those in ‘the real world’ onm my business ‘phone!
I am interested in this concept of ‘crossing professional boundaries’ and would like to debate that some more in the context of all communications technologies available to us. In terms of PR if folks don’t know how to use the various communications tools available to them in a professional way then there is no hope for them in the industry. Using them at Uni makes sense to me. as a way of developing critical skills alongside the academic bits.
I find that having e-mail on my mobile is really useful and also internet access. It means that I can reply to a student using work e-mail without having to give my mobile number.
I have no problem with students having my mobile number but I would be concerned with the ‘crossing professional boundaries’ issue. I wouldn’t want to be accused of thisso it will put me off giving out my number in future.
BTW I cannot access work email onmmy mobile without changing the contrcat …that’s the bit I won’t do 🙂