I was going to ask one of the accounting staff at Makati Ford for an updated report on parts and service. It wasn’t my original plan to ask her. Her posture caught my attention. She was slouching a little bit. I was already standing beside her and yet she hasn’t noticed my presence. Her right hand was holding her cellphone and scrolling down photos on Facebook.
She immediately put her phone inside the drawer when she realized I was there. I told her to RESIST the urge to look at photos and posts on Facebook during office hours. “I know nakakalibang mag-Facebook however before you know it 30 minutes have passed, naubos na oras mo”.
I also caught the new girl in the cashier area panakaw-nakaw na nagte-text. So irritating.
This afternoon, I was at Ford EDSA. I went thrice to the accounting department which is a huge open room shared with the sales department.
One glance at the table of one girl and I instantly saw her scrolling down FB too. Hmmm. I stopped beside her table. When she finally noticed me, I asked her what exactly is the job assigned to her. After she answered, I said the same thing about resisting the temptation of reading FB posts, looking at photos, etc. during office hours.
When I am in the office and I see you doing this, there’s really a big chance that I would say something. Today is no exception, most especially that I am in a serious mode today. It doesn’t mean I would scold you but you would definitely hear a comment from me. Whether it’s good or bad, a word or two or three sentences is forthcoming. When I catch you scrolling down photos, you may try to come up with a pretty good alibi but better not. It’s not going to help.
We are in a different era. Cellphones are here and here to stay forever.
I do understand that our cellphones are now an integral part of our bodies. It has to be beside us, in our hands, in our pocket. And we can’t seem to breath easy when our eyes don’t see messages, posts, calls within 1 minute.
It has become a habit to look at the screen every 60 seconds or even less.
We must put some sense into its use. People are consumed by their cellphones and they lose control of themselves. While eating, drinking, walking, driving, working, talking with people, watching tv, watching movies. People bring it inside the toilets. Siguro if we can only text while showering we would do it. I won’t be surprised if Samsung and Apple are already testing waterproof models.
Let’s stop using our phones while we are at the dining table most especially when we are dining with other people. I find it rude when I am eating and people around me are using their phones. I feel so unimportant. To me, it’s like eating and reading the newspaper at the same time. Do this if you are eating alone. There’s no one to get offended. Eat fast and leave the table if you can’t last for 15 minutes without looking at your phone. Or better yet make sure you just eat by yourself. How important are the FB posts and news articles, Viber, etc. Can’t they wait till your companions have left the table? People have become so impatient, we can’t last two minutes without communicating to people out there and not with the people in front and beside us.
Let’s resist the temptation to use our cellphones for surfing not related to work while we are still at work or during office hours. People’s productivity have diminished considerably because they are always staring or using their cellphones. Those with earplugs while listening to music are also distracted. How can you work effectively, productively and competently
when your eyes are on your phone and your ears are plugged?
I left the office at 9:10 pm. I noticed the guard on the second floor wasn’t at his post. When I went down to the showroom, I saw someone manning the front door but he was staring at his cellphone’s screen. I asked him who he was because he didn’t look like a security guard, he was in sleepers and t-shirt. I asked why he wasn’t in uniform. He said he was on duty in the morning and the guards on duty tonight were taking their dinner. While I was talking to him, he continued to glance at his phone while holding it up close to his chest. He clearly was distracted. I told him to lock the doors, he said yes. But as soon as I stepped out of the door, he went back to looking at his phone. I was so displeased. I could see him from the glass window. I sent Sgt. Pepper to order him to lock the door. Tomorrow his superior will hear from me. I don’t want him to be there. He is not alert. He should just go home and stare at his phone the whole day.
