Do You Check Your PDA During Meetings?
The ubiquity of BlackBerrys and iPhones is still new enough that etiquette lines regarding their use have not been drawn. The New York Times says that two major Hollywood talent agencies ban BlackBerry use at meetings, while a New York talent agency has a green policy instructing that meeting notes be taken on PDAs rather than on paper. At some companies, PDAs are a “yes” at staff meetings but a “no” at client meetings—although, of course, sometimes the clients themselves are liable to be tapping away during appointments.
That got us thinking …
Do you check your PDA during meetings? Does your firm have a policy one way or the other? Should your firm have a policy that either bans or accepts them in all settings?
Answer in the comments below.
Read the answers to last week’s question: What’s the Most Bizarre Memo You’ve Ever Received?
Featured answer:
Posted by Anonymous: “I worked as a paralegal before going to law school, so these anecdotes come from the mid-1990s when I worked for a midsize firm in the South. The nonattorney staff manager was a bit of a tyrant. I don’t remember exactly how they were worded, but there’s the gist of the two most notorious things I remember:
“1) The staff being reminded that we need to keep up a professional appearance; knee-length skirts and pantyhose are preferred for the ladies. With the exception of secretary Patricia who has a note from her doctor because of a medical condition, authorizing her to dress like that. The rest of us were by no means to get the idea that we could wear a ‘glorified tracksuit’ like Patricia did.
“2) A certain popular mid-priced restaurant close to our office was for attorneys only. The attorneys didn’t want to be seated next to staff when they went out to eat, so we were requested to stay away.”
