Did you hear?…Senior execs tethered to cell phones, according to survey

Don’t leave home — or anywhere, for that matter — without it doesn’t apply just to an American Express credit card anymore, but could also be said of your cell phone, according to a recent study of senior executives by NFI Research.

On a typical day, 36 percent of senior executives and managers report they have their cell phones turned on and with them at all times during their waking hours. More than half, 53 percent, said they spend less than an hour a day without their phones.

One respondent wrote in, “The phone is with me, or within reach, except during sleeping hours.”

Company size doesn’t seem to matter either. More than half of those working in small and large companies spend similar amounts of time — about an hour a day — without their cell phones. And more than a third, depending on the size of the company, matter what are never without their phones, which are also turned on come what may. That applies to 33 percent of executives in small companies and 38 percent of those in large companies.

Despite this constant companionship by cell phones for work even in non-working hours for many, some managers try to gain perspective as evidenced by a few write-in comments.

“My work cell phone automatically goes on at 7:00 AM and shuts off automatically at 5:00 PM. It’s part of my work/life balance program,” one survey-taker noted.

And another respondent concluded: “I try not to let my cell phone create distractions in my day. Typically, the people I am interacting with in person are more important than those that might call or text me.”

NFI Research (www.nfiresearch.com) analyzes trends and attitudes in business and organizational management and IT.

–Wendy Geister

Note: SNEWS® wants to know how tethered our industry professionals are to their cell phones! Do you leave home without it? Go to our SNEWS Reader Poll and take a few seconds to answer two questions about your cell phone habits.