Why would someone take six personal calls while training for a new job?

I thought it was bad enough when I had to interview someone who came to the job interview (this is true) with a Bluetooth attached to her ear - very off putting and unprofessional, IMHO - but now my partner tells me a new employee training at their work last week took SIX CALLS in one day during the course of his training! With his supervisor there and everything.

because you know that's only going to get worse

When a new hire behaves badly it's a sign. Even if the person had a family emergency the sensible way to handle it would be to tell both the supervisor and training at the earliest opportunity, not to continue taking calls as if there's nothing unusual about it.

So, sometimes you have to state the obvious. If they really want the job, that is.

...but nowadays you have to make explicitly clear to employees up front what is and isn't acceptable behavior.

I'd have had him shut the phone off the first time it rang. If he answered it, that'd be the end of his job.

Unless he had a very good reason, and had told me before hand, like "My dad went to the emergency room this morning after he stopped breathing, and my mom is going to call with an update - I know this is my first day on the job, and I am in training, but do you mind if I keep the phone on in case I need to go and offer blood for a transfusion?"

It better be something like that.

getting a cup of coffee, going over to her terminal, logging in for the first time, and - I'm not making this up - downloading ICQ.

I sent her back to personnel and told them that even if they didn't have anyone else for me, I didn't want this one anywhere near my office, not even for a second as a courier.

I could see some leniency. But, is the company big enough to have some sort of "employee handbook" where one can point out that this sort of thing is frowned upon?

And, I hope the woman with the bluetooth earpiece was not hired - I think it makes people look Borg-ish to be wearing them out all the time.

could be a situational factor too.

Just his buddies calling.

And be long since trained in?

And why do managers, with the equipment to see what people do, do nothing anyway?

So no, they didn't have a policy and, I'm sure, didn't exepect to see anything like this. I suggested that they make a policy.

I agree that if there is a situational reason to leave a phone on, explain it ahead of time and there won't be a problem.

I went to a nice play in Seattle once ($60, $70 tickets) and the experience was completely marred by the girl in front of me text messaging throughout one of the scenes. She passed it to her friend and to her mother, who both participated; finally, they sent it down to the grandmother, who put an end to it. But that green light was distracting. It was a situation where I couldn't really raise a fuss, either, because it was a play.

apparently doesn't want the job very much. And to think that there were probably others who applied and were rejected. *shakes head*

offer any courses on professional behavior

while on the job? Seems like a lot of folks

are lacking in such skills. Or are the businesses

supposed to impart such info in their orientations?

One of the latest trends seems to be writing long emails without the paragraphs being separated. Where do you learn to do that?

kids with degrees in graphic design were sending me resumes with HUGE typos in them. I'm sorry, when you're texting your friends typos are fine. But typos on a resume are not cool. Especially when you're applying for a job designing adverts and brochures that cost thousands of dollars. One girl actually SPELLED HER NAME WRONG, and didn't get it when I asked which spelling of her name was correct. Clueless.

shy away from any implication that kids yapping on their cell phones to their friends all day *might* not be a good idea.

I'm not even sure I'm kidding.

I wouldn't even wait. Can their ass right there.

Like "We'd prefer it if you do not take personal calls at work." or "It is against company policy..."
By observing that people post on DU while at work, it is evidently true that some businesses have more lenient policies than others. It is up to management to make their expectations clear, especially if it is evident that their new employee is not on the same page.

I just thought it was really out there that you'd do it while you were in training.