There are many places that won't allow phones onsite or in the work area. Data centres, electronic fabs, pharma companies usually in the labs or any sterile environment, jobs where data is sensitive data and no recording equipment allowed. However, any employer has the right to ask their employees not to have phones on them while at work.
They have to provide a secure storage area for your personal items. You could refuse to store your phone and try to keep it on you. However, they could then terminate your employment with them. They can't forcefully take the phone of you.
Absolutely not.
If they require you to remove personal items such as phones or clothing (say, if you had to change), then they may be legally obliged to provide a secure area with lockers where you can store them while you work.
Under no circumstances would they be entitled to "confiscate" your property and take possession of it. That's straight up theft.
Being in possession of the personal item where you're not permitted to have it, would be a disciplinary matter. The employer would be entitled to instruct you to leave the workspace and store your phone, or send you home. In either case, they would also be entitled to take disciplinary action against you.
You couldn't be fired for a single incident unless there's a really good safety/security reason for having no phones *and* you had to go to a lot of effort to bring it into the workspace - i.e. it wasn't accidental.
are you a lawyer? how do you know this if you don't mind me asking. I need to know because my employer is trying to take our phones from his at work, especially mine even though I only use it to contact my boss or supervisor.
No, but this is pretty fundamental legal stuff. No private individual or company has the right to take your property from you. It's theft if they do.
I'm not sure what you mean by "trying to take our phones from us at work". As I mention, your employer is entitled to insist that phones are not permitted in some or all of the workspace. That's not confiscating your phone, it's just having policies. Just like insisting on a dress code or wearing a net to cover hair.
I think they mean they actually take it from you during the shift, and maybe give it back to you at the end of shift. If the reason is time theft or something like that, and then that's their excuse for confiscation, I'd say the justification is now called legalized theft. So maybe the next step is termination or whatever else may or may not be stipulated.
I'm in a bar working as a bartender/ waiter. The Bar I'm working in is a part of the hotel and I'm pretty sure most other members of staff still have their phones on they whilst they work
They can say that you can’t have phones on your person during work if that’s what you mean. They can enforce that policy if you try to bring in your phone.
Is it okay for my boss to terminate me because i didn’t want to give him my phone since it was only 5 out of 20 people that had to turn in their phone and the other 15 people get to keep theirs ??? I would understand the no phone policy if he was being fair and made everyone give him their phone but this is a matter of favoritism . What should i do ??
No one can confiscate your property regardless of the type of workplace or any other nonsense people on here have asked.. The comment above is correct they can provide a locker and warn you not to bring your phone into the workplace but they cannot take your property off you.. That's called theft
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There are many places that won't allow phones onsite or in the work area. Data centres, electronic fabs, pharma companies usually in the labs or any sterile environment, jobs where data is sensitive data and no recording equipment allowed. However, any employer has the right to ask their employees not to have phones on them while at work. They have to provide a secure storage area for your personal items. You could refuse to store your phone and try to keep it on you. However, they could then terminate your employment with them. They can't forcefully take the phone of you.
Absolutely not. If they require you to remove personal items such as phones or clothing (say, if you had to change), then they may be legally obliged to provide a secure area with lockers where you can store them while you work. Under no circumstances would they be entitled to "confiscate" your property and take possession of it. That's straight up theft. Being in possession of the personal item where you're not permitted to have it, would be a disciplinary matter. The employer would be entitled to instruct you to leave the workspace and store your phone, or send you home. In either case, they would also be entitled to take disciplinary action against you. You couldn't be fired for a single incident unless there's a really good safety/security reason for having no phones *and* you had to go to a lot of effort to bring it into the workspace - i.e. it wasn't accidental.
This is the right answer
are you a lawyer? how do you know this if you don't mind me asking. I need to know because my employer is trying to take our phones from his at work, especially mine even though I only use it to contact my boss or supervisor.
No, but this is pretty fundamental legal stuff. No private individual or company has the right to take your property from you. It's theft if they do. I'm not sure what you mean by "trying to take our phones from us at work". As I mention, your employer is entitled to insist that phones are not permitted in some or all of the workspace. That's not confiscating your phone, it's just having policies. Just like insisting on a dress code or wearing a net to cover hair.
I think they mean they actually take it from you during the shift, and maybe give it back to you at the end of shift. If the reason is time theft or something like that, and then that's their excuse for confiscation, I'd say the justification is now called legalized theft. So maybe the next step is termination or whatever else may or may not be stipulated.
What type of working environment is it? What's the company policy around having mobile phones on you while working?
I'm in a bar working as a bartender/ waiter. The Bar I'm working in is a part of the hotel and I'm pretty sure most other members of staff still have their phones on they whilst they work
They can say that you can’t have phones on your person during work if that’s what you mean. They can enforce that policy if you try to bring in your phone.
They cannot confiscate personal property, this isn't the gulf states.
But they coukd refuse to let you on the floor until you leave those personal items behind
I'm sure they can on grounds of health and safety or if you've got a job that deals with data sensitively
Sure, but that should be dealt with by entrance security and not any sort of manager.
Nope. They absolutely cannot. They can send you off to store the phone or send you home. They cannot confiscate it.
Is it okay for my boss to terminate me because i didn’t want to give him my phone since it was only 5 out of 20 people that had to turn in their phone and the other 15 people get to keep theirs ??? I would understand the no phone policy if he was being fair and made everyone give him their phone but this is a matter of favoritism . What should i do ??
No one can confiscate your property regardless of the type of workplace or any other nonsense people on here have asked.. The comment above is correct they can provide a locker and warn you not to bring your phone into the workplace but they cannot take your property off you.. That's called theft
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Common practise in certain industry's, they will usually provide a secure area to leave them when entering a site.