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<\/p>\nFirst, they started popping up in schools. Now, they\u2019re showing up in the workplace. Cellphone bans and locked phone pouches are gaining popularity across the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve likely heard of schools and districts adopting phone-ban policies that require students to lock their phones in a pouch or leave them in their lockers during class time. Often, it\u2019s used as a tool to curb distractions in the classroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, it seems, some U.S. companies want to implement similar measures.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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ID.me adopts phone ban policy<\/p>\n
One digital identity verification company, ID.me, adopted the policy several years ago. It introduced phone pouches to nearly 300 employees, saying it was an effort to protect clients\u2019 personal information.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bags are sealed but allow staff to keep their phones with them; they simply have to tap the pouch against a dedicated magnetic station to unlock it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One staff member told The Financial Times the new policy was \u201ca hard pill to swallow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving my phone with me is something I\u2019ve had my whole life,\u201d said Kamilah Muiruri. However, she noted there have actually been some benefits to the pouches, including establishing a better relationship with her coworkers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gets us to connect with each other,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t really know people in the office as I was focusing on the friends I have outside the office. Now, we are very close as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other companies, like JPMorgan Chase, have implemented no-phone policies only in specific instances, such as during meetings.\u00a0 CEO Jamie Dimon described bringing phones to meetings as \u201cdisrespectful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a letter to shareholders, Dimon complained of \u201cpeople in meetings all the time who are getting notifications and personal texts or who are reading emails. This has to stop. It\u2019s disrespectful. It wastes time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Other motivations besides security<\/p>\n
While ID.me introduced the pouches as a security measure, other companies are implementing policies to limit distractions in the workplace.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yondr, a company that makes phone pouches, told The Financial Times that courts, childcare facilities and government agencies are among its customers. It noted that while some companies had adopted \u201cphone-free\u201d policies, \u201ca phone policy on paper is not the same as a phone-free environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many companies are hoping for increased productivity. Muiruri says that, for her, it has. She told the Financial Times before the policy, she found herself constantly checking her phone, keeping her distracted from work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whether phone bans increase productivity in a measurable way, however, remains to be seen. Data remains limited and is relatively inconclusive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian Chadi, an associate professor of economics at the University of Southampton, conducted his own research and found that phone bans may increase productivity for routine tasks, but not necessarily for tasks that require more creativity and knowledge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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