(POLL) Does Your Business Provide Mobile Phones for Employees?


(POLL) Does Your Business Provide Mobile Phones for Employees?

Smartphones and mobile connections have literally changed the game for small businesses, no doubt.

They’re the ultimate weapon these days in business. They keep you and your employees connected just about anywhere you are. They perform so many functions yet it seems the last thing you need them for these days is a phone call.

And despite the costs that may come with them, they’re almost invaluable to many small businesses. But are they so valuable to your company that you’re willing to pay to outfit employees with a mobile phone for work purposes?

This week, we’re wondering if your company provides mobile phones to its employees or do you rely on your employees using their own smartphones at work?

Maybe you just give phones to your sales team or your tech crew on the road. Or perhaps your company hands out a mobile phone to everyone in the building.

Let us know by answering the poll question below and use the Comments section underneath the article to tell us a little more about your company’s cell phone policy.

Does Your Business Provide Mobile Phones for Employees?

  • No, employees use their own mobile phones for work. (38%, 180 Votes)
  • Yes, only employees who require them for work get them. (23%, 106 Votes)
  • No, workers don’t need mobile phones for our work. (13%, 59 Votes)
  • Yes, all employees get mobile phones from the company. (11%, 53 Votes)
  • No, workers use landlines, Skype or something else for work. (10%, 48 Votes)
  • I'm not sure. (5%, 25 Votes)

Total Voters: 471

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Photo via Shutterstock


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Joshua Sophy Joshua Sophy is the Editor for Small Business Trends and the Head of Content Partnerships. A journalist with 20 years of experience in traditional and online media, he is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. He founded his own local newspaper, the Pottsville Free Press, covering his hometown.

4 Reactions
  1. It depends. If it is needed for your transactions, then a mobile phone is a necessary investment.

  2. If you need to constantly communicate with your clients even with the use of mobile phones, then this is good. It will also allow you to contact your employee no matter where they are.

  3. I agree. It depends on how you are going to use it. If not, you can just ask your employee to log online so that you can contact them.

  4. When you provide a mobile phone & number, you own that number so the incoming communications will “belong” to the company by default should the employee leave or be severed. If your employee uses their own phone, when you part company there is a risk that clients & suppliers will still contact the ex employee after they are no longer with your firm. This can have major risks when the ex employee moves to or becomes a competitor or could cause harm when the parting was not amicable. It is also a problem in reverse when an employee is allowed to & uses the company phone for personal use because many businesses such as medical offices or financial institutions use the phone number as an ad-hoc identifier in their records. As an employee, it is very scruffy when you move from a company or especially when you are severed in some way when you constantly miss calls from people because you no longer have rights to the hone number. A works phone can cause a problem when you are hunting for a new job & a prospective new employer’s number shows up on your works phone bill. Work phone for work. Own phone for own use is the best way, or get your own phone which accepts two sim cards, one personal & one works.