Miss Manners on Blackberries
To check your Blackberry or not to check your Blackberry? That is the question, apparently. Two weeks after the New York State Senate devolved into a high school farce in part because Majority Leader Malcolm Smith couldn't resist checking his email during a budget meeting with political power broker Tom Golisano, the Times tries to codify smart phone etiquette today. The verdict: Despite being rude, distracting, and giving us all ADD, perusing your email at all times is becoming increasingly acceptable, because, really, no one wants to sit through that meeting.
Sure, there are exceptions. Creative Artists Agency and United Talent Agency have both banned Blackberrys during staff meetings. But not the State Department. A senior advisor to Hillary Clinton says they're endemic. Joel Klein, the New York City schools chancellor, keeps himself so busy with his Blackberry at public meetings that some parents have considered emailing him to get his attention.
According to a poll of 5,300 workers, a third or more "said they frequently checked e-mail in meetings." Some say they have no choice because they need to be reachable at all times. On the other hand, we all know some of that Berry fidgeting is just for show. Speaking of how employees often lay out their phones on the table before a meeting, a consultant says, "It's a not-so-subtle way of signaling 'I'm connected. I'm busy. I'm important. And if this meeting doesn't hold my interest, I've got 10 other things I can do instead.'"
However commonplace the Blackberry has become, you probably still shouldn't break one out in a meeting with someone you want to impress, like a boss or client. One wannabe intern blew a job because he looked at a text message during an interview. In other words, you should only give the impression the person talking to you is irrelevant and boring if it's not a big deal that they know you think they're irrelevant and boring.
