Did you know that car crashes rank as the number one cause of workplace deaths? Did you know that the National Safety Council estimates 25% of car crashes involve cell phones (21% calls and 4% text messages)? Did you know that drivers using either handheld or hands-free cell phones while driving are four times more likely to crash?
Distracted driving caused by employees using cell phones is dangerous, and it costs companies money. Developing a cell phone policy that limits or bans cell phone use when employees are in their cars not only saves lives, but it also saves money by protecting employers from being held legally responsible when employees are involved in cell phone-related crashes.
The infographic below from the National Safety Council (a nonprofit organization with a mission to save lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work) shows that employer liability can cost companies millions of dollars, but it can easily be prevented.
Provided by The National Safety Council
Check out the National Safety Council distracted driving resources to learn more about creating a company cell phone policy, watch video responses to common questions, read the white paper about employer liability, and more.
Bottom-line, if your company doesn’t already have a cell phone policy for employees, you need to create one as soon as possible. As the infographic above shows, these policies do not reduce employee productivity, so there is no reason not to prioritize developing one for your company.
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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