Anonymous

Surrey

Interim Manager

My company has a policy on out-of-hours use of blackberries. We only participate in them when they become black and juicy - about the end of September.

Seriously I decide my company will never have any BlackBerrys so use during or out of office hours does not enter the equation. When I leave the office I leave the office and I expect my colleagues to do exactly the same.

If someone wants to call me on my mobile I warn them that my minimum charge for this interruption is a half day, I will be the office within X hours and if they would like to leave it until then no one will suffer.

It only takes one half day fee to appear on my invoice and this silly habit of out of hours contact disappears. The BlackBerry is a visible status symbol to which people become addicted and then consider them indispensable - and they are not indispensable items at all. Try it for a few days and be delighted.