Apple Watch: Banned at Work? [MERGED]

[cwosigns]

Just wondering how many of your employers have policies that ban smart watches, such as the Apple Watch, either explicitly or as part of a larger electronic devices policy. One employer I'm aware of restricts the use of "anything with an on/off switch" to specific areas. When asked in a recent conference call whether it would apply to an Apple Watch, the answer was yes (though I'm not sure that will actually be the case--it seemed like an off-the-cuff answer that perhaps had not been previously thought out).

 

[refslady]

Not here; the CIO wants to see mine when I receive it because I'm the first person he knows who is getting one, and his interest is piqued. We LOVE toys around here!

 

[JGayle007]

Just wondering how many of your employers have policies that ban smart watches, such as the Apple Watch, either explicitly or as part of a larger electronic devices policy. One employer I'm aware of restricts the use of "anything with an on/off switch" to specific areas. When asked in a recent conference call whether it would apply to an Apple Watch, the answer was yes (though I'm not sure that will actually be the case--it seemed like an off-the-cuff answer that perhaps had not been previously thought out).

If that's the case maybe you could switch the watch to power reserve mode during work hours and use it as a regular watch.

 

[bbeagle]

Anything that has a camera is banned in parts of our workplace. So a lone watch would be okay. It just can't be brought in with an iPhone in your pocket.

 

[Lloydbm41]

Just wondering how many of your employers have policies that ban smart watches, such as the Apple Watch, either explicitly or as part of a larger electronic devices policy. One employer I'm aware of restricts the use of "anything with an on/off switch" to specific areas. When asked in a recent conference call whether it would apply to an Apple Watch, the answer was yes (though I'm not sure that will actually be the case--it seemed like an off-the-cuff answer that perhaps had not been previously thought out).

Any classified governmental or military area bans all personal electronic devices.

 

[KPOM]

It's up to the individual company, of course, but since the Apple Watch is just an accessory to a phone and doesn't really do much that you couldn't do with a phone, I think most BYOD policies applicable to phones would apply to it. It's no different in that respect from a Bluetooth headset for a phone or keyboard for an iPad.

 

[Mr.C]

Whilst not banned phones have to be used discretely and phone use kept to a minimum whilst working where I work. The same would apply in theory to a smart watch but as at the end of the day it is for all intense and purposes a watch it's unlikely there would be any enforcement in my work place. In fact I'm looking forward to the fact that if I want to I can check or do something on my watch which I would normally take my phone out to do if I so choose. I am a civil servant working for a central government department here in the UK and do deal with sensitive information but not anything to do with national security so having phones even with cameras on ones person and using them especially in important circumstances is OK.

 

[dacreativeguy]

I'm worried about damaging my gold Edition at work around the french fryer.

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

Banned for me

Any classified governmental or military area bans all personal electronic devices.

Tell me about it...

 

[KauaiBruce]

I'm worried about damaging my gold Edition at work around the french fryer.

The rose gold won't show the hot oil splashes as bad.

 

[Dwalls90]

If work is telling you which electronics you can and cannot use, then it's time to look for a new job.

 

[puckhead193]

for those that your company has banned it, can i ask what you do? Do you work in a form of government/military?

 

[AngusW]

I'm worried about damaging my gold Edition at work around the french fryer.

If you can afford that model you're in the wrong industry.

But you could share the wealth with us though.

 

[cwosigns]

If work is telling you which electronics you can and cannot use, then it's time to look for a new job.

Not necessarily. There are a lot of jobs where electronic device usage may compromise the confidentiality of a customer's data. Just wondering what other employers are doing.

 

[KauaiBruce]

If work bans electronic devices that means it is a 'career' not a 'job'. There are lots of security issues with this stuff. Maybe not with the watch but they exist.

I have been a programmer all of my life before retirement and ONE of the companies I worked for had some people on secure government contracts. They were not allowed to mingle with others. We actually called them the 'spooks' because if you saw one at the end of a hallway they would be out of sight through a locked door before we got up the hall.

I could not have even a radio at that place. Quitting a job that pays $100,000 a year (not a lot now but good in the 80's) because I cannot bring in a camera would have been silly.

 

[Lloydbm41]

for those that your company has banned it, can i ask what you do? Do you work in a form of government/military?

You can probably guess the answer to your question.

 

[Sharkey311]

The job I just left would have banned them. So glad I got out of that concentration camp and moved to greener pastures.

 

[poematik13]

They would probably be banned from schools very quickly, as it can be an effective cheating device

 

[Squid7085]

They would probably be banned from schools very quickly, as it can be an effective cheating device

This, I am currently in Grad school for the next year and it will be interesting to see the effect these things have. I have worn my Pebble since it came out with out any problem, and I could have theoretically used it to cheat. It is the same with Cell Phones, I was one of the first people in middle school to have a cell phone before any policy even existed, a few years later the schools started wising up.

 

[phpmaven]

The job I just left would have banned them. So glad I got out of that concentration camp and moved to greener pastures.

So... you got canned?

 

[bulbousnub]

Hey fellow Columbus buddy!

I sit around on my phone and iPad all day so I think I should be fine at work.

 

[Elzbeth]

I work in a library, customer facing, so no phones allowed in the public area, must be kept in your locker until break time. I'm hoping to be the only one with a watch so no one will question me when I look at the time 90 times a day

 

[ChinaRye]

Since the watch is technically not a phone and doesn't have a camera, I doubt it will be much of an issue for most.

 

[TRC-WA]

No issues here.

The perks of running CNC machines... set up the job, start the machine and the boss doesn't care what I do... be it texting or surfing the web.

As long as the machine is running that's all he cares about...

 

[5105973]

ONE of the companies I worked for had some people on secure government contracts. They were not allowed to mingle with others. We actually called them the 'spooks' because if you saw one at the end of a hallway they would be out of sight through a locked door before we got up the hall.

I could not have even a radio at that place. Quitting a job that pays $100,000 a year (not a lot now but good in the 80's) because I cannot bring in a camera would have been silly.

Good Lord that's creepy!