Fechino Files: Cell Phones

Words: Steven Fechino

Twenty years ago, I would have never thought cell phones would be such a crazy, over-the-top item that everyone has, but I guess I should have known better. When I was a kid, the Citizen Band Radio was a crazy fad. "Breaker-breaker 19," I bet you could hear it in your head as you read it (of course, if you are old enough). Companies used two-way radios (still very useful and active today) for many years, but as technology and private means of communication became popular, the two-way radio became more of a specific means of direct communication between jobsites and management. Beepers were cool in the late 1980s; they allowed you to receive a phone number from someone trying to contact you. You then went to a commonly found pay phone, dropped a few coins in, and could return the call. Then, something cool came out—the Nextel. "Beep-beep," and the conversation began.

Many of us remember when you left the office and went from jobsite to jobsite, called in to the office at noon to get messages, then checked for messages again at the end of the day. Calls were made that afternoon or the next day, and this was considered a normal response time. It seems nowadays, if you email or call someone and they do not answer within five minutes, they get labeled as slow at returning their calls or emails, tending to frustrate folks—something completely unnecessary, actually.

Today, however, our employees use cell phones to communicate, and here is where problems start. The employee can answer the phone for business, but then, when you are out of sight, may check social media or text and lose production time from your project. As a way to keep the cell phone out of the employee’s hands, some companies are choosing to use Rapid Radio. I am not sponsored or paid for this endorsement; however, I see value to a contractor if it allows communication to be just communication and not an interruption.

The radios are useful for several reasons: they work off of all the different companies’ cell towers, so if one tower goes down for one company, you are still up and running if your project is within 25 miles of anyone’s tower. The battery can last five to seven days with normal operation and has at most a 2-second delay, making it an ideal choice for equipment operators, crane operators, or employees who are out of line of sight or out of hearing range with each other. The radio is water-resistant, just like your cell phone, and can be set up with auxiliary microphones or headsets.

When a company has several folks that need radios, a group is formed. You make your original purchase, and as you grow your need for more radios, Rapid Radio can continue the programming for your group so everyone has the ability to continue to communicate. You can communicate directly with everyone or just the folks you want to communicate directly with. I do not own a set of these radios, but again, if you need to communicate with someone during working hours, communicate without the social media, texting, and private phone calls, then I can see more work ultimately getting performed without the frustration of the employee distracted by a cell phone. If I had drivers within my company, the vehicle-mounted Rapid Radio has a similar appearance to a citizen band radio and could be considered safer to use for the driver when direct communication is required.

Here is the good part: at least we are discussing how we can communicate better. I have been told repeatedly (believe it or not) that I am a poor communicator but am yet to believe it. I do know I begin every explanation in the middle of the information and try to work my way through until I get the information all out, painful, I know, for the person with whom I am discussing the topic. But if we can discuss things at work, we can solve problems more efficiently and ultimately keep everyone safer through the long, hard days of our trade using the Rapid Radios—that is a win! Oh, I was not really talking about how poorly I communicate, I just wrote that… OK, I lied. I was talking about myself.

Enjoy the longer days of sunlight!

Fechino Files: Cell Phones

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