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Nearly one in three small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) do not have a policy for in-car mobile phone use, meaning they could be liable to prosecution if their employees make business calls from their mobile while driving, says new research by YouGov for communications specialist Jabra.

Under Department for Transport guidelines, employers can be prosecuted if they require or permit employees to use a hand-held phone for business calls while driving. Yet, in spite of harsher penalties for mobile phone use introduced by the Government in February this year, just 18 per cent of SMEs have introduced a ban on mobile phone use while driving or issued employees with hands-free kits, compared to 76 per cent of UK businesses as a whole. On a more alarming note, more than half of SMEs said they would not feel responsible if one of their employees had an accident while taking a work-related call in the car.

To avoid criminal penalties Jabra suggests the following steps:

- Introduce a written policy regarding the safe and appropriate use of phones on the road and make sure all employees are given a copy;

- Make sure your policy covers privately owned mobiles as well as company phones;

- Include your mobile phone policy as part of the induction procedures for new employees;

- If you provide hands-free kits such as a Bluetooth headsets, a speaker phone or an in-car kit, make sure you provide guidelines on how to use them in compliance with the law.

‘This law pertains to employees using the phone on the road for work-related calls. By taking a few simple steps, employers can protect themselves and their employees and reduce the risk of criminal litigation. It makes sense to put a policy in place,’ comments Andrew Doyle, UK Country Manager at Jabra.

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