Cell phones in the bathroom

[PaintingPastelPrincess]

Question:

When you talk into the phone, doesn't the sound go IN from the same place, whether it's on speaker or not?  The sound on the other end would then either come OUT of the speaker-phone speaker or the regular speaker. 

If that's the case, then I don't think it's any ruder/less rude to the other bathroom users for the phone to be on speaker, although speaker phone definitely becomes more rude to the person on the other end of the line because their side of the conversation can now be overheard by others.

[Master_Edward]

This is one of those things I think is somewhat rude (not majorly) and is kind of annoying but I don't care enough about it to do anything other than do my best to ignore it. Me, I wouldn't have said anything and just left it alone because I don't feel it's my job or anyone else's to play the cellphone police.

Ed.

[Rosey]

I agree that it's rude to be on speakerphone. In general, I think it is rude to use speakerphone in public places.

However, I really don't see anything rude about using a phone in the bathroom unless the person on the other end knows and objects.

What do I care what you're doing as long as it isn't taking away from the conversation at hand?

If I'm on the phone with you, I don't care. If I'm in the bathroom with you, it's none of my business. This wouldn't affect me any more or less than if you were talking to another person in the bathroom - still has nothing to do with me.

[Secret]

Regardless of my personal stance, if HR had to get involved to tell people to stop doing this, I think I'd respect that this was a work rule and I was to follow it- same as if they had a dress code.

[MissRose]

Talking on my phone in the bathroom is something that really gets me.

Trust me, I've heard many things that I wished I didn't hear like people yelling at kids, spouses, significant others, talking about very personal things, etc.  Its hard to tune them out, but I go when I need to go.

At my work place there are plenty of conference rooms and other private areas to go into to talk on your phone.

[Venus193]

Talking on my phone in the bathroom is something that really gets me.

Trust me, I've heard many things that I wished I didn't hear like people yelling at kids, spouses, significant others, talking about very personal things, etc.  Its hard to tune them out, but I go when I need to go.

At my work place there are plenty of conference rooms and other private areas to go into to talk on your phone.

This.  However, with so many offices not having appropriate conference facilities anymore, sometimes it's necessary to use the washroom. 

However, only for emergencies and never when calling a client.  I had a colleague once upon a time who was notorious for this.  The first time I encountered it my ghast was flabbered.

[Perfect Circle]

Talking on my phone in the bathroom is something that really gets me.

Trust me, I've heard many things that I wished I didn't hear like people yelling at kids, spouses, significant others, talking about very personal things, etc.  Its hard to tune them out, but I go when I need to go.

At my work place there are plenty of conference rooms and other private areas to go into to talk on your phone.

This.  However, with so many offices not having appropriate conference facilities anymore, sometimes it's necessary to use the washroom. 

However, only for emergencies and never when calling a client.  I had a colleague once upon a time who was notorious for this.  The first time I encountered it my ghast was flabbered.

I have had the 'pleasure' of talking on the phone with a prospective service provider at work and hearing him in the toilet doing his business at the same time. So not cool.

[auntmeegs]

I don’t consider this rude at all and I will never understand why some people feel it is an invasion of privacy.  You are not in a private bathroom.  There is already someone in there with you.  Who cares if they are on a phone?  The person on the other end of the phone most likely doesn’t know you and doesn’t know you are in there. 

[Spoder]

I don’t consider this rude at all and I will never understand why some people feel it is an invasion of privacy.  You are not in a private bathroom.  There is already someone in there with you.  Who cares if they are on a phone?  The person on the other end of the phone most likely doesn’t know you and doesn’t know you are in there. 

Because bathroom sounds of any sort are personal, and generally if I'm in a public bathroom, I'm only there because it's logistically impossible to be in my own private one. Sure, it's only one other stranger, but in such a situation, the fewer 'witnesses', the better.

Also, as a PP mentioned, people tend to talk louder on cellphones, and bathrooms usually echo. Sometimes the bathroom is the only place you get to *not* be aurally assaulted by strangers' cellphones conversations.

It's not a massive deal to me, but I do think it's a courtesy to find somewhere else to use a cellphone.

[WhiteTigerCub]

I really don't like it when other people in the bathroom are on a call phone. At my work the slightest noise gets echoed throughout so it is quite likely that someone on the other end of a phone conversation can hear a lot of noise coming from others in the restroom and personally, I would be embarassed to tell the person I was speaking with. "Oh yeah, that was someone who has gas" if they ask "What was that?"

Anyway, I can think of few circumstances that would require someone to carry on a conversation in an environment where there is a lot of background noise. When I encounter someone on the cell phone, I generally flush a few times to cover up my own personal noises. Normally this is enough for the cell phone talker to determine it's probably not the best place to try and have a two way phone conversation.

[Venus193]

The one non-emergency situation where I consider this acceptable is in a loud club.  The restroom may be the only place quiet enough to hear the other person and to not have to shout over noise.