We work as housekeepers in an Australian hotel, and our boss has implemented a new policy requiring us to surrender our mobile phones at the beginning of each shift and place them in a box at the reception desk.
The rationale is that if someone needs to reach us during the day, they can call the reception number, and a message will be relayed to us.
Personally, I only use my phone to check the time during my shift, as it's necessary for recording the start and finish times when cleaning rooms. So far, I haven't been reprimanded for my phone usage.
While I respect and adhere to the “no phone usage” rule, I'm unsure if it's fair to ask us to hand in our phones. It feels like I'm being asked to prioritize vacuuming over being readily available in case of an emergency (even though the chances of such an emergency are low).
Do you think this is fair? How can I justify keeping my phone on me during my shift (aside from not being in high school anymore…)