People still call them cell phones.

I understand why.

That's what we called them for years.

But let's be honest.

Most of these devices aren't really phones anymore.

A phone used to make phone calls.

Maybe send a text message.

That's about it.

Today's devices are connected to:

• Social media
• Email
• News feeds
• Group chats
• Friends
• Family
• Spouses
• Ex-spouses
• Notifications
• Entertainment
• Endless distractions

For many people, they have become portable attention machines.

Or perhaps more accurately:

Portable distraction machines.

Attention Is Part Of The Product

At Two Marines Moving, clients are paying for more than muscle.

They are paying for attention.

They are paying for focus.

They are paying for professionalism.

They are paying for execution.

Whether we're moving a piano, carrying a safe, booking a reservation, or dispatching a truck, attention matters.

The mission requires focus.

Our Cell Phone Policy Is Simple

If you're a Moving Specialist or Team Leader, your personal phone stays in the truck during the move.

If you need to check your phone, do it:

• On a short break
• On lunch
• During an appropriate pause in operations

What we do not do is walk through a client's home texting someone while on the client's clock.

We do not carry furniture while arguing with a spouse.

We do not move safes while fighting with a boyfriend or girlfriend.

We do not move pianos while scrolling social media.

This ain't that type of party.

The client is paying for our attention.

The mission comes first.

In The Office

Our office standard is similarly simple.

Personal phones are placed on a designated shelf.

The phone remains in the same room.

The employee can access it whenever necessary.

It is not confiscated.

It is not locked away.

It isn't hidden.

It's a few feet away.

That's intentional.

The goal isn't punishment.

The goal is allowing work to happen.

Because if a phone is sitting in your pocket vibrating every few minutes, many people will struggle to ignore it.

That's just reality.

I'm Actually Paying People To Put Their Phone Down

One way to think about this is simple.

I'm literally paying employees to set their phone on a shelf.

I'm paying them to focus.

I'm paying them to serve clients.

I'm paying them to accomplish the mission.

I'm not trying to fix anyone.

I'm not trying to change anyone.

I'm not trying to become anyone's therapist.

I am running a company.

And the company requires focused work.

The Phone Is Right There

One thing I've found interesting over the years is how strongly some people react to very basic phone policies.

The phone isn't gone.

The phone isn't locked up.

The phone isn't inaccessible.

The phone is sitting a few feet away.

The employee can check it on break.

The employee can access it whenever necessary.

And yet some people become very resistant to this concept.

I'm not a therapist.

I'm not a psychiatrist.

I'm not diagnosing anyone.

I'm speaking plainly as a business owner.

Some people seem unable or unwilling to separate themselves from the device long enough to perform focused work.

If that's the case, Two Marines Moving is probably not the right fit.

Work Requires Attention

I have an acquaintance who owns a general store.

He had an employee who simply would not stay off their phone.

The employee received verbal counseling multiple times.

Then written warnings.

Then additional written warnings.

The expectation was clear.

The instructions were clear.

The consequences were clear.

Nothing changed.

Eventually, the employee lost the job.

At some point, the issue was no longer the phone.

The issue was refusing to comply with a reasonable workplace standard.

I Don't Pay For Dysfunction

As a business owner, I pay for productive work.

I pay people to move furniture.

I pay people to serve clients.

I pay people to answer phones.

I pay people to make reservations.

I pay people to dispatch crews.

I pay people to accomplish the mission.

I do not pay for dysfunction.

If a person cannot focus on the client because they're focused on their phone, that's a problem.

If a person cannot focus on a reservation because they're focused on notifications, that's a problem.

If a person cannot focus on moving a piano because they're focused on a personal conversation, that's a problem.

The issue isn't the device.

The issue is that the client is no longer receiving the attention they paid for.

The Mission Comes First

The text message can wait.

The notification can wait.

The social media update can wait.

The group chat can wait.

The mission comes first.

That's true in the office.

That's true on the truck.

That's true in a client's home.

Clients are paying for our attention.

And attention is part of the product.

Final Thoughts

Cell phones aren't really phones anymore.

They're communication devices.

Entertainment devices.

News devices.

Social devices.

And distraction devices.

They can be incredibly useful tools.

I use mine every day to help run the company.

But tools should serve the mission.

The mission should never serve the tool.

At Two Marines Moving, clients come first.

The mission comes first.

And accomplishing the mission requires something that has become increasingly rare:

Attention.

Semper Fidelis,
Nicholas Edmond Baucom
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Two Marines Moving

Marine Combat Veteran Founded & Owned Since 2008. Industry Leading Pay. Moving Done Right. Join the Mission.