53. Mobile Phone Policy.
53.1. This policy aims to minimise distractions in the workplace by encouraging employees to limit non-essential use of personal mobile phones during work hours. 
53.1.1. By enabling Focus Mode (or equivalent “Do Not Disturb” settings), we can support a more productive, respectful, and focused work environment.
53.2. This policy applies to all employees of Architecture North Ltd, regardless of role or department, during regular working hours and in all work settings, including the office, remote locations, and client-facing environments.
53.3. Employees are expected to activate Focus Mode, Do Not Disturb, or a similar setting on their personal mobile phones during the core hours of the workday.
53.3.1 This helps minimise interruptions from personal messages, calls, app notifications, or social media
53.4. If personal phones are used for business-related communication (e.g. calls, texts, WhatsApp), employees may keep notifications on for relevant contacts or apps via Focus Mode filters.
53.4.1 Employees should remain accessible through designated work channels (e.g., email, work phone, Slack, Teams).
53.5. Personal phone use is permitted during lunch and scheduled breaks.
53.6. If an employee is expecting an urgent or emergency call, they should inform their manager and may keep their phone accessible with appropriate exceptions set in Focus Mode.
53.7. The same expectations apply to remote or hybrid workers to maintain consistent focus and availability during designated working hours.
53.8. Occasional quick checks of personal phones may be acceptable, but excessive or disruptive use during meetings or focused work time is discouraged.
53.9. Managers are encouraged to remind team members of this policy as needed.
53.10 Repeated disregard for this policy may be addressed through informal feedback or, if necessary, under the Disciplinary Policy.