Can you confiscate your employee's cellphone in California?

Get you employees to work for you.

This is hard. Seriously, this is a difficult skill. But if you keep at it, you'll get it.

I don't think you can, but even if you could, that's not what you want. Take away their cell phone and they'll,.... play on the computer, talk to each other, draw, bounce a ball, and find many other ways to goof off.

Get work done. That's what you want from your employees. If you focus on their cell phones, then that's what you'll get is a bunch of people who aren't talking on their cell phones. But that's not what you want. You want people who are working.

"OK, everyone, we need to get this order out today. Lets everyone work together and gets this done" Reward them with gold stars.

When you have an employee who's not working up to speed. You tell them exactly what you want. Don't just say "stop texting", because that's not all you want. What you want is for them to do some work? So say "could you do some work please"

Be kind. No one likes a mean boss. If you take away their cell phones, or write them up all the time, they're going to get upset and will be unlikely to help you.

Here's a little trick. They're all standing around talking. You walk up, but don't say anything about work. Just stand there and listen and talk. About 5 min. Then say "well, we better all get back to work" Then walk away and start doing your work.

If you don't already have a policy against cell phone use, then write one, sit them down and explain the new policy - including the consequences for violating it and then implement the policy and go from there. You may end up losing a few employees.

There has to be some more managerial approach you could take. Fine, Dismissal, cut hours or more hours perhaps, assigning them to a universally dreaded job(bathrooms, paperwork, M.S.D.S hazard evaluation sheet on water, ect..) Confiscating MY phone would equate to a confrontation and now hiring sign, perhaps that's why i work alone :)

No, it is not. This is not High School.

Inform your employees that using cell phones on company time will result in immediate dismissal. That should get their attention.

if it is company policy to not have them while you work and they do, then you write them up for having them and then after so many writes ups you fire them.

what do you think they are twelve and your their mother? Write them up if you got an issue with it.

Thank god for unions with managers like you

Why do you hire teenagers?