Ban Big Brother voting on company phones

HR departments have been urged to put policies in place to ensure employees to do not abuse company mobile phones amid widening opportunities for spending money directly using handsets.

Telecoms lobby group the Communications Management Association said the opportunity to use business mobiles for football betting, to download music and games, view video clips and vote on TV programmes meant that companies should act now to prevent large employee phone bills mounting up.

Paul Fegan, head of the association’s billing group, said: “There are 3,480 betting opportunities on the World Cup games, just through the convenience of your mobile phone. You used to be able to bet only on the score, but now it extends to the first corner, first goal, score at half-time and more.

“Plus, there are chances to win tickets, holidays and lots of other things, all by texting or phoning your answers to the many competitions on practically every programme you watch on TV today.”

Fegan said employers should write specific policies outlawing the use of phones for betting and voting on programmes such as Big Brother.