Boss told me to get off my personal phone in a meeting

I don’t know what the world is coming to. I honestly can’t believe this question needs to be asked. Do we all have such an issue with authority and being told we can’t do something anymore, we need to check it’s unfair? Do we all need to feel we have special circumstances? Can we not just take simple appropriate criticism without whining about it?

Is this a wind up? Of course you were in the wrong. How rude to ‘pull your boss up’ and try to justify that everyone does it

You shouldn't be looking at a personal phone in a meeting. Some might go as far as to say you shouldn't even have a personal phone on you in a meeting. It should be left in your bag/desk etc. As for calling your boss out...eek!! You were in the wrong here! My only gripe would be that your boss should have taken you to one side after the meeting, and reprimanded you, rather than in front of others. However, by doing it in front of others, at least your colleagues now know not to do the same! My son's school has my work number as well as my mobile number. I also have voice mail on my mobile, so messages can be left. You need to apologise properly to your boss, and accept you were in the wrong.

You don’t check your phone in meetings. How would you feel if your dentist, shop assistant and so on stopped dealing with you to answer the phone?

You shouldn't have been on your phone but telling you off publicly as an example for others is poor leadership.

They could easily have asked there and then whether everything is ok when you moved your attention to your phone. You'd have been able to apologise that you'd seen a message from the school and put your phone away or left to deal with it.

I’ve had a message from school to ask where my daughter was…whom I’d dropped off at school 3 hours earlier.

You can bet your arse ik responding to that message (not phone call) immediately

Honestly, I don’t know a person who doesn’t look at the phone to check a message isn’t urgent. If not phone then on a watch. It’s more unprofessional for him to snap and reprimand than you to take a peek. Scrolling no. Peeking yes.

My boss wouldn’t do that but i’d have to take it on the chin if told off.

You shouldn’t have your phone out and so you instinctively open the message.
Work meeting means you’re at work, so why did you think it was okay.
Ypu don’t say that it was of dire importance so presumably it could have waited.

I'm going to go against the grain here and say it sounds like the way your boss handled it was disrespectful. If everyone is often distracted by messages in meetings, then why pick on you specifically? I think he could have said something to you quietly after the meeting, or maybe raised the issue as an AOB item at the end of the meeting, not mentioning names, but explaining that the habit of staff to be on their phones during team meetings needs to stop.

I don't really think that making an example of you was appropriate or professional. But then you have to remember that most people have no idea how to manage a team, so don't give them any ammunition to attack you with.

Has it been an issue across meetings that people are not paying attention?

I dont think your boss should need to be snaping or needing to make an issue of it in middle of the meeting.
As that action is distracting and rude if someone is presenting or covering an important topic

Yes snaping also rude but you should not have tried to justify it by saying everbody else is ignoring you too (awkard 😬)

You should have just said sorry and moved on.

You pulled your boss up on it? You were the one in the wrong you have no right to pull anyone up for anything. You didn’t even apologise for disturbing the meeting. Surely the school would actually of rang you had there of been an issue?

Well speaking as someone actually has lots of work meetings unlike many of the pp it would seem, of course people quickly check their phones, personal or work, during meetings if a message arrives.
Sat there scrolling on their phone, or in with a client, of course not. A quick check of a message or new email, no problem.

You’re in the wrong. We all do it but you got pulled up on it. Take it on the chin, move on.

Do you really need to ask?

Of course you should not be checking your personal phone during work meeting.

It is rude and really disrespectful to everyone who is part of that meeting.

Totally unprofessional to be on your phone in a work meeting. Obviously it would be fine to excuse yourself if you thought school needed you. Otherwise phone is away from you!

I can’t seriously believe you think the boss is in any way wrong.
You don’t get your phone out, in paid work time, in a meeting with anyone, let alone the boss!

I’ve fallen for a windup again, haven’t I? 🙄

Sorry but i think you’re definitely in the wrong here. A colleague of mine does this often in meetings and I find it rude and extremely unprofessional, I wish our manager would call him out on it.

You’re in the wrong.
A text isn’t likely urgent

Wow. I think your reaction will not have improved the situation. Of course you shouldn’t be checking your phone during work hours, or attempting to justify it after!

Depends on the overall work environment I suppose. Our work meetings are sometime quite intense etc but people still pick up their phones to check occasionally to briefly check. I don't think it's half as bad as people who sit there for the entire meeting tapping away on their laptops not paying any attention to what's going on, I think it's the height of rudeness and I have pulled people up for this before

You’re in the wrong, your boss rightly reprimanded you
So,apologise and stop,protesting. Take responsibility for your poor judgement

And you definitely won’t have endeared yourself by pulling them up afterwards.