To ask if you think this rule is ridiculous?

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New work rule- we are not allowed to walk and talk on the phone. We were never allowed to walk and text, which I understand. But now we cannot answer a phonecall whilst walking. We have to stop, stand to the side and take the call and remain there until the call is finished. I understand it’s for safety but it’s annoying tbh. So AIBU?

What is the job?

Let's all play Guess the Job. I'll go first - Professional Tightrope Walker.

Depends where you work. Seems excessive for an office but ok for a hospital or factory

This is entirely environment depending.

If you work in a factory with heavy plant moving and elements you could be dragged into, then clearly you need to move about only with full concentration and purpose.

If you work in a health care setting like a hospital and are taking calls about patients then wandering through main reception while asking and giving personal and confidential details, then clearly this erodes data safety.

If you work as a land manager on a National Trust estate or as a dog walker, then walking and talking should be allowed.

Need to know the job.

I’m office based but attached to a manufacturing company

Are people walking through offices or in corridors next to offices where people are working and disturbing them?

A friend of mine was only saying the other day about a team of workers who constantly walk up and the corridor to the kitchen/loo/see another team etc... on their phones talking loudly. They said it feels like it never stops.

In industries where health and safety when out in the field is paramount (oil and gas, marine, manufacturing etc) it’s not uncommon for companies to insist that the same behaviours are practiced in the office as at field - because there will often be a need for office-based staff to visit sites, and it instils good habits and an awareness of safety in advance. Yes, it can feel a bit silly initially, but it soon becomes habit.

Need laugh reaction back

No never, it’s purely for safety reasons. And it’s not to stop people being on the phone it’s just to stop them walking. So if I get a phonecall and I’m walking past a desk of a colleague and I want to answer it I could choose to stop there by their desk. Which I wouldn’t do…but I could.

This sounds like something BP would do.

Then they will have an organisational H&S policy that applies to the entire business, whether you're office-based or operational.

I worked in tech for an engineering consultancy and desk-based staff had to follow the same guidelines as field engineers at the top of wind turbines.

It felt a bit like overkill at times (my favourite was the one about no open-topped hot drinks containers) but ultimately it's about consistency and keeping people safe, no matter what job they do or where they're located.

There's probably being an incident or two where people have crashed into each other, tripped down the stairs and had doors open on to them

So the H&S department have made this a rule in response

Absolutely this. They want to prove their safety credentials across the board by being able to say things like "we've gone X days without an incident/near miss" and "steps we've taken in 2025 include introducing this new policy, thus demonstrating our commitment..." blah blah

I certainly get that aspect, I guess I don’t see the issue with walking and talking tbh.

I was thinking exactly of BP when I read the OP: treat the office as you would a rig - hold onto the handrails when you use the stairs, always have a lid on a hot drink as you carry it, no phones while moving, no running in the hallways!

I totally get this I just can’t see how it’s any different to walking beside someone and talking to them at the same time…which we do.

Not BP. But yes all of those too…

There are times I wish this would be implemented at my work place , 3x this year that I have see ( many many more that I have been told about ) where people are talking or texting walking down a long straight corridor and have walked into / kicked the bright yellow "cleaning in progress " signs we to put out because they are not paying attention.

Tbf I’ve done this and I’ve not been on the phone 😆

I know. The justification will be (or should be) that a) when on the phone you're concentrating harder to hear the phone and therefore not paying as much attention to your surroundings (compared to speaking to a person who's physically there) and so more likely to trip and b) if you do trip while holding a phone you only have one hand to grab something/steady yourself.

Really it's ticking a box isn't it 😁

Because when walking and talking you are both aware of any hazards etc but when on the phone you have no idea of what is going on around the other person?

My guess is that someone has walked into someone whilst on the phone -

That sounds strange especially if you can stop where you are and take the call.
I get up from my desk and walk around whether I get a call and I’m WFH, it helps get my steps in. And I do similar outside when I’m in the office for the same reasons.
But I have common sense and don’t walk into objects. Other people may need rules to govern their stupidity.

Yep, like everyone has said its a safety culture thing. I've worked in energy and nuclear organisations and the safety culture meant you couldn't walk with a coffee with no lid - it was wild!! I do get it though, office accidents (look it up) are surprisingly common and can be bad in terms of injuries etc from just slips, trips and falls. Nobody thinks it'll ever be them but it could be. It's obviously overkill but I bet someone has tripped over whilst on the phone or walked into something, because you can't talk on the phone and be fully aware of your environment. Is it that hard to just tell the person you'll call them back once you're at your desk/in a meeting room..? It isn't a ditch I'd die in tbh (albeit I would find it annoying).