In the '90s, it was the cell-phone belt clip.
Today, it's the Bluetooth earpiece.
Both scream, "Look at me! I'm important! I can reach my personal communication device within a second!"
What they really say: "Look at me! I'm a douchebag!"
You don't need to walk around with your ear mullet (what Wired calls those cell-phone earpieces) attached all the time. Moreover, when you're in a meeting, take the damn thing off.
It's a distraction. (Not to you, sure, because you don't have to look at the stupid thing.) It borders on (and teeters into) disrespectful -- especially if that little blue light goes blinky-blinky-blinky.
A colleague of mine has business meetings all the time with individuals who refuse to remove their ear clips. "No, I'm waiting for a call," they tell her.
Really? And when the call arrives you can't either: a) let it go to voicemail, whereby you will return the call, or: b) spend the 2 seconds it takes to answer your phone (sans earpiece) and step out of the room?
Please.
This "I've got an earpiece" mentality smacks of such manufactured self-importance, it's ridiculous.
Unless you're Brad Pitt or severely disabled, take your earpiece off when you're in the company of others.
