Is peeking at your PDA OK?

You’re in a meeting, and an email just landed in your PDA. A Pavlovian response kicks in, and you open it.

Is that politically correct?

This is still a gray area. According to a recent survey, 86 percent of senior executives polled said it is common for colleagues to read and respond to email during meetings. However, close to a third of this group (31 percent) disapproves of the practice. Thirty-seven percent said it’s OK to respond to email, as long as the message is urgent, while 23 percent said professionals should excuse themselves from the meeting before answering email. Only nine percent said it’s perfectly acceptable to read and respond to messages during a meeting, especially when the discussion doesn’t pertain to them. The survey, conducted by Robert Half Management Resources, included responses from 150 senior executives in the 1,000 largest U.S. companies, including human resources, finance and marketing staff.

What’s the bottom line? If you’re determined to answer email during a meeting, be discreet.