My staffers frequently text or tweet during meetings. How can I deal with this without seeming old-fashioned?

Christine Pearson, a professor of international business at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, believes that texting, tweeting, e-mailing, and other gadget-focused behavior during a meeting fosters an air of "electronic incivility," which is detrimental to workplace morale. But even if she's correct, these practices may be as regular as they are rude: About 33 percent of more than 5,300 workers surveyed in 2008 by career-research site Yahoo HotJobs (now part of Monster.com), for example, said they frequently checked their e-mail accounts during meetings. In Pearson's experience, the number could be as high as 50 percent today. She also states that 80 percent of those she polls find this behavior offensive.

No matter how prevalent the practice, you have the right to set the ground rules with your staff for meetings. The next time you meet, tell them that out of respect to those leading the meetings and those attending, everyone should refrain from texting, tweeting, e-mailing, and so forth. State that no one should use cell phones, laptops, tablets, and the like, unless you direct it, or an emergency occurs that would require their use. Once the meeting is over, send out an e-mail to all participants that recaps these points.

Don't worry about appearing old-fashioned. Unlike dial-up modems and vinyl records, courtesy is in no danger of becoming obsolete.