There was an article in the Washington Post that about a week ago in the “Jobs” section of the Sunday paper that sought to answer this question: Who do you call when your boss bans cell phones?

This is a question and answer column in the Post by columnist Lily Garcia. Her answer was shocking.

Basically, she identified this as a “problem boss” who needed to be dealt with either by a union pressure or by some sort of a lawsuit. She called it “dehumanizing and demoralizing to be subjected to such absolute rules under the guise of efficiency or fairness.”

This is nuts.

A business owner invests his time, energy, and money in a business to create a profit for himself and financial security for his family. A business owner does not exist for the benefit of the employees. If a business owner decides to ban cell phones from the workplace, this is his absolute right. What Ms. Garcia missed in her article is that the option that the employee has is to quit.

If enough employees quit as a result of the policy, and perhaps the owner will rethink the policy. However, the employee always has the free choice to remain under the “rules of engagement” set by the employer or to seek employment elsewhere.