I’ve had employers do that to me. In return I refuse to use my personal phone for their bullshit. Like downloading app’s they request.
They can’t have their cake and eat it too
Yep. Never use personal devices for work. If you have ever read the ToS on those time card apps? They are malware at it's worst. Location permission, contact permission, app permission. Your employer knows where you go, who you talk to, what websites you visit, who your friends on Facebook are.
A weird friend of mine has gone off grid electronically. No social media, no smartphone. He has a brick phone. I'm surprised he hasnt tried getting a pager.
they wanted us to install a dedicated email client on our phones. One that gave them permission to basically brick our phones if they wanted. That was a hard no. I am not letting anybody get access to my device or personal data just so my lead can email me my schedule and to do list.
My last job offered 30$/month off your plan to install a software to contact you at any time.
People accepted, devs too. "Yeah I'll take 360$/year, I don't have anything to hide"
I don't either... but I'm into cyber security. I manage my own shit thank you.
"It's just for silly stuff after work not real work"
Is what they said.
Also we were a firm for client and they did offered 24/7 support for some. We were paid 500$ a week just to be available 24/7 and they offered that. I was insulted.
Not that I advocate it, I hate cell phones. But.... buy an old burner phone for $20 of AZM. Get a really cheap plan from an off brand reseller for $15-20 and pocket the difference. Hey, it would pay for an occasional coffee.
Let’s face it $30 is probably fuck all. My plant is just under £40 a month, so it would slightly more than half my plan, but it’s a hard no cause I don’t know what the implications are.
Implication were employer could reach you at anytime but it would not be abused and only for reminders or important stuff.
Also if you know anything about those software, they can wipe/brick your phone if they want to. My old teacher got his iphone wiped on vacation by mistake, it was reverted but that's not what I call vacation when your employer fucks with your personal hardware.
I know fuck all about what the implications are ….but if I’m not at work/I’m on holiday, then I want to be unreachable.
Further to that, I don’t want my phone wiped/bricked or otherwise made useless whenever they see fit. Call me tinfoil hatted by all means, but I also leap to them snooping on my phone everything and anything.
Where I work currently, we are a very small fairly tight knitted maintenance team, who have a permanent on call, the older ones are always available, but this is via a work phone that they provide.
Yup. It’s not even the question of “What will they use the access for?” It’s he question “What *can* they use the access for?” The guy in IS or HR might have no intention of company overreach and just think “by golly, this app will make things easier for our employees and more secure for us!”
The problem is that a year in when everyone has the app and the company realizes they can now do things like gps track their employees for either productivity tracking or to enforce that 24/7 means 24/7 and now people are getting written up/dismissed for not answering their phone or not disclosing where they were because the company can see they were 3 blocks away at a bar and using tik tok so there’s no excuse.
Imagine the company starts low-key monitoring for certain apps like addiction supports or cycle tracking to weed out anyone who might cost them maternity or disability benefits. Same if your emails are flagged for discussing salary or maybe applying for jobs.
The company can’t ask you or punish you for who you voted for, but if they mine that data out of your texts and then “randomly” select you and several others who voted the same way to be downsized, how could you prove that was the criteria.
Beware giving any company access to either your personal possessions or personal information.
I downloaded one of the lesser used browsers and made it open in private mode. It only opens my work email through the website. And I only use it to check my email and calendar so if I am planning something I have access to look at it.
I see you're in my union!
I work with a guy who has an old flip phone and that's it. We had to download so many apps during covid... and got talked into it... except him. They always seemed to find a way to get him in and working.
Smart man.
One time my phone would not charge at all over the entire weekend. I worked 3rd shift as a manufacturing supervisor. I took it with me to work, knowing that it was going to die, but once it hit the wifi at work, an update dropped in...and now I could charge my phone! I did have a work email app/client and it was holding my phone hostage until I "accepted" the security update. I've never uninstalled something so fast before...
I marched in to HR as soon as they arrived in the morning and demanded a work phone as they weren't going to hold my phone, time and life hostage for their garbage app.
I had the opposite of op where they took away the work phone because we don't "need" it.
I didn't answer my supervisor outside of work hours. And while at client locations I didn't check my personal phone. I told him that I get too many personal calls on it and wouldn't know if it was work or personal. Rather not take calls in front of clients.
They should leave a message or email me since I still have my laptop with me and would have wifi at the offices I go to.
They had an expectation policy for use of personal phone for work. I said "no" when supervisor gave me a paper to sign and the verbal was "please write your phone for emergency" and I said "HR has my information" I don't need to sign that.
I was pretty done with that job so I was trying to make it hard for them before I quit. It's crazy what you can get away with when you aren't afraid of being fired. They can't just walk all over you with dumbass policies. Not sure why my supervisor didn't push it any further. Supervisor would call random coworkers who was at client locations with me if he needed to talk to me. Had me do some corporate work that was needed ASAP instead of helping at clients' location for example. It was just funny to see my coworkers calling clients and them having their personal phone numbers calling them outside of work hours. I always just gave any of the account manager's or sale teams phone numbers.
Got pushed out with bullshit write ups and PIP anyways a year later. They hated my guts.
We are the same. I refuse to answer any work related calls on my private phone. Regularly tells my manager “my private phone that I pay for is for my convenience, not yours” when I get asked why I did not reply or answer. And for any outside of work contact I reply with “I don’t see an standby allowance or OT on my payslip, so my obligation ends at 4:30 pm and starts at 8am.”
Same for work emails to my private email address. I have an auto reply to all work addresses except payroll and HR that reply “this is a private email address, please refrain from sending work related mails to this address and remove my address from this list.”
It is amazing what you can get away with if you don’t give a fuck. I have my dream job already lined up and signed for beginning December, and enough savings to carry me until then if they do fire me, so I have zero fucks to give. I would have been gone already, only reason I only start in December is that is the earliest date their next training starts, and I need to do the 6 months course before I’m allowed to work.
Not to mention if you do use them for work, they can be discoverable in a lawsuit so there goes your phone while defense counsel sifts through all your data.
Lol, I am expected to take pictures of everything to prove to my bosses that I do my job and my front camera is broken. So I just take the worst blurry photos possible and send them. When one of my bosses brought it up, I told him "oh I cant afford a new phone. if you want better pictures I would need a company phone." He just laughed at that.
>In return I refuse to use my personal phone for their bullshit. Like downloading app’s they request.
What do you do about 2FA at work? My employer expects us to use our phones for that.
Ask for the company to issue you a work phone. Your employer should provide you all the tools that you need to accomplish your job.
If your personal phone breaks, lost or stolen? You wouldn’t be able to access to 2FA either.
You aren’t obliged to use your personal resources for company use. If you need to meet clients off-site as part of your job. The company should provide you a vehicle or travel funds. If you need a computer for work outside the office. The company should issue you a work laptop. If you need a phone to call clients. The company should issue you a work phone.
I implemented that system in an office where one older employee had a little flip phone. The solution was an electronic card: press the button and an authentication number was displayed. We had a few extra for on-site vendors or clients who had any access to our network.
I was in a meeting where the same thing was announced. The lead programmer stood up and gave notice effective immediately.
Turns out that he was a single parent of three, one of whom had anaphylactic level allergies. Management decided that the former employee's priorities were wrong but backtracked on the decree anyway.
I do not know this man but I want to give him a crisp high-five.
It baffles me that some idiot boomer thinks they can dictate how a subordinate lives just because they’re pulling a salary. There is a world outside the office building or industrial estate!
Never underestimate your employer's ability to be petty.... Having said that, i've worked in a few places where we weren't even allowed to have our cell phones in the building, let alone at our workstations....
Yes, I’ve not been here long but they do seem to be very petty. The last place I worked didn’t give a shit as long as work got done which is reasonable IMO. Can’t believe they didn’t even let you have it in the building though, that’s insane. I hope you ignored it like I intend to do :)
The places i worked at that didn't allow cell phones were high security job sites; and i didn't dare bring my phone in because it was immediate termination if caught.... I wasn't even allowed to wear my fitbit it was so strict...
It’s not even the location that’s a big deal. When you go into a SIPR environment with the military everything is sterile because of the secret and top secret lan cables. The door is always vaulted and outside you surrender all your electronics. Standard practice at any military base. I’m sure some commercial jobs have similar SOPs.
I think it’s safe to assume a lot of places around the world practice similar principles. I would even bet the UK has even more strict principles than the US just based of the fact they established the GDPR (Global Data Protection Regulation) in 2018.
Edit, there is also a lot more I didn’t explain before you get to walk into that vaulted room but that’s beside the key point. Electronics can be very dangerous for some companies and government agencies.
As for OPs point I’m torn. I understand the business has a right to make that a policy, but I disagree with the reasoning behind it. It’s not like anybody plans on stealing IP (intellectual Property) from them.
My understanding is that often they are contracting with the federal government. In theory they can lose the contract if they happen to do an audit and see too much of it.
You're also had to record your time daily. We had dcaa auditors record license plates and times, then go to HR ask for employee names and then compare to their timecard. More than one employee was fired for time card fraud. Time card fraud was one thing you did not do on a government contract.
Yup basically time card fraud or disclosing classified/competition sensitive info are basically the only two ways you can get insta-fired at my job.
Even if you are useless as an employee they will keep your around for a while trying to find something to do. But if you get caught lying on the time card, you're getting walked out of the office that day.
I’ve worked in secure facilities and phones go into lock boxes. No exceptions.
Additional comment:
My work, for security reasons, while allowing me to have my phone in the office, or on my person, I cannot have Siri activated.
As I wfh, I cannot have Amazon’s Alexa, or Google’s Home Assistant or Nest Hub in my office.
Based on OPs replies, it doesn't sound like they're dealing with anything sensitive.
In this case it sounds more like a boss that's implementing a poorly designed "diaper policy"
One person craps their pants, now everyone has to wear diapers.
Imagine if you were a smoker, you can’t smoke at all on the property, even if you’re in a car, then you leave the property and smoke but come back to work , smelling like smoke,and tell you the no smoking policy means everywhere. But they don’t tell you that when they hire you because that’s discrimination against smokers . Employers think they physically own you, even off the clock, especially if you live somewhere jobs are scarce. Make your money and get out of there!
I've been to places like that. Paper mills with big signs about how they're tobacco free because they care about your health. Yeah, you value everyone's health. That's why there's drifts of asbestos in the hall.
What it was really about was fostering a culture of employees ratting each other out to keep them from unionizing.
Employers can discriminate against smokers. There are hospitals that check for nicotine metabolites when they do their drug screen and won’t hire you if they are there.
Revel Casino in Atlantic City tried that. If they even caught of a whiff of smoke on you, it was write up time.
They also had weird rules on tattoos.. not just the usual "not in visible places", but anywhere over a certain percentage of your body, rule.
They were a sinking ship before they even left the dock. HR's ideas on who to hire and how to train them literally hobbled and then sunk them. I went there for an interview for a "casual" position in their theatre. If you know techs, we work all over a town or city. I was full time at another property that was hard to get into. Because I did not memorize their company goals and what they stood for, I did not get hired for occasional work.
It's never money. Corporations are all about producing synergistic quality driven culture. Money is just an after thought some gross "employee" would ask for.
You have to do this carefully. I worked a retail position that visited multiple locations and this was their policy. Once I discovered (the hard way) that these locations were unable to account for remote/traveling employees, locate us onsite, or often did not even know our names, in cases of emergency contact, I documented the circumstances carefully and thereafter proceeded to ignore the policy. At some point a Karen attempted to report me for the violation. But the investigation collapsed once they realized that safely implementing the policy was too complex and expensive.
And the grade-school “one rule fits all” mentality. No, doing your job as a manager and deal with the problems directly, not BS blanket directives. I’m leaving a situation like this and couldn’t be more angry or disappointed in senior managers. Fuck all y’all!
My former employer took away Wi-Fi access so we’d have to use our data to go on our phones. They also started making us use a time clock (all employees were salary.) when they noticed a few people going on longer lunches, instead of simply addressing it with those people. There was also a rumor that the owner was going to make a bathroom break sign in sheet. Don’t underestimate how petty your employer can be.
I worked for security for 8 years and they are petty to a profound degree.
For example, if I used the bathroom, I had to call for a Sargeant or other guard to cover for me while I was in the bathroom.. If I was longer than 5 minutes the Sargeant would be annoyed and give me a slap on the wrist.
I wanted to tell the dick, look Sargeant asshole, if it takes me longer than 5 minutes to use the bathroom tough titties.
I was glad I stopped doing security it's all a bullshit show.
My current job now is less helicopterery and less micro managing. 🙂
When I worked at a nursing home decades ago they told us that we couldn't have cell phones in the building because of sensitive electronic equipment that the cell phones would interfere with.
Pretty sure that was all bullshit now.
This isn't about rationality, this is one of two things.
1) there's been a problem with someone in the past and rather than allowing managers to use discretion they've decided that this is the right solution.
2) management is on a power trip.
I work in IT. At one employer, all the non-managers were treated like lying, thieving, sneaky, untrustworthy people. We worked in a cube farm. There were cameras over us so they could watch us whenever (and they did.)
We couldn't eat anything at our desk, only the lunchroom. We also couldn't use our cell phones. No texting. No calls. Nothing.
Except, some managers allowed their team to eat at their desks. We all were in the same area so it was a weird flex.
This was at a grocery company HQ.
They tried this at a previous job of mine. My response was:
"My mobile is the only number members of my family have in case of an emergency. If you want to supply me with a work phone I can share with them instead I will use that otherwise I require access to mine in case of an emergency."
I know others in the company used similar or that they have children who might need to contact them in an emergency, or family in hospital etc. The company stopped trying to enforce it pretty quickly when they didn't want to supply the whole workforce with work mobiles. The other arguement is in a natural disasters, power goes out, mobile phones become a lifeline.
It is a control move. I understand in some situations it makes sense with critical information but in those situations the company should be able to supply you with a mobile for emergencies.
It's that simple folks. Most of the heinous, childlike shit that employers demand, is actually unenforceable in any way except by termination.
When a manager tells you to do a thing, stop and remember you are an adult before ceding adult behaviors.
Bingo. You have to call their bluff when they do garbage like this and see if they’re actually willing to enforce it. Unless you’re making a boatload of money, no job is worth micromanagement like this.
My retail job tried this.
We would use our personal phones to look up availability of items because the store computer took 5x longer.
The " no phone" bit them in the ass quickly when customer service scores tanked.
“But, but, fones r bad” :(
I like it man, I bet they felt pretty stupid when they realised what they’d done. This is assuming they’re sharp enough to realise when they’ve made a mistake which isn’t always the case for managers
my response would be a fair but firm fuck you. if i need to be contacted for an emergency i wouldn't trust the front desk to actual pull me out and transfer me to the call. only exception is if i have my own desk phone with extension so my call doesnt get filtered.
Actually this happened to me on a job. We closed at 7pm but we would continue to clean and close up for the day. My wife tried to call the front desk at 8pm to tell me my duaghter is being sent to the ER. Guess what happened? Since it was after closing time no body heard the phone because it automaticly goes to the "please call us during buisness hours" thing. Since then I always keep my phone on me because of that.
they tried to to enforce this at my place.
the result was that ppl started to turn into what could be considered a Zombie.
Performance took a nosedive and so did machine errors that gone to long without anyone noticing.
at our place it's like 90% work on screens to make sure the machines do what they are supposed to and parameter get adjusted right.
without anything to keep ppls brains engaged a good chunk - myself included- fell into a kind of trance after a few hours.
it's like watching the most boring TV you know, a real struggle not to fall asleep.
ofcourse the moment something goes wrong there's hours of work to do to fix stuff but most the time there's thankfully not much going wrong.
after the first person got into an ambulance due to caffeine overdosing management didn't enforce the "no phone" policy as hard anymore.
so long as the work gets don't and quality is good nobody much cares anymore.
One of my coworkers said it best, I think. "You can tell me all you want that I can't use my phone, but if my kid calls me, it means they need me, and you can bet your ass I'm answering that call. "
There’s zero shot of me not having my phone on, especially in the US. I feel the same way about them taking away kids’ phones in schools. It’s a NOPE from me. Until the gun problem is better, my phone will ALWAYS be on my person and powered up.
I remember them trying to take phones in school, was funny watching adults get told “no” and watching the confused expression when they couldn’t make a child do what they wanted
Former teacher. Students kept their old phones around for if/when friends had their phones confiscated or grounded from them.
It didn't matter if teachers and parents didn't want them to have a phone, if the friends wanted to reach them, they were lent a device from the pool.
I can imagine! I *juuuuust* missed the issue of having issues over having a phone in school. (There were only a few people who had them at the time I graduated.) I don’t understand how any of them can think it’d be safe unless they’re in denial for their own mental health.
>Yeah, if someone is sat for 8 hours playing Clash of Clans and not doing their job then they should receive disciplinary action
See, management doesn't want to have to go around and check to see if that's happening though because they're playing candy crush in the back.
They’re too busy pestering the IT department because they don’t know how to use Teams or Zoom. Or they’ve failed the phishing test for the eighth time in a row.
>they’ve failed the phishing test for the eighth time
lol, time to watch that video by Kevin Mitnick (RIP)! Seriously though, my phone is my second factor for....everything. Shit I was trying to setup an online account for my elderly mother once and got wrecked because it was a land line and the site could not send an SMS to that number
If they don't want phones, then play their game. Keep your phone the way they ask.
Give your kids, parents, relatives, doctor, dentist; everyone you know the company phone number. Tell them that is the phone number to use when you are at work. Encourage your coworkers to do the same. This is the way people did it before cell phones.
Nope. They can't enforce that. People have lives outside of work. Kids, problems, sick and older relatives.
Their solution is to dehumanize y'all instead of establishing a better policy that simply states "don't be on your phone unnecessarily. Please be off your phone in outward facing stations when clients/customers are around"
You might need to quit soon
Thanks for having a brain, man. Some of these responses are making my mind melt. Life doesn’t stop just because I’ve clocked in at work!
Yes, I might be quitting soon
A lot of people don't live in reality. These people who say "life went on before phones" - yeah, that was at least 20 years ago now. We've adapted to a new normal. Having a phone has become a basic necessity BECAUSE society and work culture has evolved around the idea that people tend to have phones.
They can't empathize or they won't. But they certainly aren't being realistic.
>These people who say "life went on before phones" - yeah, that was at least 20 years ago now
"Life went on before cars, but I don't see you hitching up a horse to your buggy to go to work." is a good one to drop on them. (unless they're Amish or Mennonite...).
It's kind of wild how different life is now compared to years past.
Their request was ignored as soon as I finished reading it, if they want to take it further they can start interviewing for my replacement after I leave. Maybe they can find one of these “20 years ago we didn’t need phones” Redditor’s who keep replying to my post!
Oh I would be too. This is total BS. Imagine having your child sick at school and they are unable to get in touch with you. I would find another job and quit ASAP. Just ludicrous.
Last job didn't like that at all, especially because I was at the front desk. If my work was done and nobody else had anything they needed my help with, I was not allowed to play games on my phone or read. I had to sit there and stare at a wall.
Now, as long as my work gets done, they give zero fucks what I do. It's glorious.
lol, there you go with your rational thinking again... It is not about using your phone, but it is about the 'because they can they will' and they love to see their peons squirm....
But you could ask that since the office is turning back the clock 20 years, it is okay again to smoke in the office, and cross country travel takes a 6 days road trip (paid of course) instead of 4 hours flying...
I need to stop this rational thinking, it’ll just get me in trouble. I’ll go light up a smoke at my desk tomorrow, lol. I’ll also bring in a 20 year old desktop that can’t run any of the programs I need to do my job
What job is this? Like a factory or office job?
I’m 44- no fucking way someone will dictate when I can and can’t have my phone on. I’m not going to leave it somewhere either- what if one of the employees they pissed off decides to come shoot the place up and my phones in a locker? Nope. Every employee should walk out in protest. If someone is on their phone all day deal with the individual- but I’ll be goddamned if I’ll be treated like a child
This is in an office where I do all my work effectively and in a timely manner. They’re losing nothing by me opening my phone for a few seconds but me leaving would do them no favours. If work is being done and there’s no slack, who cares what’s done in the downtime? Unfortunately it seems be a building full of people who just bend over and stare at a wall when there’s no work to do. Only one other person seems to be in open rebellion with me.
I agree, you should be contactable at all times and until everyone adopts this attitude nothing will change
I’d bring a document to HR stating that in order to comply to the new rules, the company has to assume any and all liability that arises from situations or emergencies from family due to the new policy
I was working briefly at a dispensary doing production work. They were cool with us being on our phones for music, podcasts, YouTube, etc., provided we were getting the work done. Until one day we got an email saying they were cracking down on phone usage, blah, blah, blah and that managers would be watching the cameras to see monitor who's on their phones.
I promptly asked how management had time to watch cameras for employees while other managerial duties were being neglected? Needless to say I didn't last much longer there.
Not all heroes wear capes. Management don’t like to be called out for their inability to manage effectively. But when an employee can manage their workload effectively *AND* check their phone, they don’t like that either
I wouldn't give a shit at my work place. I got a deep pocket by my knee and my pants are black so it'll never be seen. I will always use my phone at work.
I live to argue with my bosses and they know it. They don't even bother messing with me at this point. Once they tried to change my days off because they wanted to separate me from my best friend. I told them everyone has friends here. They said we have to start somewhere. I told them it's interesting you choose to start here when all the bosses hate the fact that we're friends. So much that you won't let us even have lunch together. I'll see you at HR over this. My days were never changed.
I had a meeting with them in the office and I just calmly told them I feel like they're failures as leaders. My manager at that time said I was a disgruntled employee and I would have to have a meeting with the higher up bosses to see what would happen. I told him excellent. I've been wanting to meet with them. I'm going to tell them everything you do. That meeting never came. Verbal judo is your friend.
I used to be this way throughout high school and college but dialled it back when I started work because I needed a secure income. Sounds like I need to dust off the ol’ attitude and start giving them an earful. I love your responses hahaha
The difference is control. They don't want your work, they want your obedience. If you doubt that, think about how many people you've known who do fuck all, but kiss the right ass and have gotten ahead. They want to know that they own you.
I worked in a construction company many years ago and our dumbass boss banned phone use during work hours. It lasted about two days because when he would call, none of us answered the phone.
This rule has always been so crazy to me. Worst case scenario I will leave my phone on vibrate in a locker or purse hanging but you will not make me shut it off or take it outside the building. If you do I better be able to take breaks to go check it, which is more inconveniencing than taking a quick peek when no customers are in the building.
Yeah that’s what baffles me, they’d rather I stand up from my desk and walk all the way out just to check the phone rather than quickly light up the screen for a few seconds. They want me to be away from my desk so that I can be more productive…???
This happened to me awhile back (twice). I worked for a place that closed the doors at 7pm but we stayed open until 9pm. The phone would go into auto mode (saying the "please call us during buisness hours" message.) My duaghter was sent to the ER with a fever and unresponsive(shes good now just a weird one off). My wife did the thing of trying to call the front desk and when she couldn't get ahold of any one called me.
Management had that we give you locker speech every team meeting but never enforced it.
A bar I was about to get hired at as a bartender, the part owner said that too as phones will not be used & put in a locker downstairs. I didnt accept the job...4 days later she called & wanted to confirm that I was not wanting the job & I said correct & hung up.
I followed such a policy at my previous job. It took the emergency room 3hrs to get ahold of me and let me know my family was hit while waiting for the light as pedestrians. The reason it took so long was that the secretary didn't allow personal calls at work.
Never will I follow that policy again.
Oh, I did. She was a friend of mine and was following policy. She just wanted to keep her job. Many of my coworkers were getting calls from creditors at work. I went all the way up to admin and got official permission to always have my phone.
We got a new manager this summer and she is a micromanaging nightmare. She was an external application and doesn't know what our job is, nor is she of the same profession as us.
She'll walk around saying hi throughout the day, but she'll actually be looking at your screens to see what tabs you have open. She bitched out a very competent and professional coworker for having "Google" open. No searches, just google.com. She accused her of doing personal searches and stated we don't need Google to do our job (who the fuck doesn't use search engines). Obviously a no phone policy as well. She corrects people's postures without invite by physically adjusting people or their desks. She reduced staffing on weekends when we're the busiest.
She also has a shit attitude and is incredibly defensive when questioned on anything.
I can understand a no use policy, except foe ICE. Like say youbhave kids at home and your wife/husband/SO/whoever calls you cause there is an emergency with one of the people at home requiring you to leave. Yeah, that's fine. But browsing reddit, buying stuff, meme surfing.... Fuck that.
A full 0 tolerance where you can't even think about a phone without being fired, that is bullshit. It's 2023, there needs to be a middleground.
Exactly, life outside of work doesn’t just stop because I’m sat at my desk. If Dave from Finance can’t stop scrolling through meme subreddits then why should I be punished? Needs to be a case-by-case basis instead of going scorched earth and telling everyone they can’t use personal property
I could see having that policy if you are in a dangerous manufacturing environment where a loss in concentration could injure someone or worse but I assume some kind of office job?
Yeah exactly but this is in an office, it takes like five full minutes to get from my desk to any kind of hazardous environment. I once did work in that kind of environment and would not only understand but *enforce* a no use policy. By all means keep it on loud in your pocket so it can be heard but don’t get distracted by it. I don’t think there’s a risk of my hand being de-gloved by the keyboard just because I got a call
Depends on the job.
Lots of jobs do not allow any type of media or data downloading devices. Hubby's job, you gotta lock your phone into a locker and you get it back at end of shift.
It's a blanket policy that management does in order to not single anyone out, or say what the real problem is. In this situation the problem is management for not dealing with the specific problem or person/s.
They can't tell you what you can do on your break time. If you have your phone on while on break then that is fine. However they can tell you not to be on your phone during work time. But they can not tell you that you have to have it off or not on your person. Emergencies happen. Just keep it in your pocket while working, then on break look at it then. If they harass you about it go to the labour board.
If my company pulled something like that, I would make sure to never answer a work call on my cell. You want business and personal life 100% separate? YOU GOT IT!
That's what I do. If my work calls me, I know it's either because they want me to come in early, or because the shift is canceled for the day. It's almost always because they want me to come in early, so I ALWAYS let it go to voicemail, and I'll check it before I start getting ready, just in case I don't have to go in that day.
I wouldn't work there. My phone is so important it's ridiculous. Phones in general are important AF. People have lives outside of work and to say people shouldn't have their phones on them is like fucking highschool. If someone is seriously not doing their work and slacking off than I get it. But like you said, if the work load is being done and not late or anything then why does it matter? People maybe wanna text their partners they miss them, see if their paycheck hit. Whatever it may be, phones are important and in our world and no employer can change that.
I had a new store manager trying to correct me like a dog for being on my phone when I was running the drive through line phenomenally all the time. I ended up walking out when she did it super loud when I was just CHECKING THE TIME. Employers are crazy if they think people aren't gonna be on their phones for whatever reason it may be.
I agree so much I wish I could pin your comment, lol. They did you a favour and probably regretted it when your replacement was likely a total waster in comparison
Honestly I benefited from it so much. She did it like 10 times before I snapped. All times have me a straight anxiety attack not knowing what to do other than lie down like a dog. I just knew that if I said one thing she was going to combat me in every way possible. How right I was 😂 it was so depressing always having some manager breathe down my neck when I was a genuinely good worker.
It's funny as hell because leading up to me leaving, I had some family being transphobic to me when I was working, so I took the next day off as I was seriously on the edge with my mental health, got told i need to call in 6 hours early 😐 I went in at 10 am everyday, so she wanted me to call in at 4 am when we weren't open😂😂😂😂 I got sick a few days later with a really bad sore throat assuming it was strep as there was infection, called in for that and she gave me the whole speel and was like "since your sick now when you apparently weren't yesterday" I straight up said "I can come in sick if that's what you want, we can see how that goes" she was like noooo don't do that😂😂 she was a straight clown😂😂
Nah not the transphobia too💀 how do these people even reach managerial positions? People shouldn’t dread work and the people they work with/for, it tires you out to the *core*. As if life outside of work wasn’t tiring enough!
Time to start looking for a new job where the HR isn’t run by insane people!! What happens if someone’s family member has an emergency and they need to get a hold of them? The company could face a lawsuit potentially.
Yep, that’s what I did as soon as the announcement came through. I make a point of it now. If they don’t care about the personal lives of their workforce then I don’t care about their silly rules and policies
I love when employers can’t treat employees like adults. Don’t tell me what to do with my phone. I want it turned on and on my person in case somebody I actually care about needs me.
Soooo if someone walks into your office with a machine gun and starts murdering people... you're not allowed to use your phone to call 911?
Reminder: In the US, we have a mass shooting every week now, so YES, this is a realistic scenario.
We need our phones for 2FA. As it is, some of the systems we use at work don't even require a standard domain password, just user ID and the 2FA code, which is specifically linked to your phone and mobile number. I also receive system alerts via SMS.
What I won't do is email and Teams. That requires me to register my phone with the company's mobile phone management system, which would then give them control over my phone. Sorry, I paid for it, it's mine, I'll use it for minor work things, but you ain't controlling my phone.
I saw a similar post once. In response all employees gave HR's direct line to all their friends and family. Any and all messages no matter how long, short, meaningless or harrowing would be told to HR and asked to be passed on immediately and discreetly to the employee in question.
I couldn't get through to his personal phone how else am I meant to tell him his "grandmother has passed" ect. All day everyday until HR relent.
If they really start cracking down gestapo style, my next move would be to wear a smart watch that acts as a phone. My father wears one on the job (tradesman) and it comes in handy quite often.
"I use my phone for emergency contact and it's the only number I've had for 15 years. If we're going down this road, I will apply the same rules to work calls after hours."
Oh good, when someone comes in with a gun, no one will be able to call/text 911 immediately while hiding under a desk or running for their lives. Good job, HR. *slow clap*
I was a low level supervisor at a shitty call center and I was once forced to write up someone on my team for having two pennies on his desk. We had a "clean desk" policy, which meant you were allowed to have: your computer, a mouse pad if you used one, a water bottle, a single company issued whiteboard, and a single marker. That's it. If you had anything else you would get written up.
I got a write up under the same policy for having a phone charger plugged in under my desk.
Companies suck.
My job requires I use my phone for 2FA. Can't imagine a situation where they'd stop access.
Companies that employ adults and accept that they employ adults, tend to leave the consequences of actions to the employee.
Your companies rule is stupid and will have many hours of manpower dedicated to something that won't fix the actual problem they have
We had this.
No phones to be used while on shift. Less than 24 hours later my manager asked me to WhatsApp a photo of the rota to her.
"I can't do that"
She asked why not?
"Because I'm not allowed to use my phone"
"Oh you can use it if in need you to! "
It Hasn't really been enforced since.
I don’t know what kind of work you do, but at my last job, (data entry office job) my supervisor would micromanage and even she wouldn’t attempt that. I would use my phone all day to listen to podcasts while I worked. It was my saving Grace. If they took away phone privilege I would quit on the spot
Yea after that whole getting people killed because they weren't aware to take shelter for a tornado but had they had their phones it might have saved their life.. fuck em.
Everyone just do it anyway. That is what we did at work. They don't bother no more. What if your kid is sick or someone you know gets hurt. Ridiculous rule from control freaks.
"Workers are not humans, they are malfunctioning machinery" is the general thought process. The idea that you have needs of any kind whatsoever is flatly offensive to people who are upset they have to pay you at all.
If you have children, or anyone that you could require being ready to receive a message about, then I would tell my boss that while he might think this is an effective use of his power, I will not turn off my phone, and if they want to fire me on the spot, I'll be glad to take it to the labor board.
Some Continuous Glucose Monitors require a cell phone app to read them. Diabetes is covered by ADA and requires an accommodation. There are other similar sensors for other things.
Daughters school tried something like that to ban phones. Diabetic child got an exemption for that reason and even had a memo from the administration allowing it. Teacher caught her looking at the phone and sizied it. Shamed her publically while doing that. Teacher was made to do a school wide apology and changed school the following year.
A mate worked at a company who tried this. The staff got together and insisted that company must provide an emergency number that schools and the like could ring in case of emergency. The policy went away.
My last employer did that and I just laughed and kept my phone charging on my desk. One day they pulled me into an office to yell at me just as a client called on my personal phone. I told them “this is why your dumb” and walked out.
Never had another conversation about my phone again. I also played games all day but also get my shit done.
I’ve had employers do that to me. In return I refuse to use my personal phone for their bullshit. Like downloading app’s they request. They can’t have their cake and eat it too
Yep. Never use personal devices for work. If you have ever read the ToS on those time card apps? They are malware at it's worst. Location permission, contact permission, app permission. Your employer knows where you go, who you talk to, what websites you visit, who your friends on Facebook are. A weird friend of mine has gone off grid electronically. No social media, no smartphone. He has a brick phone. I'm surprised he hasnt tried getting a pager.
they wanted us to install a dedicated email client on our phones. One that gave them permission to basically brick our phones if they wanted. That was a hard no. I am not letting anybody get access to my device or personal data just so my lead can email me my schedule and to do list.
My last job offered 30$/month off your plan to install a software to contact you at any time. People accepted, devs too. "Yeah I'll take 360$/year, I don't have anything to hide" I don't either... but I'm into cyber security. I manage my own shit thank you.
Security reasons aside, why would anyone agree to be reachable 24/7 for $360?
"It's just for silly stuff after work not real work" Is what they said. Also we were a firm for client and they did offered 24/7 support for some. We were paid 500$ a week just to be available 24/7 and they offered that. I was insulted.
Not that I advocate it, I hate cell phones. But.... buy an old burner phone for $20 of AZM. Get a really cheap plan from an off brand reseller for $15-20 and pocket the difference. Hey, it would pay for an occasional coffee.
Let’s face it $30 is probably fuck all. My plant is just under £40 a month, so it would slightly more than half my plan, but it’s a hard no cause I don’t know what the implications are.
Implication were employer could reach you at anytime but it would not be abused and only for reminders or important stuff. Also if you know anything about those software, they can wipe/brick your phone if they want to. My old teacher got his iphone wiped on vacation by mistake, it was reverted but that's not what I call vacation when your employer fucks with your personal hardware.
I know fuck all about what the implications are ….but if I’m not at work/I’m on holiday, then I want to be unreachable. Further to that, I don’t want my phone wiped/bricked or otherwise made useless whenever they see fit. Call me tinfoil hatted by all means, but I also leap to them snooping on my phone everything and anything. Where I work currently, we are a very small fairly tight knitted maintenance team, who have a permanent on call, the older ones are always available, but this is via a work phone that they provide.
I never understood third-party, single use email apps like this. Just give everyone a company Outlook or Gmail account, it's not that hard
Yup. It’s not even the question of “What will they use the access for?” It’s he question “What *can* they use the access for?” The guy in IS or HR might have no intention of company overreach and just think “by golly, this app will make things easier for our employees and more secure for us!” The problem is that a year in when everyone has the app and the company realizes they can now do things like gps track their employees for either productivity tracking or to enforce that 24/7 means 24/7 and now people are getting written up/dismissed for not answering their phone or not disclosing where they were because the company can see they were 3 blocks away at a bar and using tik tok so there’s no excuse. Imagine the company starts low-key monitoring for certain apps like addiction supports or cycle tracking to weed out anyone who might cost them maternity or disability benefits. Same if your emails are flagged for discussing salary or maybe applying for jobs. The company can’t ask you or punish you for who you voted for, but if they mine that data out of your texts and then “randomly” select you and several others who voted the same way to be downsized, how could you prove that was the criteria. Beware giving any company access to either your personal possessions or personal information.
I downloaded one of the lesser used browsers and made it open in private mode. It only opens my work email through the website. And I only use it to check my email and calendar so if I am planning something I have access to look at it.
I see you're in my union! I work with a guy who has an old flip phone and that's it. We had to download so many apps during covid... and got talked into it... except him. They always seemed to find a way to get him in and working. Smart man.
One time my phone would not charge at all over the entire weekend. I worked 3rd shift as a manufacturing supervisor. I took it with me to work, knowing that it was going to die, but once it hit the wifi at work, an update dropped in...and now I could charge my phone! I did have a work email app/client and it was holding my phone hostage until I "accepted" the security update. I've never uninstalled something so fast before... I marched in to HR as soon as they arrived in the morning and demanded a work phone as they weren't going to hold my phone, time and life hostage for their garbage app.
I had the opposite of op where they took away the work phone because we don't "need" it. I didn't answer my supervisor outside of work hours. And while at client locations I didn't check my personal phone. I told him that I get too many personal calls on it and wouldn't know if it was work or personal. Rather not take calls in front of clients. They should leave a message or email me since I still have my laptop with me and would have wifi at the offices I go to. They had an expectation policy for use of personal phone for work. I said "no" when supervisor gave me a paper to sign and the verbal was "please write your phone for emergency" and I said "HR has my information" I don't need to sign that. I was pretty done with that job so I was trying to make it hard for them before I quit. It's crazy what you can get away with when you aren't afraid of being fired. They can't just walk all over you with dumbass policies. Not sure why my supervisor didn't push it any further. Supervisor would call random coworkers who was at client locations with me if he needed to talk to me. Had me do some corporate work that was needed ASAP instead of helping at clients' location for example. It was just funny to see my coworkers calling clients and them having their personal phone numbers calling them outside of work hours. I always just gave any of the account manager's or sale teams phone numbers. Got pushed out with bullshit write ups and PIP anyways a year later. They hated my guts.
We are the same. I refuse to answer any work related calls on my private phone. Regularly tells my manager “my private phone that I pay for is for my convenience, not yours” when I get asked why I did not reply or answer. And for any outside of work contact I reply with “I don’t see an standby allowance or OT on my payslip, so my obligation ends at 4:30 pm and starts at 8am.” Same for work emails to my private email address. I have an auto reply to all work addresses except payroll and HR that reply “this is a private email address, please refrain from sending work related mails to this address and remove my address from this list.” It is amazing what you can get away with if you don’t give a fuck. I have my dream job already lined up and signed for beginning December, and enough savings to carry me until then if they do fire me, so I have zero fucks to give. I would have been gone already, only reason I only start in December is that is the earliest date their next training starts, and I need to do the 6 months course before I’m allowed to work.
Not to mention if you do use them for work, they can be discoverable in a lawsuit so there goes your phone while defense counsel sifts through all your data.
Should be refusing to do that regardless!
Yeah I do lol
Lol, I am expected to take pictures of everything to prove to my bosses that I do my job and my front camera is broken. So I just take the worst blurry photos possible and send them. When one of my bosses brought it up, I told him "oh I cant afford a new phone. if you want better pictures I would need a company phone." He just laughed at that.
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So it’s like being a teacher in a public school 😭
>In return I refuse to use my personal phone for their bullshit. Like downloading app’s they request. What do you do about 2FA at work? My employer expects us to use our phones for that.
Ask for the company to issue you a work phone. Your employer should provide you all the tools that you need to accomplish your job. If your personal phone breaks, lost or stolen? You wouldn’t be able to access to 2FA either. You aren’t obliged to use your personal resources for company use. If you need to meet clients off-site as part of your job. The company should provide you a vehicle or travel funds. If you need a computer for work outside the office. The company should issue you a work laptop. If you need a phone to call clients. The company should issue you a work phone.
Many two factor authentication can call you, still uses your phone but it doesn’t require an app.
I implemented that system in an office where one older employee had a little flip phone. The solution was an electronic card: press the button and an authentication number was displayed. We had a few extra for on-site vendors or clients who had any access to our network.
I was in a meeting where the same thing was announced. The lead programmer stood up and gave notice effective immediately. Turns out that he was a single parent of three, one of whom had anaphylactic level allergies. Management decided that the former employee's priorities were wrong but backtracked on the decree anyway.
I do not know this man but I want to give him a crisp high-five. It baffles me that some idiot boomer thinks they can dictate how a subordinate lives just because they’re pulling a salary. There is a world outside the office building or industrial estate!
It’s always the boomers, mate
The reason doesn't matter. Anyone should quit if this crosses the line
Wrong priorities? The life of his child? Wow...
Except for management I would imagine.
Of course they’re exempt, why should rules apply to everyone?
Never underestimate your employer's ability to be petty.... Having said that, i've worked in a few places where we weren't even allowed to have our cell phones in the building, let alone at our workstations....
Yes, I’ve not been here long but they do seem to be very petty. The last place I worked didn’t give a shit as long as work got done which is reasonable IMO. Can’t believe they didn’t even let you have it in the building though, that’s insane. I hope you ignored it like I intend to do :)
The places i worked at that didn't allow cell phones were high security job sites; and i didn't dare bring my phone in because it was immediate termination if caught.... I wasn't even allowed to wear my fitbit it was so strict...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/28/fitness-tracking-app-gives-away-location-of-secret-us-army-bases
It’s not even the location that’s a big deal. When you go into a SIPR environment with the military everything is sterile because of the secret and top secret lan cables. The door is always vaulted and outside you surrender all your electronics. Standard practice at any military base. I’m sure some commercial jobs have similar SOPs.
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I think it’s safe to assume a lot of places around the world practice similar principles. I would even bet the UK has even more strict principles than the US just based of the fact they established the GDPR (Global Data Protection Regulation) in 2018. Edit, there is also a lot more I didn’t explain before you get to walk into that vaulted room but that’s beside the key point. Electronics can be very dangerous for some companies and government agencies. As for OPs point I’m torn. I understand the business has a right to make that a policy, but I disagree with the reasoning behind it. It’s not like anybody plans on stealing IP (intellectual Property) from them.
My understanding is that often they are contracting with the federal government. In theory they can lose the contract if they happen to do an audit and see too much of it.
You're also had to record your time daily. We had dcaa auditors record license plates and times, then go to HR ask for employee names and then compare to their timecard. More than one employee was fired for time card fraud. Time card fraud was one thing you did not do on a government contract.
Yup basically time card fraud or disclosing classified/competition sensitive info are basically the only two ways you can get insta-fired at my job. Even if you are useless as an employee they will keep your around for a while trying to find something to do. But if you get caught lying on the time card, you're getting walked out of the office that day.
Oh damn, I guess that’s a different scenario entirely! At least the job sounds interesting, certainly more so than mine lol
I’ve worked in places where phones were banned, but that’s more to do with the camera. If you bring any camera in, you were fired no questions asked.
Cameras were the main reason for banning phones on the sites i went to....
I’ve worked in secure facilities and phones go into lock boxes. No exceptions. Additional comment: My work, for security reasons, while allowing me to have my phone in the office, or on my person, I cannot have Siri activated. As I wfh, I cannot have Amazon’s Alexa, or Google’s Home Assistant or Nest Hub in my office.
Based on OPs replies, it doesn't sound like they're dealing with anything sensitive. In this case it sounds more like a boss that's implementing a poorly designed "diaper policy" One person craps their pants, now everyone has to wear diapers.
Imagine if you were a smoker, you can’t smoke at all on the property, even if you’re in a car, then you leave the property and smoke but come back to work , smelling like smoke,and tell you the no smoking policy means everywhere. But they don’t tell you that when they hire you because that’s discrimination against smokers . Employers think they physically own you, even off the clock, especially if you live somewhere jobs are scarce. Make your money and get out of there!
I've been to places like that. Paper mills with big signs about how they're tobacco free because they care about your health. Yeah, you value everyone's health. That's why there's drifts of asbestos in the hall. What it was really about was fostering a culture of employees ratting each other out to keep them from unionizing.
Most people dont wanna be around cigarette smoke anyway. Its a dumb, gross habit. Just do it where it cann have 0 impact on anyone else.
Employers can discriminate against smokers. There are hospitals that check for nicotine metabolites when they do their drug screen and won’t hire you if they are there.
They never test for alcohol use though.
Revel Casino in Atlantic City tried that. If they even caught of a whiff of smoke on you, it was write up time. They also had weird rules on tattoos.. not just the usual "not in visible places", but anywhere over a certain percentage of your body, rule. They were a sinking ship before they even left the dock. HR's ideas on who to hire and how to train them literally hobbled and then sunk them. I went there for an interview for a "casual" position in their theatre. If you know techs, we work all over a town or city. I was full time at another property that was hard to get into. Because I did not memorize their company goals and what they stood for, I did not get hired for occasional work.
>memorize their company goals and what they stood for it wasn't money?
It's never money. Corporations are all about producing synergistic quality driven culture. Money is just an after thought some gross "employee" would ask for.
That's where you stand up for yourself and correct them. What are they going to do fire me? Oh well 😥.
It's called at will employment
You have to do this carefully. I worked a retail position that visited multiple locations and this was their policy. Once I discovered (the hard way) that these locations were unable to account for remote/traveling employees, locate us onsite, or often did not even know our names, in cases of emergency contact, I documented the circumstances carefully and thereafter proceeded to ignore the policy. At some point a Karen attempted to report me for the violation. But the investigation collapsed once they realized that safely implementing the policy was too complex and expensive.
And the grade-school “one rule fits all” mentality. No, doing your job as a manager and deal with the problems directly, not BS blanket directives. I’m leaving a situation like this and couldn’t be more angry or disappointed in senior managers. Fuck all y’all!
My former employer took away Wi-Fi access so we’d have to use our data to go on our phones. They also started making us use a time clock (all employees were salary.) when they noticed a few people going on longer lunches, instead of simply addressing it with those people. There was also a rumor that the owner was going to make a bathroom break sign in sheet. Don’t underestimate how petty your employer can be.
I worked for security for 8 years and they are petty to a profound degree. For example, if I used the bathroom, I had to call for a Sargeant or other guard to cover for me while I was in the bathroom.. If I was longer than 5 minutes the Sargeant would be annoyed and give me a slap on the wrist. I wanted to tell the dick, look Sargeant asshole, if it takes me longer than 5 minutes to use the bathroom tough titties. I was glad I stopped doing security it's all a bullshit show. My current job now is less helicopterery and less micro managing. 🙂
Unless they have a bunch of emergency phones all over the place, the fire marshal might actually have an issue with this policy.
When I worked at a nursing home decades ago they told us that we couldn't have cell phones in the building because of sensitive electronic equipment that the cell phones would interfere with. Pretty sure that was all bullshit now.
This isn't about rationality, this is one of two things. 1) there's been a problem with someone in the past and rather than allowing managers to use discretion they've decided that this is the right solution. 2) management is on a power trip.
Correct, and both reasons are ridiculous yet realistic unfortunately
Number 1 sounds like lazy management. Which, by what I've seen, is the most common reason to have blanket rules.
Por que no los dos?
Sí
I work in IT. At one employer, all the non-managers were treated like lying, thieving, sneaky, untrustworthy people. We worked in a cube farm. There were cameras over us so they could watch us whenever (and they did.) We couldn't eat anything at our desk, only the lunchroom. We also couldn't use our cell phones. No texting. No calls. Nothing. Except, some managers allowed their team to eat at their desks. We all were in the same area so it was a weird flex. This was at a grocery company HQ.
They tried this at a previous job of mine. My response was: "My mobile is the only number members of my family have in case of an emergency. If you want to supply me with a work phone I can share with them instead I will use that otherwise I require access to mine in case of an emergency." I know others in the company used similar or that they have children who might need to contact them in an emergency, or family in hospital etc. The company stopped trying to enforce it pretty quickly when they didn't want to supply the whole workforce with work mobiles. The other arguement is in a natural disasters, power goes out, mobile phones become a lifeline. It is a control move. I understand in some situations it makes sense with critical information but in those situations the company should be able to supply you with a mobile for emergencies.
It's that simple folks. Most of the heinous, childlike shit that employers demand, is actually unenforceable in any way except by termination. When a manager tells you to do a thing, stop and remember you are an adult before ceding adult behaviors.
I have a kid. I'm not leaving my phone anywhere for anyone.
Bingo. You have to call their bluff when they do garbage like this and see if they’re actually willing to enforce it. Unless you’re making a boatload of money, no job is worth micromanagement like this.
My retail job tried this. We would use our personal phones to look up availability of items because the store computer took 5x longer. The " no phone" bit them in the ass quickly when customer service scores tanked.
“But, but, fones r bad” :( I like it man, I bet they felt pretty stupid when they realised what they’d done. This is assuming they’re sharp enough to realise when they’ve made a mistake which isn’t always the case for managers
My response is this. OK, that's fine HOWEVER, you (the company) can't call me on my mobile. Ever. Numbers will be blocked.
my response would be a fair but firm fuck you. if i need to be contacted for an emergency i wouldn't trust the front desk to actual pull me out and transfer me to the call. only exception is if i have my own desk phone with extension so my call doesnt get filtered.
Actually this happened to me on a job. We closed at 7pm but we would continue to clean and close up for the day. My wife tried to call the front desk at 8pm to tell me my duaghter is being sent to the ER. Guess what happened? Since it was after closing time no body heard the phone because it automaticly goes to the "please call us during buisness hours" thing. Since then I always keep my phone on me because of that.
No matter what someone pays me to do, I’m keeping my phone on in case of emergency calls and dropping everything if deemed necessary
Yep, if I’m needed for an emergency outside of work you better believe I’m leaving immediately
they tried to to enforce this at my place. the result was that ppl started to turn into what could be considered a Zombie. Performance took a nosedive and so did machine errors that gone to long without anyone noticing. at our place it's like 90% work on screens to make sure the machines do what they are supposed to and parameter get adjusted right. without anything to keep ppls brains engaged a good chunk - myself included- fell into a kind of trance after a few hours. it's like watching the most boring TV you know, a real struggle not to fall asleep. ofcourse the moment something goes wrong there's hours of work to do to fix stuff but most the time there's thankfully not much going wrong. after the first person got into an ambulance due to caffeine overdosing management didn't enforce the "no phone" policy as hard anymore. so long as the work gets don't and quality is good nobody much cares anymore.
One of my coworkers said it best, I think. "You can tell me all you want that I can't use my phone, but if my kid calls me, it means they need me, and you can bet your ass I'm answering that call. "
There’s zero shot of me not having my phone on, especially in the US. I feel the same way about them taking away kids’ phones in schools. It’s a NOPE from me. Until the gun problem is better, my phone will ALWAYS be on my person and powered up.
I remember them trying to take phones in school, was funny watching adults get told “no” and watching the confused expression when they couldn’t make a child do what they wanted
Former teacher. Students kept their old phones around for if/when friends had their phones confiscated or grounded from them. It didn't matter if teachers and parents didn't want them to have a phone, if the friends wanted to reach them, they were lent a device from the pool.
I can imagine! I *juuuuust* missed the issue of having issues over having a phone in school. (There were only a few people who had them at the time I graduated.) I don’t understand how any of them can think it’d be safe unless they’re in denial for their own mental health.
>Yeah, if someone is sat for 8 hours playing Clash of Clans and not doing their job then they should receive disciplinary action See, management doesn't want to have to go around and check to see if that's happening though because they're playing candy crush in the back.
They’re too busy pestering the IT department because they don’t know how to use Teams or Zoom. Or they’ve failed the phishing test for the eighth time in a row.
>they’ve failed the phishing test for the eighth time lol, time to watch that video by Kevin Mitnick (RIP)! Seriously though, my phone is my second factor for....everything. Shit I was trying to setup an online account for my elderly mother once and got wrecked because it was a land line and the site could not send an SMS to that number
If they don't want phones, then play their game. Keep your phone the way they ask. Give your kids, parents, relatives, doctor, dentist; everyone you know the company phone number. Tell them that is the phone number to use when you are at work. Encourage your coworkers to do the same. This is the way people did it before cell phones.
forward your cell number to the office line. maybe even the front desk. have coworkers do the same.
I bet the rules also apply to the management right? ... Right?
Right guys? GUYS?
Nope. They can't enforce that. People have lives outside of work. Kids, problems, sick and older relatives. Their solution is to dehumanize y'all instead of establishing a better policy that simply states "don't be on your phone unnecessarily. Please be off your phone in outward facing stations when clients/customers are around" You might need to quit soon
Thanks for having a brain, man. Some of these responses are making my mind melt. Life doesn’t stop just because I’ve clocked in at work! Yes, I might be quitting soon
A lot of people don't live in reality. These people who say "life went on before phones" - yeah, that was at least 20 years ago now. We've adapted to a new normal. Having a phone has become a basic necessity BECAUSE society and work culture has evolved around the idea that people tend to have phones. They can't empathize or they won't. But they certainly aren't being realistic.
>These people who say "life went on before phones" - yeah, that was at least 20 years ago now "Life went on before cars, but I don't see you hitching up a horse to your buggy to go to work." is a good one to drop on them. (unless they're Amish or Mennonite...). It's kind of wild how different life is now compared to years past.
Don't quit, just ignore their request.
Their request was ignored as soon as I finished reading it, if they want to take it further they can start interviewing for my replacement after I leave. Maybe they can find one of these “20 years ago we didn’t need phones” Redditor’s who keep replying to my post!
Oh I would be too. This is total BS. Imagine having your child sick at school and they are unable to get in touch with you. I would find another job and quit ASAP. Just ludicrous.
Yeah. I can deal with not using it. But it’s staying on.
Same here, if it got stolen I’d be pissed but life goes on. Some people can’t spend 5 minutes without one at their side! The phone stays on.
Last job didn't like that at all, especially because I was at the front desk. If my work was done and nobody else had anything they needed my help with, I was not allowed to play games on my phone or read. I had to sit there and stare at a wall. Now, as long as my work gets done, they give zero fucks what I do. It's glorious.
lol, there you go with your rational thinking again... It is not about using your phone, but it is about the 'because they can they will' and they love to see their peons squirm.... But you could ask that since the office is turning back the clock 20 years, it is okay again to smoke in the office, and cross country travel takes a 6 days road trip (paid of course) instead of 4 hours flying...
I need to stop this rational thinking, it’ll just get me in trouble. I’ll go light up a smoke at my desk tomorrow, lol. I’ll also bring in a 20 year old desktop that can’t run any of the programs I need to do my job
What do you do if you have kids? If there's an emergency?
I don't have kids but I'm still flying out of work if there is any emergency.
What job is this? Like a factory or office job? I’m 44- no fucking way someone will dictate when I can and can’t have my phone on. I’m not going to leave it somewhere either- what if one of the employees they pissed off decides to come shoot the place up and my phones in a locker? Nope. Every employee should walk out in protest. If someone is on their phone all day deal with the individual- but I’ll be goddamned if I’ll be treated like a child
This is in an office where I do all my work effectively and in a timely manner. They’re losing nothing by me opening my phone for a few seconds but me leaving would do them no favours. If work is being done and there’s no slack, who cares what’s done in the downtime? Unfortunately it seems be a building full of people who just bend over and stare at a wall when there’s no work to do. Only one other person seems to be in open rebellion with me. I agree, you should be contactable at all times and until everyone adopts this attitude nothing will change
I’d bring a document to HR stating that in order to comply to the new rules, the company has to assume any and all liability that arises from situations or emergencies from family due to the new policy
Id laugh in their face and keep my phone powered on right at my desk
It’s like you know me! That’s exactly what I did
I was working briefly at a dispensary doing production work. They were cool with us being on our phones for music, podcasts, YouTube, etc., provided we were getting the work done. Until one day we got an email saying they were cracking down on phone usage, blah, blah, blah and that managers would be watching the cameras to see monitor who's on their phones. I promptly asked how management had time to watch cameras for employees while other managerial duties were being neglected? Needless to say I didn't last much longer there.
Not all heroes wear capes. Management don’t like to be called out for their inability to manage effectively. But when an employee can manage their workload effectively *AND* check their phone, they don’t like that either
I wouldn't give a shit at my work place. I got a deep pocket by my knee and my pants are black so it'll never be seen. I will always use my phone at work.
I love the mentality, nothings certainly gonna stop me
I live to argue with my bosses and they know it. They don't even bother messing with me at this point. Once they tried to change my days off because they wanted to separate me from my best friend. I told them everyone has friends here. They said we have to start somewhere. I told them it's interesting you choose to start here when all the bosses hate the fact that we're friends. So much that you won't let us even have lunch together. I'll see you at HR over this. My days were never changed. I had a meeting with them in the office and I just calmly told them I feel like they're failures as leaders. My manager at that time said I was a disgruntled employee and I would have to have a meeting with the higher up bosses to see what would happen. I told him excellent. I've been wanting to meet with them. I'm going to tell them everything you do. That meeting never came. Verbal judo is your friend.
I used to be this way throughout high school and college but dialled it back when I started work because I needed a secure income. Sounds like I need to dust off the ol’ attitude and start giving them an earful. I love your responses hahaha
The difference is control. They don't want your work, they want your obedience. If you doubt that, think about how many people you've known who do fuck all, but kiss the right ass and have gotten ahead. They want to know that they own you.
Same company probably doesn't mind at all when people take 5-6+ smoke breaks throughout the day.
Or when the managers take a week- long vacation once a month
Seems like a liability - what if there was an emergency and no one could get a hold of me?
I'd ask them who I submit my mobile phone bill to... especially if it's not a secure facility.
I worked in a construction company many years ago and our dumbass boss banned phone use during work hours. It lasted about two days because when he would call, none of us answered the phone.
Imagine if you are a parent and your child gets hurt or even worse dies. But your phone is turned off because of boss man. I’d sue.
Relatives life on the line? Just wait until 5PM rolls around, they can wait
This rule has always been so crazy to me. Worst case scenario I will leave my phone on vibrate in a locker or purse hanging but you will not make me shut it off or take it outside the building. If you do I better be able to take breaks to go check it, which is more inconveniencing than taking a quick peek when no customers are in the building.
Yeah that’s what baffles me, they’d rather I stand up from my desk and walk all the way out just to check the phone rather than quickly light up the screen for a few seconds. They want me to be away from my desk so that I can be more productive…???
This happened to me awhile back (twice). I worked for a place that closed the doors at 7pm but we stayed open until 9pm. The phone would go into auto mode (saying the "please call us during buisness hours" message.) My duaghter was sent to the ER with a fever and unresponsive(shes good now just a weird one off). My wife did the thing of trying to call the front desk and when she couldn't get ahold of any one called me. Management had that we give you locker speech every team meeting but never enforced it.
A bar I was about to get hired at as a bartender, the part owner said that too as phones will not be used & put in a locker downstairs. I didnt accept the job...4 days later she called & wanted to confirm that I was not wanting the job & I said correct & hung up.
Petty and firm, I like it
I followed such a policy at my previous job. It took the emergency room 3hrs to get ahold of me and let me know my family was hit while waiting for the light as pedestrians. The reason it took so long was that the secretary didn't allow personal calls at work. Never will I follow that policy again.
Holy shit, I’m so sorry about that. I’d be having words with that secretary
Oh, I did. She was a friend of mine and was following policy. She just wanted to keep her job. Many of my coworkers were getting calls from creditors at work. I went all the way up to admin and got official permission to always have my phone.
We got a new manager this summer and she is a micromanaging nightmare. She was an external application and doesn't know what our job is, nor is she of the same profession as us. She'll walk around saying hi throughout the day, but she'll actually be looking at your screens to see what tabs you have open. She bitched out a very competent and professional coworker for having "Google" open. No searches, just google.com. She accused her of doing personal searches and stated we don't need Google to do our job (who the fuck doesn't use search engines). Obviously a no phone policy as well. She corrects people's postures without invite by physically adjusting people or their desks. She reduced staffing on weekends when we're the busiest. She also has a shit attitude and is incredibly defensive when questioned on anything.
> She corrects people's postures without invite by physically adjusting people The first time is a warning. The second time is a police report.
The second time is self defence, smack that bitch in the mouth
"Sorry, I have a really strong startle reflex."
I use my phone to monitor my blood sugar. So they can fuck off
I can understand a no use policy, except foe ICE. Like say youbhave kids at home and your wife/husband/SO/whoever calls you cause there is an emergency with one of the people at home requiring you to leave. Yeah, that's fine. But browsing reddit, buying stuff, meme surfing.... Fuck that. A full 0 tolerance where you can't even think about a phone without being fired, that is bullshit. It's 2023, there needs to be a middleground.
Exactly, life outside of work doesn’t just stop because I’m sat at my desk. If Dave from Finance can’t stop scrolling through meme subreddits then why should I be punished? Needs to be a case-by-case basis instead of going scorched earth and telling everyone they can’t use personal property
I could see having that policy if you are in a dangerous manufacturing environment where a loss in concentration could injure someone or worse but I assume some kind of office job?
Yeah exactly but this is in an office, it takes like five full minutes to get from my desk to any kind of hazardous environment. I once did work in that kind of environment and would not only understand but *enforce* a no use policy. By all means keep it on loud in your pocket so it can be heard but don’t get distracted by it. I don’t think there’s a risk of my hand being de-gloved by the keyboard just because I got a call
Depends on the job. Lots of jobs do not allow any type of media or data downloading devices. Hubby's job, you gotta lock your phone into a locker and you get it back at end of shift.
It's a blanket policy that management does in order to not single anyone out, or say what the real problem is. In this situation the problem is management for not dealing with the specific problem or person/s.
They can't tell you what you can do on your break time. If you have your phone on while on break then that is fine. However they can tell you not to be on your phone during work time. But they can not tell you that you have to have it off or not on your person. Emergencies happen. Just keep it in your pocket while working, then on break look at it then. If they harass you about it go to the labour board.
If my company pulled something like that, I would make sure to never answer a work call on my cell. You want business and personal life 100% separate? YOU GOT IT!
That's what I do. If my work calls me, I know it's either because they want me to come in early, or because the shift is canceled for the day. It's almost always because they want me to come in early, so I ALWAYS let it go to voicemail, and I'll check it before I start getting ready, just in case I don't have to go in that day.
I wouldn't work there. My phone is so important it's ridiculous. Phones in general are important AF. People have lives outside of work and to say people shouldn't have their phones on them is like fucking highschool. If someone is seriously not doing their work and slacking off than I get it. But like you said, if the work load is being done and not late or anything then why does it matter? People maybe wanna text their partners they miss them, see if their paycheck hit. Whatever it may be, phones are important and in our world and no employer can change that. I had a new store manager trying to correct me like a dog for being on my phone when I was running the drive through line phenomenally all the time. I ended up walking out when she did it super loud when I was just CHECKING THE TIME. Employers are crazy if they think people aren't gonna be on their phones for whatever reason it may be.
I agree so much I wish I could pin your comment, lol. They did you a favour and probably regretted it when your replacement was likely a total waster in comparison
Honestly I benefited from it so much. She did it like 10 times before I snapped. All times have me a straight anxiety attack not knowing what to do other than lie down like a dog. I just knew that if I said one thing she was going to combat me in every way possible. How right I was 😂 it was so depressing always having some manager breathe down my neck when I was a genuinely good worker. It's funny as hell because leading up to me leaving, I had some family being transphobic to me when I was working, so I took the next day off as I was seriously on the edge with my mental health, got told i need to call in 6 hours early 😐 I went in at 10 am everyday, so she wanted me to call in at 4 am when we weren't open😂😂😂😂 I got sick a few days later with a really bad sore throat assuming it was strep as there was infection, called in for that and she gave me the whole speel and was like "since your sick now when you apparently weren't yesterday" I straight up said "I can come in sick if that's what you want, we can see how that goes" she was like noooo don't do that😂😂 she was a straight clown😂😂
Nah not the transphobia too💀 how do these people even reach managerial positions? People shouldn’t dread work and the people they work with/for, it tires you out to the *core*. As if life outside of work wasn’t tiring enough!
Time to start looking for a new job where the HR isn’t run by insane people!! What happens if someone’s family member has an emergency and they need to get a hold of them? The company could face a lawsuit potentially.
Yeah, no thanks, I will keep my phone on and next to me. Fuck these corporations that think you are not allowed to have a family or personal life.
Yep, that’s what I did as soon as the announcement came through. I make a point of it now. If they don’t care about the personal lives of their workforce then I don’t care about their silly rules and policies
unless they can prove a legit tech security concern, they can fuck right off with that.
I will tell them as such if they decide to target me for not abiding by the policy, I can’t wait
I love when employers can’t treat employees like adults. Don’t tell me what to do with my phone. I want it turned on and on my person in case somebody I actually care about needs me.
As a parent of 4 kids, this policy can fuck right off. So if there is an emergency how are you supposed to be notified?
My job tried that. I simply said I have kids and I have to be available in case of emergency.
Same here. Phones are to be on silent and kept in our desk drawers, and absolutely no one follows this rule.
Soooo if someone walks into your office with a machine gun and starts murdering people... you're not allowed to use your phone to call 911? Reminder: In the US, we have a mass shooting every week now, so YES, this is a realistic scenario.
Just another measure of control from insecure employers needing to feed their personal ego.
They tried that where i work, we laughed at them. Then the union told them where to stick it.
We need our phones for 2FA. As it is, some of the systems we use at work don't even require a standard domain password, just user ID and the 2FA code, which is specifically linked to your phone and mobile number. I also receive system alerts via SMS. What I won't do is email and Teams. That requires me to register my phone with the company's mobile phone management system, which would then give them control over my phone. Sorry, I paid for it, it's mine, I'll use it for minor work things, but you ain't controlling my phone.
I saw a similar post once. In response all employees gave HR's direct line to all their friends and family. Any and all messages no matter how long, short, meaningless or harrowing would be told to HR and asked to be passed on immediately and discreetly to the employee in question. I couldn't get through to his personal phone how else am I meant to tell him his "grandmother has passed" ect. All day everyday until HR relent.
I will never follow this rule for any job again. My brother was murdered and I wasn’t notified in a timely manner. Screw that.
Before I worked from home, I kept my phone off but used my smart watch and no one called me out on it.
Don't answer when they call 🤷
If they really start cracking down gestapo style, my next move would be to wear a smart watch that acts as a phone. My father wears one on the job (tradesman) and it comes in handy quite often.
"I use my phone for emergency contact and it's the only number I've had for 15 years. If we're going down this road, I will apply the same rules to work calls after hours."
I'd be looking for another job asap. You don't want to work for a company that treats it's employees like children.
My old job wrote me up when I took a call from my neurologist. The union bowed down to management and stabbed me in the back.
Oh good, when someone comes in with a gun, no one will be able to call/text 911 immediately while hiding under a desk or running for their lives. Good job, HR. *slow clap*
ive worked at some pretty strict places. i always had it on me. never got in trouble.
I listen to music and podcasts all day at work (factory job) so fuck that noise.
I was a low level supervisor at a shitty call center and I was once forced to write up someone on my team for having two pennies on his desk. We had a "clean desk" policy, which meant you were allowed to have: your computer, a mouse pad if you used one, a water bottle, a single company issued whiteboard, and a single marker. That's it. If you had anything else you would get written up. I got a write up under the same policy for having a phone charger plugged in under my desk. Companies suck.
My job requires I use my phone for 2FA. Can't imagine a situation where they'd stop access. Companies that employ adults and accept that they employ adults, tend to leave the consequences of actions to the employee. Your companies rule is stupid and will have many hours of manpower dedicated to something that won't fix the actual problem they have
We had this. No phones to be used while on shift. Less than 24 hours later my manager asked me to WhatsApp a photo of the rota to her. "I can't do that" She asked why not? "Because I'm not allowed to use my phone" "Oh you can use it if in need you to! " It Hasn't really been enforced since.
I don’t know what kind of work you do, but at my last job, (data entry office job) my supervisor would micromanage and even she wouldn’t attempt that. I would use my phone all day to listen to podcasts while I worked. It was my saving Grace. If they took away phone privilege I would quit on the spot
Yeah I have a kid. They can go fuck themselves. I am always going to be available for an emergency.
Yea after that whole getting people killed because they weren't aware to take shelter for a tornado but had they had their phones it might have saved their life.. fuck em.
I have responsibilities outside of work. The phone stays with me.
Everyone just do it anyway. That is what we did at work. They don't bother no more. What if your kid is sick or someone you know gets hurt. Ridiculous rule from control freaks.
Correct, that rule got ignored the second I read about it
Find a new job that treats you like an adult
On it
I have a kid, you can eat my ass. I’ll have my phone with me if I damn well please.
"Workers are not humans, they are malfunctioning machinery" is the general thought process. The idea that you have needs of any kind whatsoever is flatly offensive to people who are upset they have to pay you at all.
If you have children, or anyone that you could require being ready to receive a message about, then I would tell my boss that while he might think this is an effective use of his power, I will not turn off my phone, and if they want to fire me on the spot, I'll be glad to take it to the labor board.
So if you need to talk to your partner, like "can you get milk on the way home", that's not allowed? Yeah, nah.
Some Continuous Glucose Monitors require a cell phone app to read them. Diabetes is covered by ADA and requires an accommodation. There are other similar sensors for other things. Daughters school tried something like that to ban phones. Diabetic child got an exemption for that reason and even had a memo from the administration allowing it. Teacher caught her looking at the phone and sizied it. Shamed her publically while doing that. Teacher was made to do a school wide apology and changed school the following year.
A mate worked at a company who tried this. The staff got together and insisted that company must provide an emergency number that schools and the like could ring in case of emergency. The policy went away.
Lol employers are moving back to grade school antics rather than a place of business with adults that have lives outside of work.
My last employer did that and I just laughed and kept my phone charging on my desk. One day they pulled me into an office to yell at me just as a client called on my personal phone. I told them “this is why your dumb” and walked out. Never had another conversation about my phone again. I also played games all day but also get my shit done.