To not join in the 24/7 365 days a year workplace whatsapp chat?

It's not compulsory to have a work whatsapp on your 'personal' phone. Was once part of one, deleted last year. Best decision ever. All my colleagues know, and find it amusing. Personally, I couldn't care one way or another if anyone was to find it anti social. I see enough of these people during my working hours. That's enough for me 😂.

Your definition of friends doesn't matter. They enjoy talking to each other, even if just online. You dont have to join in, but to be annoyed about it is ridiculous. The mute and leave group buttons are easy to use.

Is it considered normal for work colleagues to chat 24/7 now?

How awful. The people I work with are not my friends, they are work colleagues. I’m fond of a few but confident we wouldn’t stay in touch if I left.

Its not work chat, its friends who happen to be colleagues talking about life and non work things. Leave if you're this miserable.

We have a WhatsApp group but it's not 24/7, usually it's about who's going in to the office which day, rearrangement of meetings or move to hybrid etc. a few merry Christmas posts. No big deal. Lots of us are part time so sometimes we may miss things about office days or things like that so it's helpful

I have this problem - I am long term seconded from a team. By the time my secondment ends I will have been longer than I was in that role. I have no intention of returning to that role and I don’t think anyone thinks I will be either but I can’t just leave it because it is still technically my substantive post.

Personally, I would leave the group........ also check the work policies on phone usage. You also need to be careful using your personal phone for anything work related. If anything happens at work regarding inappropriate messages etc you could risk your phone/data being seized in order to gather evidence.....

Either leave and say your not into whats app chats or just mute the messages. Check once a week theres nothing work related or important to you. Ive never been in school whats app groups for that reason - I dont need all the ‘extra chat’ as i’d rather have that with my actual friends. For most people, its enough just keeping up with friends/family groups however maybe some of your colleagues are proper friends so its tipped over into that. No one will be offended if you say you’ve already got enough to keep up with.

Just mute it and glance at it once in a while during working hours.

Removing yourself and not knowing some of the gossip could jut lead to you being ostracised.

I hate our work group and have some colleagues posting inappropriate personal stuff. But overall it's ok and I just use the info as a conversation opener like oh your holiday pics look fantastic or how is X doing... faking intrest all the way!
I don't really post as like you, once I leave work I don't think about it and definitely don't want to engage in general gossip.

I archive the chat, then open the ‘archived’ section now & then to see what’s been happening. This is a group that I’m only peripherally involved in now, and would leave secretly (without the ‘walk has left the group’ broadcast) if I could!

Has anyone on the chat/at work complained that you aren't contributing?

Because it doesn't really matter what anyone else's workplace is like - yours had this WhatsApp chat that you want to ignore which is fine so long as nobody gives you a hard time over it. It doesn't matter if other people are expected to be available 24/7/365 - that still doesn't mean you have to be!

Yanbu. I like most of my colleagues but I spend 30 odd hours per week with them in an open plan office, so I would not feel any urge in exchanging fairly regular messaging outside of my contacted hours. Thankfully no one has broached a work WhatsApp group.

We are all remote workers (who do meet in person sometimes so we know each other) and have a group chat. Some of us have it on our work phones and some on personal phones.

It’s used mostly for social stuff, updating on our whereabouts during the working day and complaining about the shocking IT.

Some of us post the odd holiday photo. Some of us posted on Christmas Day. Some people don’t engage outside the working day at all. It’s all fine.

Just leave the chat. It’s not mandatory. If you want a separate chat with any specific work friends I’d do that.

I think it maybe depends on whether you see your workmates as friends or not. I am part of such a group from my old workplace, we set it up to support each other through lockdown, it’s still running even though we are no longer all working together and I love that it has kept us connected. We don’t post on it as often now as we did when it was first set up, but it keeps that connection there and I’m grateful for it.

To add - not everyone from my old team joined it, it wasn’t compulsory. But having joined it, I would suggest you mute the chat rather than actually leaving the group at this point.

This, are you actually having messages directed AT you? Asking you a question? Or are they general info to all?

I have archived my work chat. I look at it, but never participate ever. If something significant happens for someone, I then can congratulate them at work in person as God intended...hoiks bosom

I have a 9-5 job and a work mobile phone, we are not allowed to work from home anymore but are expected to have the phone on us 24/7.

I refuse to look at my phone after 5, it stays in the car. I would either leave the group chat or mute it so you don't have notifications and just check it when you are at work

Why dont you leave it? Just post something like 'I'm doing a digital detox/reducing phone use this year folks. I'll be dropping out of this group.' And exit.

If they are also friends then yes. I don't see chatting to most of my colleagues as any different to messaging my friends from outside of work

Not sure why you are moaning so much - just leave the group, If you are late for work event message / call your manager. I think irs nice when work colleagues can get on as friends ? Doesn’t sound like they are messaging you about xyz project while you are on leave ?

I would just mute and ignore the chat.

They are colleagues, not friends and I think it is a bit sad that they feel the need to post on a work chat while on holiday...