Work wants to add my personal mobile to email signature?

[Lucia23]

I started a new job recently and they have asked me to do this. I have been provided with a new laptop but not a business mobile.

They are allowing me to work hybrid and so Im expected to be available for calls as I would be at a desk. But no one has really needed to call so far as they tend to be on zoom.

At my previous job I would give out my number to clients and they would call when it is necessary. My previous email sig had the company number. But the thought of every other person I email having my number isn't great. Wwyd?

Could you ask them to provide you with a work phone? A cheap basic would do if just for calls.

Fuck that for a game of soldiers.

If you need to receive calls outside of Zoom/Teams, ask them to provide you with a basic mobile phone.

Will you have a landline phone and number for when you’re in the office? If you can set it up so calls are transferred to your mobile when you’re not there. That’s what I do.

I think your employer should provide you with a work mobile. I always had a work phone.
DH has a dual sim phone and switches the work sim off at appropriate times. Maybe that would be an option for you if work won't give you a phone.
Or, buy a cheap little phone that only takes calls and texts and give that number.

Say no and ask for a work phone.

No don’t agree to this at all. They should provide you with a work mobile or be content with you using Teams/Zoom etc. This is coming from a HR person. On a personal note, I’d hate it.

Bung a cheap PAYG sim into an old phone and give out that number. Divert calls from that phone to your personal phone if you would prefer.

Yeah I wouldn't be happy with that. It would be you were never truly off duty as there would always be the chance someone would ring you. So unless they want to pay you an on call retainer for ever second of your downtime lol I'd be telling them thanks but no thanks!

If you have a desk phone it should be easy enough to forward calls to your mobile when you aren’t there.
Alternatively because of the phone system we have some of the people hat work from home have a soft client so that calls go through to thier pc at home and they can use their headset

You could ask for them to pay a porportion of your mobile phone bill if they want you to do this. That or provide you with a business mobile phone.

Absolutely not. The employer should be providing you with all the equipment that you need in order to do your job.

Absolutely not! They need to provide you with a mobile phone or set you up on MSTeams with a "landline" number. I have what looks like a desk landline phone number but it calls through Teams so I can be anywhere and contacted on that number. I hardly use my work mobile unless I'm travelling.

Would they prefer you in the office but have allowed hybrid? If so be cautious in asking for a phone as well - they could simply say come into the office. My suggestion is a cheap phone/sim if you have an old handset, they may not agree to cover the costs though as you could use the office phone

Tell them you don’t have a mobile phone.

Ask for a work phone and say no till you’ve got one.

You could get a VOIP number like a Skype out type number , or work can provide you with a phone or a number that diverts to your mobile.

I wasn't told to do this but I spent a tenner or so on the cheapest PAYG phone available and only switch it on for incoming calls during my working hours. I also claimed the money back as a business expense.

No chance. They provide you with a phone or no number on email. I started a new role a few months ago and have a work phone. I haven't used it once, ftwfh, everything is teams / zoom.

Ha! My work expected this. Changed my sign off to ‘please use Teams’, as did many others 🤣

No! You need to be firm with your boundary now or they will walk all over you.
They pay you for the time you are in the office. They are not entitled or any time outside of that. If they can not reach you using the means they have provided that is their problem to resolve.

I’d say it’s PPI and that they shouldn’t give out personal information to random people. It’s very bad practice.

I’d then, depending on whether the role was advertised as hybrid or you asked for it, say I’ll buy a cheap PAYG Phone and sim for work but that I’ll not use it outside of working hours . Either say they can pay for it, or if my choice to wfh then I’d pay for it. But I’d only use for incoming calls not to make calls etc on unless they paid the bills to up.
Talk to them, explain you are not prepared to publicise your personal number openly on email signature and how does that fit with the data protection act for PPI.

I'm just shocked that they have asked. Everything else has been positive and good about the new job so far.

I can see my line manager has her personal number in her signature. I'm just not willing to do this.

OP said "They are allowing me to work hybrid" which I take to mean that she/he requested this arrangement, not that it's been imposed on them by the employer.

If it's you who wants to work from home rather than full time in the office, then the responsibility is on you to provide a way to receive telephone calls whilst working from home. If diverting your office phone isn't an option, then do as others have suggested and get a cheap phone and SIM. Although it might be confusing for colleagues to know which phone number (office or mobile) to use on which days. Are you doing set days at home? If so, can that be included in your email signature?

You can have a phone number in Teams. I can make calls to phone numbers and vice versa.

@Plexie everyone is working hybrid.