Do you screen your calls at work?

[WorkerBeeeee]

In my job, I receive calls from both clients of our company and professionals. working for other companies. Most of these people I deal with often so have their numbers saved to my phone.

Today I answered a call from an unknown mobile number. It was a fellow "professional" who proceeded to start screaming at me about an email she had received from me about a decision our company had made. I'm not sure why she didn't call from her office number.

I'm no spring chicken but was pretty shaken by this.

WIBU to not answer calls to unknown numbers and make them leave a voicemail? I prefer emails anyway as then you have a record of what they said.

Interested in any thoughts.

I always screen my calls. My time needs to be tightly managed and prioritised so can't be derailed by a random call.

Unless I know for sure who is calling I let it go to voicemail and they can leave a message. I never phone back if there is not a message.

I screen work calls.

Yes. Sometimes I can be doing a Google search, and a search in my inbox simultaneously before they've even got to voicemail

Yes, I'll always answer a colleague unless I am about to go to a meeting/lunch etc. But random external numbers are almost always a no. People rarely call me (usual contact is by email) unless it's to complain so I'd prefer not to take a call where I'm not prepared with the background before I speak to them.

Yes, I'd wait for a voicemail if it was an unknown number.

But OP, what are you going to do about the screaming "professional "? 🤔

I've asked for advice from my superiors re whether to do anything about the screaming banshee. I certainly won't answer her calls again. She can email me if she wants me.

If it’s a private number it’s the MD calling from his home office, so I always answer those.

If it’s someone who is saved in my phone I always answer, unless in a meeting.

If it’s just a normal number but not someone I have saved I let it go to VM

I always screen my calls. I never answer withheld numbers. If someone is rude to me just once, I adopt an email only policy. What are you doing about this woman?

The number most people have for me is the general office number. Our administrator (who answers it) is kind enough to check if I'm available before forwarding them to my phone. Let's just say I'm not always present....

I answer my phone within 3 rings. If it’s not something I can deal with I take the details and call/email the person back.

People who don’t answer the phone are seriously annoying. I’ve had people yell at me over the phone. Quick call to to their manager takes care of them. Previously I would go to my manager and have them sort it out with the yellers manager. I had a client who would scream at me and I told them I couldn’t understand what they were saying to be able to help them when they screamed. I told them I was hanging up because I couldn’t hear them properly. I emailed them right away to ask them to confirmthe problem. They spoke properly to me after that.

One company I worked for had a statistic in place about the number of rings it took for you to answer a phone. It was forbidden to not answering a call unless you had a very good reason. If absent from your desk, the phone had to be routed to a buddy.

It is absolutely annoying to ring a company/professional and them not answering a phone during general office hours. I do understand lunchtime and obviously sometimes it just doesn't work but I stopped trying to get hold of people for a job if they don't answer and go to someone who is interested in taking a call.