to have just gotten annoyed at someone for giving my number out

[bedubabe]

So this morning I took a call from a firm of financial advisors saying they'd been given my number by someone I work with. I said thanks but no thanks.

I then went to the person (who's the office manager) who gave my name out and said (politely I promise): 'Please can you not give my name out again as I don't want to have to take calls like this'.

OM: 'well they asked for everyone not currently on their books who might be interested. You can always just tell them no'

Me (thinking wow, financial advisers must have been jumping for joy at that one): 'Please can you not give my name out again'

OM: 'But you can always just say no'

Me: 'I don't want to have to say no. Please can you not give my name out anything marketing like this.'

OM: (in a huff): 'OK then'.

So was I being unreasonable? Is it normal to give people's details out to third parties? I always refuse to but am happy to take a card and pass it onto anyone who might be interested.

Quite exexpat. If I'm happy to recommend I always take a card and give it to friends personally.

I was going to say yanbu but then saw the post about it being your office number so cant really see the problem

Going up to the OM guns blazing makes you sound a bit sniffy tbh, as if you're too good to deal with her trivial referrals

Interesting Gribble. So you think it's ok to give out work contact details in relation to personal matters? I would have had no issue at all if it had been something to do with my day job. This was for how I manage my own personal money.

I wasn't guns blaring, promise. I just said please not again (and then got annoyed when she tried to argue with me about it).

office owned mobile no different - number should not be given out unless person whose mobile it is has given permission.

But how is that different to my landline number? Work owns both.

but if senior managers have authorised it.... she will do it again

They haven't authorised it MateyMooo. Absolutely zero chance.

They might have organised it. Also an expat here, DH works for a big multinational, and HR routinely give out work numbers and email addresses - they consider it part of the service. and we suspect someone gets a free lunch too

OP I dont see any issue no, because it wasnt your personal number she gave out, it was an office landline.

OP there is just the slightest chance that senior managers have done something you dont know about. happens all the time at my place, they dont consult us minions on everything

So your boss gave out your work number? Sorry, I don't see the major issue here. Yes it might be mildly irritating to get a call like this if you're busy and it takes you away from prioity tasks for a minute or two, but nothing I'd think worthy of a fuss. Just say 'thanks but no thanks' and hang up.

If the OM had given out your personal number (as in not paid for by your work at all, nor used by you for work at all) I'd understand your being miffed.

I don't think the office manager is her boss.

Right. Does the OM know all about your personal finances and therefore knows that you don't use these financial advisors?

Or do you think the reality is that company asked for a list of employee names and contact details and then deduced from their own database who they have on their books and who they don't?

where do you draw the line?

utility company wanting to sell you gas and electirsity at a great rate
special offer for a dating website
someone you met on a dating website and were trying to avoid.
someone you met on a dating website and were trying to avoid who is pretending to be a client/supplier
an ex-partner stalking you

The last reason is why one company had a policy of never giving out numbers that weren't openly available. You can't tell who people are on the phone. You take their number and get the person to call them back. You don't give out a number to someone on the phone.

OK, OM is not her boss, but I still don't see why giving out a work number is such a problem. A work number is not a personal number - do you refuse to accept calls on your work phone which are work-related but not particularly 'welcome' (e.g. an unpleasant client)?

I am amazed that so many of you think that its OK for an employee to give out any detials at all. I would be prepared to place bets than virtually every company (of any significant size) would have a policy in their data protection policy that prevents this. Because its in contravention of the Data protection act! Your name plus the mobile number you commonly use IS personal data regardless of who pays the bill.

You might think its OK but the law doesn't.

Most other developed countries have similar laws it probably falls under their law if the UK company based abroad is following local rather than UK rules.

Besides which - if you asked her nicely not to then she has no need to get stroppy about it.

But wasn't it the work landline?

choosing who to answer your phone to is not at all the same thing - slightly confused why you think it is?

Yes sometimes I have not taken a clients call if it wasn't appropriate to do so.

I doubt the office manager has a remit to give out mobile phone numbers and may be why she got defensive when asked not to.

jumping - you would give out a mobile number of an employee to anyone who rang and asked for it?

I thought it was mobile - why would you have to give out a landline number - surely they can just ring and ask for you?

Actually maybe it was work landline and it was her name they gave out.

So Kewcumber are you telling me that every time someone phones my office, (be it a prospective supplier or a prospective client) that whoever answers the phone is forbidden by law to give them my name and number?

We wouldn't have a business if that were the case.
Utter tosh.

no dickie - you can give your permission to have personal numbers given out. Company should have a policy and mentioned in the policy what standard procedure is re giving out number that aren;t published eg in a work phone directory.

i still dont see the problem that a manager gave out a work number.

FOR WHATEVER REASON.

its a work number, its freely available, in the public domain and nothing to get all worked up over. nothing to do with the data protection act - which is massively misquoted

But we're not talking about personal numbers. We're talking about work numbers.

if she has personal problems .... like a stalker..... surely that would have been mentioned in the original post?

Sorry went into meeting:

Work landline and my personal name given. Direct line number is not in the public domain, nor is my name as an employee of this company doing this job. However, both are freely given out (as is my work mobile) in normal circumstances, on business cards etc.

She's not my manager.

The call was nothing at all to do with the business of the firm and she didn't think it was. She was aware she was giving my name to be contacted for how to manage my own money.

I don't have personal problems like a stalker. Although of course she wouldn't have known if I did!

Genuinely interested in the varied responses on this one. I wouldn't have had a problem at all with my name and number being given out if it was in anyway work related. However, it's the fact that it was a purely personal enquiry that annoyed me.

However, def no way Senior Management would have authorised her to do so a) she would have said so b) small office (in this country), I know the management well. He would have felt giving this company permission to call would have been endorsing them. He wouldn't endorse a firm of financial advisers becasue he'd worry about someone sueing the firm if they got it wrong.