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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To refuse to give my personal mobile phone number to anyone at work that wants it in order to contact me for days I don't work

81 replies

Sazzas · 19/09/2015 10:07

I work part time in an industry where this is rare. I get that sometimes things are held up and they would like to contact me. But really I love having a separate work life balance. I get stressed easily and the last thing I want is for someone from work to contact me when I'm not working and I have to quickly get my work head back on and sort something out. I like my job but I don't want to provide support for when I'm not working. They have said they won't "abuse it" but tbh I would think any call would be abuse, unless I was paid a on hold fee.

No one lives or dies with my job, I work in consultancy for web forms.

OP posts:

CrohnicallyAspie · 19/09/2015 12:34

Please don't do the 'changing one digit' thing. I get many phone calls for someone who I've never heard of, I can't get my number removed off the database because I'm clearly not the man they want to speak to. And as fast as I am telling companies not to bother ringing, he gives it out to other people.

I don't want to have to change my number because I've had it for years, and with no land line I'm worried about missing contacting a company to tell them, and they won't be able to contact me at all.

Pico2 · 19/09/2015 12:42

I work PT and being allowed to do so means that my work has offered flexibility and granted a bit of a privilege. I therefore think about what I offer in return. In my case I will very occasionally arrange childcare so that I can go to a meeting outside of my hours. I also never surf the internet while I'm meant to be working (obviously that shouldn't be a thing, but my colleagues are terrible for it). I would let people phone me, but I'm not sure how useful that would be for them as I'm often not able to answer it.

I think that if you work PT you should consider whether it is a privilege or not and then whether you feel you should offer some flexibility in return to maintain a sense of goodwill.

It's worth mentioning that I wouldn't expect extra from a PT worker in my team, I don't think my approach is obligatory.

Skiptonlass · 19/09/2015 12:54

If they want to contact you out of hours, you get given a work phone.

But do be aware that they will then expect you to be available 24/7.

One of my colleagues got a call at 3am the other week. Why? Honest to god, they told her 'we were just checking you'd answer"*

*yes she did swear at them copiously in a sweet tone of voice in a language they don't speak. I would have done too. :)

ThenLaterWhenItGotDark · 19/09/2015 13:01

Nulgirl has it. If you want to get on, and be the first person considered for promotion next time, or just more generally be thought of as someone who gives their utmost to the company, then the odd OOH phonecall will do your reputation nothing but good.
I work on temporary contracts/projects, but because I can always be contacted to change times etc I know they will keep employing me.

Original poster

Sazzas · 19/09/2015 13:28

There really isn't much room for promotion, I'm in the top 10% for my industry and what I do. Not looking to be promoted but do want a decent bonus and wage increase each year.

I'm thinking about getting a 2nd phone and giving it to them on the following conditions.

Only on call when absolutely essential
20 fee for 9-5 standby
50 for 24 hours
Overtime or toil for any contact.

I know many are accepting shit work conditions these days, but I'm not one of those people. I'm financially secure so will only keep on at this job while it works for me. Could afford to live on a lesser wage with lesser stress.

Any thoughts? Its that reasonable?

OP posts:

Oysterbabe · 19/09/2015 13:35

As far as my colleagues are concerned if they can't see me I'm dead to them.
Yanbu.

OpenDoorAsshole · 19/09/2015 13:36

Yes, do what I do - get a second pay as you go phone and give them that number.

(Then switch it off!).

Employer or not, I wouldnt give them my personal mobile number ever. If they are desperate to get a hold of me, then they can supply a work phone or fuck off.

Marynary · 19/09/2015 13:49

I would give them your number but I wouldn't answer any calls. Let them leave a message and if it isn't urgent don't call them back for a couple of hours (at least).

I work part time and in the past I always tried to be flexible. However, I have felt recently that this is abused e.g. meetings are arranged on my day off and I am expected rearrange my days to go in.

ilovesooty · 19/09/2015 13:51

Good luck with negotiating anything but the first point on your list.

rookiemere · 19/09/2015 13:53

It depends very much what pay grade your are OP and what your FT colleagues are expected to do. If they'd get calls at weekends and regularly work above their contracted hours then YABU.

It's one of the reasons I dropped a grade at work as previously I spent evenings and weekends catching up on stuff as P/T didn't seem to mean what it said on the tin and like you I find it hard when I'm switched off to work to suddenly switch back on again.

Now I have a work mobile that I currently appear to have lost and I keep that on for the days I finish early, but only switch it on for my non working day if something big is happening.

There is a way to strike a balance without appearing overly inflexible and I think asking for O/T would be unnecessarily arsey. Perfectly reasonable however to ask for a separate work mobile, say that you'll switch it on once per day for urgent messages only and that these should go through one contact only, oh and depending on how much pay you get to take some time back if you are being contacted.

The other thing that strikes me is that if critical things are being held up by you not being there, then perhaps your job is not really well suited to be done P/T and again if you want to maintain this status you need better back up in the office for your non working days.

Pennybun4 · 19/09/2015 14:01

Ask for a work mobile and if they say no say your personal one gets turned off out of 9-5. Obviously leave it on but don't answer.

Allocate your work number a different ring tone so you can decide whether you will answer the call.

Devonicity · 19/09/2015 14:05

I think you're making a bit of a fuss over something that anyone in management or a professional career (f-t or p-t) is now expected to do iebe contactable outside normal working hours.

Personally, my manager and my team have my personal mobile because I trust them not to abuse it. And they don't. I also trust them to make a judgement about anyone else who wants to contact me on a non working day and not give out my personal number unless it's truly necessary.

As long as you set and maintain decent boundaries around using your personal number it should all be fine.

Littlef00t · 19/09/2015 14:06

Gosh I wouldn't try to charge a fee unless I was a contractor, but I would ensure that my mobile was only available to senior management, and other colleagues would have to go through them and prove the problem was urgent, unsolvable by anyone else before being allowed to call me.

BackforGood · 19/09/2015 14:17

I think it's perfectly reasonable not having people phoning you on your day off. That's what I have a work phone for. I don't turn it on, on my non-working days.

Like others, a couple of people have my number, who respect it's the fact it's my day off, but if there really were something they wanted to ask me, then they know they could call me, but, it would be as a personal favour, not an 'expectation'.

Good luck with charging a fee to be 'on call' though. Even if they were to agree, You'd be then entering into a contract, saying you were available, which is what I thought you were trying to avoid.

specialsubject · 19/09/2015 15:04

being on call is extra work and should be paid as thus unless you are paid in the expectation of 24/7 contact.

otherwise, tell them you'll be efficient at organisation and delegation so they don't NEED to contact you when you are not working.

if all else fails; £10 supermarket cheapie, give them that number and then never remember to switch it on or carry it...

BathtimeFunkster · 19/09/2015 15:17

You are dead right.

The idea that people will respect you more for being permanently available to them for free is

TracyBarlow · 19/09/2015 15:25

I work part time. If my company needs to call me on one of my days off I would expect it to be an absolute emergency. Routine calls are not on. Unless of course, they want to pay me for being on call. If they do, they can negotiate a fee with me and agree conditions.

Like the OP said, I'm not going to accept shit working conditions just because some do, however senior. If more people just said no, it would become easier for us all to refuse to do,work that we're not getting paid for. The only people who benefit from that are, in the end, the shareholders or the company owners who get the money in your pocket while you sacrifice your family life.

Ragwort · 19/09/2015 19:13

I am amazed you have got to the top 10% of your industry without ever having to be contactable outside 'normal' working hours.

If you are happy sticking to your 'rules' then just say you are not prepared to give a mobile number. The thought of asking for a 'retainer' to be on call is laughable. What are you paid a 'bonus' for? Surely that is part of your overall performance reward and the success of the projects you are working on, which might well involve 'out of hours' support if you are p/t in an IT related role.

margeys · 19/09/2015 19:42

It depends. In my workplace we would only contact you if it was really important. And generally these would be in situations where if we couldn't contact you, you would be left with any resultant less to clear up.

margeys · 19/09/2015 19:43

mess, not less

BetaTest · 19/09/2015 19:51

In the past I worked in an industry that I was expected to be contactable 24/7. I mean literally phone calls in the middle of the night when I was asleep asking me to give orders to supertankers on the other side of the planet. I got paid commensurately.

If you work PT then it is PT and nothing else. If the firm wants you to work more than then they pay you more to work PT plus hours from home. Do not give in to the inevitable creeping hours of unpaid work that giving out your phone number means.

You should not even be picking up email. If your boss needs you to work more then you reply yes but suggest PT plus a certain number of paid hours from home. Resist this trend to unpaid work!

BetaTest · 19/09/2015 19:59

Obviously extra pay on top as you rightly suggest for each extra hour. lawyers work this way and so should you. Bill your time in 15 minute segments.

I also worked on contract recently in a different industry. My hourly rate is eye wateringly high. They get a massive amount of value out of the hours I work so they know to only phone me if it is worth the money.

Some of the answers you have had are shocking. It is not a 'privilege' to work part time. This is why women get screwed in the workplace.

You have got the right attitude. Be tough. Don't be a patsy.

BathtimeFunkster · 19/09/2015 20:10

I am amazed you have got to the top 10% of your industry without ever having to be contactable outside 'normal' working hours.

People who are good at what they do don't have to toady around being constantly available for free.

emsyj · 19/09/2015 20:15

I wouldn't agree to be contactable on a personal number and have refused to give it in the past. My employer wanted to give a brochure to a client containing mobile numbers for everyone on the team (to impress them and so they could call us out of hours). I said if they wanted me to be contactable for work purposes outside working hours then they would need to provide me with a phone and pay for it. They were not welcome to impress clients and convenience themselves at my personal expense. They refused to give me a phone, I refused to give them my private personal number. Everyone was happy .

I have had a job where it was expected that I would be contactable more or less constantly. I was provided with a work blackberry and we were allowed to make personal calls from it also. I was quite happy to be contacted on that basis - and it was not abused.

MaccaPaccaismyNemesis · 19/09/2015 20:18

My work view that it's ok to phone and email me on my day off. I work 4-6 days a week so feel very much in the loop. I kicked up a big stink and vocally blocked emails from work on my personal email account. I just don't want to know and nothing is that urgent it can't wait a day IMO.

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