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AIBU?

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Original poster

New manager keeps disturbing me with irrelevant things every time I’m on my phone :/

579 replies

Ghostpost · 19/09/2019 15:49

I was employed before her, and have been here a couple of months. We’re in a research type environement and everything is really laid back with phones, work hours, days off etc. Everyone knows work gets done, deadlines are met so everyone is happy that the place is so flexible around family life.

She’s been here 3 days and has mentioned twice if I have enough work to keep me busy (😒).. I’m an adult and I know what I need to do. And although it would be really easy to take the piss here, I have been working incredibly hard to make a difference to our department.

I’ve noticed today she keeps coming and disturbing me every time I’m on my phone reading twitter or whatever. She’s making me feel like a school child not being allowed on my phone. She’s looked over at me a few times already whilst I’m typing this.

If I wasn’t working she would have a point to make, but I refuse to be micromanaged like this, as I’m not a child. It’s making me uncomfortable.

OP posts:
DeeCeeCherry · 19/09/2019 22:13

Academic research type roles are not by the clock roles

^ Exactly. People who clearly have no awareness of this are landing with heavy-handed uninformed opinions. I was in at 9am this morning, finished 8pm due to a research deadline. Same yesterday. No way would management moan about us checking our phones. We do the work. Micro-managing is a sign of poor management skills

imnotinthemood · 19/09/2019 22:14

Is there any way you can put your head down and work, and just keep out of her way aside from that? Use your phone outside
Great advice Grin

SoreAndFedUpToday · 19/09/2019 22:15

You sound like haaaard work!

FrauHaribo · 19/09/2019 22:16

but I think the types who'd go power-crazy if they were given a uniform or position have taken over the thread, and decided they somehow know the culture of your workplace better than you

when someone describes a manager coming to discuss WORK with someone as "disturbing me playing on my phone with irrelevant things" you don't need to know the culture of the workplace to see an employee taking a massive piss
and who think they know better than their manager and are way above any criticism...

It seems that the 4 or 5 months spent by that someone haven't been long enough for them to judge the work place accurately

Even in the nicest possible work environment there will always be one who takes the piss, found one here!

k1233 · 19/09/2019 22:19

I would suggest that you actually appear to be productive. If I had a team member on their phone as regularly as you are I'd have a few thoughts:

  1. You don't have enough to do, here's more work.
  2. If there's no work to give you, are you really required?
  3. You could be guaranteed the rest of the team have already complained to me about you being on your phone all day and them carrying you - the rest of the team notice stuff like that. I'm yet to work somewhere where behaviour like yours is not one of the first things the team brings up.
Tonnerre · 19/09/2019 22:21

but I refuse to be micromanaged like this, as I’m not a child. It’s making me uncomfortable.

Resign, then.

Good luck finding another job that enables you to spend a third of your time messing about on your phone.

Tonnerre · 19/09/2019 22:23

I'd love to know who your employers are. Because if they are really paying their staff to spend that much time on the phone, they must be adding the costs onto the price of whatever they sell or whatever service they provide. So that's something I want to avoid.

Ginfordinner · 19/09/2019 22:29

FFS you are not being micromanaged. You are behaving like an exceedingly immature, entitled, work shy idiot. If you can't keep away from your phone for more than 15 minutes perhaps you should leave your job and alow someone who actually wants to work to take your place.

BuckingFrolics · 19/09/2019 22:31

It's attitudes like the OPs that go to explain in part, the UK's appalling productivity levels.

YADBU and I would hate to have you in my business.

ReanimatedSGB · 19/09/2019 22:35

Is it really so impossible to understand that not all jobs require constant 'busyness'? And that the needs of some businesses include having staff present but with no specific tasks, some of the time, because the nature of the work is not wholly predictable?

Some of you might like to know that there are some workplaces where long hours of what appear to be constant 'effort' are taken by management as a sign that the employee is incompetent rather than hardworking - if you're there longer than other staff and never appear to be relaxing, maybe your job is too much for you...

drspouse · 19/09/2019 22:36

I get a lot of interesting ideas for work from Twitter. I do actually manage a work sub group's account but that's a tweet a day if that. On my personal account I follow hundreds of people in my industry. I ask for advice too.
I leave the gender critical discussions and the SEN moans till lunchtime apart from the odd "phew, made it through another school run, need more coffee" posts at 9.10.
Texts etc are quick and to the point "remind me what time your train is DH" "will be a bit late for lunch friends, start without me".

drspouse · 19/09/2019 22:40

Oh and quite a lot of colleagues post "look at the exciting work thing I'm doing" type posts though that's not my style, but it's really common to see huge long threads by people having a decent discussion.

FrauHaribo · 19/09/2019 22:42

Is it really so impossible to understand that not all jobs require constant 'busyness'?

Of course not, but if a manager is questioning the lack of activity and the piss taking by an employee, I am guessing that their job is not one of them, or requires at least some "busyness.

joyfullittlehippo · 19/09/2019 22:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 19/09/2019 22:43

Like the OP said, work is done well and on time. That means working extra when needed

Actually, OP has at no point mentioned "working extra", and with views like this I'm pretty sure we'd have been told if it had been requested

In a roundabout way, though, she's actually doing the employer a favour by adopting this attitude quite so soon. With so little time in the job it'll be simple to get rid of her, and since she's made the job sound easy (and very low stress) there'll be no problem replacing her

Apothekerry · 19/09/2019 22:47

I work for a charity where the Finance Director spends most of his day managing his property empire on his work PC, things have been 'mentioned' but he is teflon, fuck all sticks. Do as I say, not as I do culture, it's hypocrisy with bells on.

Notajogger · 19/09/2019 22:47

If I wasn’t working she would have a point to make - I don't understand this at all - your whole point is that you're not working - you're on your phone - so actually agree with her then?

Not surprised really she thinks you don't have enough work to do. I'd also not be surprised if she starts to find other reasons to build up to turfing you out of your job, if she thinks you're messing about a lot and don't take her hints when she wants you to do some work (by interrupting you when on your phone etc).

Wauden · 19/09/2019 22:51

FFS, " how DARE my manager tell me to work?"
You have caught red handed.

Original poster
Ghostpost · 19/09/2019 22:54

Actually, OP has at no point mentioned "working extra", and with views like this I'm pretty sure we'd have been told if it had been requested..

🤣🤣 Wow. Do you want me to answer this question or will it be considered drip feeding?

There are some sane people on the thread who understand this work culture. We’ve been conditioned into being menial robots which is really sad. Can’t believe some of the comments about me being fired 🤣..seriously when the CEO is taking us out on lunches and doesn’t care if work is completed that day, then it speaks for itself. This is the part I’d talk about working over weekends to maintain things etc etc etc, but we won’t go there.

Not every workplace is a Victorian work house.

OP posts:
Original poster
Ghostpost · 19/09/2019 22:59

I think most people would love a job like this, where you have the freedom to do as you please. It’s like when you’re a child and want ice cream for dinner and then you grow up and realise that it’s not that cool. That is exactly what working in a place like this is like. You have the freedom to do whatever you want, and you do to an extent. But you’re too grown up to take the piss. I always arrive to work on time, take shorter lunches or work through at my desk and eat. Nothing wrong with taking my phone and looking at it if I want.

OP posts:
HereBeFuckery · 19/09/2019 23:00

@FrauHaribo
So your work pays commissions and bonuses? Bully for you. Mine doesn't. Lots of jobs don't. Your experience is yours alone, don't extrapolate it as the basis of your refuting of my argument.

I'm so glad you work with people who like to 'go above and beyond' the bare minimum (urgh to that corporate bullshit). If working harder than is contractually agreed would net me better pay, conditions or benefits, I would. As in many other workplaces, it doesn't. And the blind acceptance of 'you have to give your all/go above and beyond/bring your A game' is why employers rip the piss.

And thank you for your concern. I've never been fired. Never even come close. Possibly because I don't act like a drone but have the gumption to maintain my boundaries around how much of my freedom and time I will dedicate to a contractual agreement and do not confuse it with a measure of my self worth.

OooErMissus · 19/09/2019 23:05

So Ghostpost - confront her, then?

Tell her that giving you work when you're on a Twitter or Mumsnetting just isn't on.

What's stopping you?!

Yabbers · 19/09/2019 23:11

We are fine to check phone/email at work, nobody bats an eyelid at all, management are cool - as long as the work is being done.

Every 15 minutes?

I was in at 9am this morning, finished 8pm due to a research deadline. Same yesterday. No way would management moan about us checking our phones. We do the work. Micro-managing is a sign of poor management skills

Unless this involved you checking Twitter every 15 minutes then it is irrelevant. It also describes the working practices of a whole lot of careers which are not research.

A boss wondering why someone is on their phone every 15 minutes is not micro managing.

Not every workplace is a Victorian work house.

Being given work because you are on your phone every 15 minutes is not akin to a Victorian workhouse. 🙄

Yabbers · 19/09/2019 23:12

If working harder than is contractually agreed

Your contract outlines how hard you work? That’s would be weird.

I presume your contract asks you to do x job between the hours of x and x, doesn’t it?

joyfullittlehippo · 19/09/2019 23:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.