Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
ThatCurlyGirl · 21/09/2019 15:52

So OP should have that conversation about expectations and output with her new manager to safeguard her job, not insolently say she's being "interrupted" from personal time every 15 minutes.

You don't get extra points for working outside of office hours if you aren't working efficiently in office hours.

OP isn't the manager. If she doesn't agree with the management style she can raise it and negotiate or leave the company.

I would bet that the management team will have asked her to clamp down on this and she's been gracious enough to try and do this through a gently gently approach. Next step is a warning / disciplinary I'm afraid.

frogsoup · 21/09/2019 15:55

And btw I wasn't being condescending, I was pointing out that if you work in a very different setup then you have no business casting aspersions on the OP without knowing what the norm is where she works. The character assassination has been pretty atrocious! Tbf the manager in same office thing does sound unusual in a uni setting, but not in a third sector or quango type research organisation.

ThatCurlyGirl · 21/09/2019 16:01

@frogsoup

Character assassination?! OP said:

Some of you sound like Victorian slaves. Such pathetic backward mind sets.

Having a bad and entitled attitude isn't productive in any work setting.

OP hasn't just said she doesn't know how to deal with new manager coming in, she's said new manager is "interrupting" her when she's on her phone.

So those of us are who pay or protect teams salaries have given our opinion on a topic OP asked AIBU about.. (thread title)

So its up to her if she takes it on board or not but it sounds like she needs a reality check when it comes to working.

Basketofkittens · 21/09/2019 16:05

I’ll be glad when this pointless bullshit office jobs are automated out of existence.

Post apocalypse there won’t be any phones, silly made up jobs like business development co-ordinators or research analysts. I’m looking forward to farming the land and catching my own meat.

frogsoup · 21/09/2019 16:13

By that point there were pages of vitriol aimed at her! There are ways of stating an opinion without calling an op everything under the sun though admittedly aibu isn't too good at that, and op is as guilty as everyone else on here of not understanding that different jobs have different setups.

frogsoup · 21/09/2019 16:18

Basketofkittens spoken like someone who lives in a nice warm house, buys their food at the supermarket, and always has a full belly! You get back to subsistence farming, backbreaking labour and hunger post apocalypse and tell us how happy you are (aibu will obviously be here post apocalypse, it is like a cockroach in that respect).

Casiloco · 21/09/2019 16:19

OP has had plenty of opportunity to mention out of hours/overtime and would surely have done so by now. Unconvinced.

Also the way the conversation went with the manager and the language OP uses is not indicative of a high level professional role. It is also clear that the Twitter usage is not connected with her work and is personal.

Don't know of ANY task which is enhanced by constant distraction such as OP describes.

Original poster
Ghostpost · 21/09/2019 18:21

OP has had plenty of opportunity to mention out of hours/overtime and would surely have done so by now. Unconvinced.

Why would I do that? When any further comments from me would be seen as drip feeding and lying to save myself embarrassment? I’m in a no win situation here, so fuck it!!

I know what I do and am capable of. Any put down comments about me I’m taking as jealous spite. I’m a hard worker, I’m intelligent, and I was given the job for a reason.

The really sad thing is none of you have any idea about a stranger’s mental state or background when you post crap to them. Every single one of you who’ve given me shit are disgusting human beings.

Thank you to the few who have stuck up for me and have looked at the wider picture, or understand the work culture.

OP posts:
ThatCurlyGirl · 21/09/2019 18:29

The really sad thing is none of you have any idea about a stranger’s mental state or background when you post crap to them. Every single one of you who’ve given me shit are disgusting human beings.

Well lesson learned for the future - if you ask for opinions and people give you ones you don't like then don't call them "Victorian slaves" or accuse them of having "pathetic backward mind sets"...

You have no idea of other people's mental health either so it's a bit rich of you to call out others on that when you used the insults you did earlier.

Thank you to the few who have stuck up for me and have looked at the wider picture, or understand the work culture.

These are two distinct categories. One is people who have "stuck up for you" aka agree with you. The other is those of us do have perspective on the wider picture and in a variety of work cultures. The latter just aren't opinions that fit your narrative.

Resorting to calling people pathetic and backward earlier doesn't exactly paint you in a great light.

Good luck! Smile

Pingu32 · 21/09/2019 20:12

It's called work for a reason! One of the biggest irritants for managers in the workplace is when some staff use their phones for non work when they are being paid to work. Maybe your new manager has been tasked with changing the way it has been so lax in the past?

Andylion · 21/09/2019 20:20

*I deal with a lot of data, which means sometimes staring at excel sheets and numbers and fiddling around with them..I do check my phone every 10/15 mins because it gives my eyes a break.

It’s obviously clear a lot of people don’t understand this work culture. I*

You use your phone when you take a break from your screen? I don't think you know how eyes work.

StrawberryDaiquiriPlease · 21/09/2019 20:22

I work flat out from 8 to 18.00 only call my son after school to check he has got home ok/ had a good day. Wouldn't be allowed to check phone either. And I have work I take home for evenings and weekends.

Ginger1982 · 21/09/2019 20:25

@ThatCurlyGirl 👍🏻

longwayoff · 21/09/2019 20:49

Muuuuum! It's not fair!

SeaSandandSun · 21/09/2019 21:23

I’m a SAHM and look at my phone less frequently than you do

Pingu32 · 21/09/2019 21:24

And to add, if all deadlines are being met and you all still have time for non work activity, maybe she has been tasked with looking at staff levels as you may be over resourced.

OooErMissus · 21/09/2019 21:26

Thank you to the few who have stuck up for me and have looked at the wider picture, or understand the work culture.

Oh, give over.

Plenty of us work in relaxed cultures where we're allowed unfettered access to our precious phones.

We still wouldn't gripe about our managers noticing that we're pissing about on Twitter or Mumsnet.

One day you will look back on this thread and cringe hard.

Darbs76 · 21/09/2019 21:37

Sorry but you genuinely post something like that and expect sympathy? New manager comes in and is unreasonable expecting you not to check your phone every 10-15 mins for a few mins each time. Get real. If you think that’s unreasonable then wait until you join the real world and have a stressful job as you certainly don’t have that. Why would people be jealous? I work to do a good job. If I do want to browse twitter or mumsnet I have the decency to do it in my own time on my breaks

Lemoneeza · 21/09/2019 21:50

I'm a workplace slacker but even I know that just because you've been getting away with something, doesn't mean you have the right to carry on once you get busted by someone senior. pull your socks up, or at least be more discreet!

OooErMissus · 21/09/2019 22:46

This thread is just so embarrassing.

I can't get into the mindset of someone starting it, and actually expecting sympathy.

And - again - I say this as someone with a very relaxed work culture.

Tonnerre · 22/09/2019 01:25

I’m a hard worker

Not in this job, you aren't.

Tonnerre · 22/09/2019 01:27

Being on my phone doesn’t make me a lazy or bad worker

It makes you a non-worker for every minute spent on your phone not working, which appears to be at least a quarter of your working day. Not sure that that's a label you want to have, either.

Scentsandsensible · 22/09/2019 07:57

Urgh... I’m out. You crack on OP... You’ve ignored any advice given to you, and then acted like a 14 year old kid with “awww but you don’t know what’s going on in my life” yet apparently everyone is jealous of your amazing job.

People have said to you both harshly and gently to respect both your employer and your manager and instead of taking it on board you’ve posted quite frankly ridiculous posts about Victorian workhouses.

A good employee is not always about skills - those can be taught - it’s about positive attitude and I’m afraid, based on everything you have posted you don’t have this.

Good luck.

Allergictoironing · 22/09/2019 10:23

I've worked in all kinds of environments over the years, ranging from call centre type work (fixed breaks, phones to be kept in the lockers with all other personal items) to working from home in my own time to my own schedule. All types of work including shop work, project management, research, technical authorship, government, financial services....

I have never felt the "need" to look at my phone on a regular basis in any of these roles - not that mobiles even existed in the first part of my working life! My phone would often sit beside me (when allowed) as I would have to take work calls & texts, but I wouldn't look at it unless it rang or beeped. All non-calls or non-text alerts are on silent. Social media I always keep for breaks, lunchtime or after work, even when I've been in a work from home role as I view working time as being just that - for work.

I did used to smoke, and now I take one similar type break morning and afternoon to get away from my desk & clear my head, but as I'm the only one in my current office who does this I tend to make up the time at the end of the day.

I sometimes wonder how many people today would have survived when mobiles didn't exist, and home PCs were rare, so social media just wasn't about!

Aridane · 22/09/2019 12:48

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.