Manager only communicate via WhatsApp

[user97788678]

I started in a new job recently in retail. All the staff seem friendly, invited me to join a WhatsApp group that they have which I declined as I don't tend to add colleagues to social media and don't want everyone at work knowing my phone number.
So it appears that everything work related is communicated in this group, the manager praising staff for good customer feedback and anything else that has gone well on that day. I find it odd that the manager can't communicate this during work hours.
AIBU to not join the WhatsApp group?

And the boss tells people off if they put silly, non work related things on it.

@WaterOffADucksCrack

Which is fine if you're full-time and working on events, hospitality etc. But what about people who work part-time? Surely it would be worse for full timers who don't have time to be checking their whatsapp all day.

I'm a manager and whatsapp groups are encouraged in my sector. However I haven't and wouldn't do this because I find email (where you have proper proof) better. Also, I know how it wears people down mentally as I can't even have one days annual leave without at least a couple of people messaging and/or phoning.

Your last sentence was my whole point about part time workers. It's not about "not having time to check WhatsApp" during work days. It's about wearing people down mentally (as you said) when they're meant to be not working, on days when they're not being paid. Imagine how you feel about days of annual leave being interrupted, and then copy and paste that onto the life of someone working part time who is compelled to go into a work chat every single day of the week due to it being 'the culture' to communicate everything through there.

If work gives you the phone, fine. If not, YANBU.

Some of these answers are focusing on how secure WhatsApp is, which is not the point.

The problems are:

1. invading your time out of hours
2. communicating personal information to everyone, not the relevant person
3. WhatsApp probably isn't the official company tool
4. you are being put in a difficult position on your first day of work, when it is dify to say you don't want to join the WhatsApp group

@melj1213

I work in a supermarket, pretty much everyone in my department (Customer Service and Checkouts) is in our WhatsApp group. I am also the union rep so everyone has my phone number and it is freely available to anyone as it is on my noticeboard - the worst they can do is try to contact me maliciously, in which case I can just block their number and report them to HR (and I don't get calls/messages at unsocial hours as I have my phone settings set to Do Not Disturb overnight etc)

We don't use our group for official work stuff, we use it to give each other a heads up about things (eg don't forget it's non uniform/wear football shirts/Xmas Jumpers start this weekend etc) or to ask for shift cover/swaps (opening shift might not see closing shift people but they would be happy to do a bit of overtime as a one off) or to announce a night out and all sorts of other informal chit chat.

Our department manager is not in the group but our supervisors are and they will sometimes pass on group information ("Yay, we passed the regional manager inspection", "Don't forget it's stocktake this week!") but it is in an unofficial capacity and everything is always officially briefed out in store at handovers.

I hope as union rep you can appreciate that not everryone is you and that some of your members might not want to be added to groups and have their contact number freely available.

I wouldn't object to using it on my work phone, but no way would I want work comms on my personal phone.

I don't want work messages and updates intruding on my non-working time. Imagine all the crap that would arrive during a 2-week holiday?

For me, it's about work/life balance and YANBU.