To not want to be in a work WhatsApp group?

[workwhatsapp]

I got added to a work WhatsApp group when it was originally created sometime last year and it really annoys me. They don't really use it during work hours, but every evening and even on most weekends it's pinging constantly talking about work.

I'm a part time employee with young kids and a life. When I leave work I don't think about work until I am next in work. I don't want to spend my evenings chatting about it with my colleagues. I muted it straight away but sometimes don't click on it for a while and it will have 100s of messages and it shows everyone I haven't opened it and then I get comments made to me about it.

AIBU to just leave and tell them the frequency of messaging is too much in my spare time and I would rather not be in the group at all then be dug our for not opening and replying to the messages in it?

@HollowTalk

But how can they tell if you haven't read the messages?

I'm wattsapp it shows the ticks, for who's seen it, at least that's how I know ours operates that way

@Sparklingbrook

I love being part of the works Chat (we don't use Whatsapp) . I love my job and I really like the people that I work with. Sometimes a question will pop up while I'm on a day off and if I can answer it and help the department, I'm happy to if I can. I treat it as I would a message from a friend or family.

That said though I have adult DC it would be different if I had pre school children probably.

I agree, it's a useful time to catchup when not busy doing the daily tasks so to speak.

If someone left ours we wouldn’t care or exclude them in any way from other stuff ! Just do it!

On my work phone, fine, on my personal phone, absolutely not!

We had this in our work. The "work" group got taken over by random rubbish and was constantly going off. Solution was that managers created a second work group that was strictly for need to know work stuff. Meant those not interested in the constant chats could leave the other group without missing actual important information... But no, yanbu. Your free time is yours- not for work to dictate you should be dicking around on what's app with them.

It's my personal number, I don't have a work phone because I do admin 2 days per week and spend the rest of the week with (very) young dc. I wouldn't really want to delete WhatsApp as I talk to everyone on it, I have a group chat with my family, I talk to my friends, family, husband on it etc. I don't have Facebook anymore and don't really want to revert to texting.

Yes if you swipe on a message in a group it shows you who has read it. There's 8 people in the group including me so when the messages don't go to a blue tick they're obviously swiping and seeing only my name missing. It started out with a few jokes but its grating on me and I feel like I'm being called out for not participating but it's a shitty part time admin job and I just don't care about it outside of work. I know it sounds bad but its just a job to keep me working and fits in around young dc, not a high stakes career where I need to be updated outside my shifts

Workplace Wellbeing is my job and this is not on. If it's work related do it in office hours - if it's social then there is no pressure to be a part of it if it's not enjoyable to you. Time out of work is just that - it's your personal time and if you feel obliged in any way then a boundary is being crossed.

Do you want to be friends with this group of people? I think fine to leave the group I wouldn't want to be constantly thinking about work on an evening either. . Could maybe post a message explaining it's a busy group and you feel bad not having time to respond etc. But there is a risk they may be a bit offended so would depend if you are ok with that.

Sounds like a nightmare. Did they ask your permission to add you to this group, thereby sharing your personal phone number with other employees?

I left my old job because of stuff like this. But before I left I deleted the group and said I'm available 30min after I finish work by email only.
At one point they would ask me for stuff during my annual leave it was too much.

Say to them that its affecting your mental health, you only get paid for 2 days but your having to mentally be there full time its not fair. You need down time and a better work life balance. The group is causing you anxiety.

It sounds as if it would be a hotbed of work politics being played out in your own time.
I can't stand this sort of stuff.

Yanbu, these big WhatsApp groups can be annoying even when muted. You can see cliques and in groups forming as if you were back at school. I guess either leave the group or (if comments are made) just be clear that you rarely have time to look at it.

Leave it but tell them. Express concern that they are talking about work at all times.

Hi op. I would tell them that if there are any messages to you or things you need to action for them to email you as you don't check the works whatsapp outside of your work hours and then there are too many messages to wade through so it isn't an efficient way for you to communicate, especially as you are part time.

They can take it as they like. It isn't your problem.

Not paid work, but I'm in a social media WhatsApp group for a movement and people are only allowed to post content suggestions and links. No chat.

For my work, we have a teams chat which is much better. And even then, not everyone reads everything so if you don't get a response, you either tag or message people.

Mine doesn't show me who has read the messages though?

It’s time to delete yourself from the group.

I know it’s hard, and doing something that assertive maybe won’t sit well. But it will feel so good after a while.

@Momijin the sender of a message can check who’s read it. Surprised anyone can be bothered to do that in a large group though.

[quote UnsuitableHat]@Momijin the sender of a message can check who’s read it. Surprised anyone can be bothered to do that in a large group though.[/quote]
Wow I've just tried it. Didnt realise. However, like in messenger, quite often when you have a big chunk of messages you just zoom past and may not actually read all the messages.

Honestly? I think this is one of those times when it is more polite to be direct. Say something along the lines of you're struggling to cope with the volume of messages and as a result tend to avoid looking at the group. As you're only in two days a week, it feels as though the WhatsApp means that you can't entirely switch off to focus on your other commitments outside your part time job. You don't want to look unfriendly so haven't left the group but you may end up having to.

How odd. YANBU, OP! Unfortunately some people’s circles don’t don’t extend far beyond work.

There is nothing wrong with saying that you like to keep your work life and home life separate and outside of work you concentrate on Your family.

If someone gets offended by it then that's their issue not yours.

I've muted ours it drives me crackers.

I agree, while I'm a serial spammer (I only share things I find funny in the hope to share my joy 😂) I agree with this for work, we had one and we were advised to delete by company a few months ago then in the last 2 weeks a new one was set up, in that time we've had 3 negative, giving off messages and one positive.

I'm not in the market for bollocking messages on my day off (I only work the weekend) I have it muted and archived but I'd love to get rid of the figure in green that tells you how many messages you have so I'm not tempted to go looking

YANBU

I've set mine so that colleagues are unable to add me to groups. Might also do this once if I add other school parents' numbers to avoid the class chat group.