To question WhatsApp group on personal phone for work?

[Diedre44]

WFH permanently small team Customer Service for local government housing association. Got an email from manager today stating for business continuity and case of emergency everyone needs to be contactable and if don't already have it please download WhatsApp and let us know when you have so we can create a WhatsApp group.
I'm just confused as to why we are being "told" to do something on our own personal phones. I do not use my personal phone for work. I am contactable by telephone, I'm available on teams whilst working, email etc.
My manager knows I have WhatsApp already, we speak outside of work on occasion. I just find this strange all of a sudden.
I don't know how to approach it with them as don't want to seem to have an issue. Surely if it is needed as a "needs of business" issue they should provide a work phone.
AIBU to be sceptical?

This is such a grey area and one that I've been discussing with other managers in our small company recently. We started last year with only 5 staff so WhatsApp on own phones was an easy, non-invasive way to communicate.

This year we have doubled in size and on track for this to continue so I have been pushing to look at alternatives. I do like having the flexibility of work apps on my phone, as I wfh to fit around DC and caring commitments and it means I don't miss anything urgent if I have to leave the house.

But that's my choice, and I am careful to mute and archive the chat during weekends and holidays and the senior manager has has been good about reminding anyone who messages late evening etc that it's not appropriate and to used scheduled emails instead.

There are other good options like Slack and Google chat and some have functionality to set working hours for alerts within the app itself. I want to move the work chat to one of these so it's separate to peoples personal apps like WhatsApp and can be linked to work email not personal phone number. I also set do not disturb for all notifications overnight as customers do email at strange times due to the nature of our business/time zones.

Another poster has hit on the right option GDPR.

Dear Manager, HR and Data Protection Officer

I, along with my colleagues, have been asked to download WhatsApp and to join a WhatsApp group that has been set up for Business Continuity purposes.

I am concern at this request for a number of reasons. The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and (employer) Privacy Policy both set out the lawful way in which my personal data can be held and processed.

From my limited knowledge of WhatsApp I understand that everyone in a group can see my personal data and process it by contacting me directly or by sharing it with anyone. I do not believe this complies with the GDPR or the Privacy Policy.

In addition, WhatsApp, like many apps, may capture and process my personal data. Again I do not believe this complies with GDPR or the Privacy Policy.

I have provided my personal phone number and email so I can be contacted in an emergency, including Business Continuity. I believe this is sufficient and complies with GDPR and the Privacy Policy.

I would appreciate you reviewing the request to download and join a group against the requirements of the GDPR and the Privacy Policy.

Thank you

If you take calls, presumably you have a work phone? If so, I'd say that I'd have a work WhatsApp on that but not my personal one. That will be sufficient.

I wouldn't do it and if they want me to they can supply a phone or tablet.

I wouldn't want the instant access and expectation.

I also wouldn't want a manager being able to see when I'm online/typing as you said OP.
I'm not on my phone all the time but I do use it and it's none of their business if I'm sending a message.

I've had a social work chat on my personal phone but that quickly turned into work chat that I'd then have when I'm on leave etc

I wouldn’t agree to this. I don’t want my colleagues to have my personal phone number, there’s no need for it. My boss can get it from HR in the event of an emergency, which has happened once in four years.

It’s a shame you’ve had a bad experience, but I don’t think this the norm for most people in work related WhatsApp groups.

Personally, I prefer to avoid all WhatsApp groups whether they are personal or professional. I just don’t like them, but never once felt bullied or harassed whenever I have been in them.

We have a work WhatsApp group that most people use their personal phones for. It is used exclusively for the following
Train is cancelled I’ll be in at half 9
Do we need milk.

that’s literally it. Can’t get mad about it

I'm in a WhatsApp personal phone group with my team but out of choice, it's used for what we want to say but done want on work mobile / teams records.

I wouldn't be in a company wide or bigger group on my personal phone.

I find this interesting as my employer is requiring us to install an app on our personal mobile devices to enable two factor authentication. Without the app we won't be able to access our work systems. This seems a little out of the ordinary and I'm wondering if it's even legal.

I have had this in a previous employment. I chose not to have a work phone so agreed to it on my personal phone. 2 factor authorisation is very common.

IANAL but I think you can refuse on your personal phone doe to data collection aspects. Ask for a work phone.

I think I'd clarify it'll only be used during working hours. They already have your number so I don't know why they'd need to set up a group - personally I wouldn't want to be in it but that's because I know I'd be contacted at anytime day or night.

Context of the group will be key - is it emergency use only? Or just ANOTHER way of communicating because if it's the latter I'd be less inclined.

My company has a group
I am not on it
If anyone really needs to contact me when I am at home or with friends they can call

I’ve worked in an organisation that encountered a cyber attack a few years ago.

Access to all our systems went down. Email, teams, authentication required to access work mobiles. Everything.

If it’s only for use in circumstances like that, it seems a sensible BCP measure to me.

We use WA daily in my team. People aren't forced to join and its perfectly okay for them not too. Many of them mute the group and don't look until they are back in work (shift work). My team doesn't have work computers/phones.

We don't use it for jokes or general chat. It's mostly used for offering extra shifts, giving phone numbers for team meetings, sharing the rota or passing on messages.

I just received a call from someone who had called work (I'm working from home - manager so do have a laptop) and couldn't get through. WhatsApp'ed the group and asked worker to call the person. They check phones more regularly than the desk top computers.

I've never understood why people seem to restrict Whatsapp to non-work communications only. Is it because of the 'status' that often contains personal pictures, etc?

I think that they need to supply a work mobile which you can use during work hours & switch off at the end of the working day.

This would be a fair comment if they were wanting you to be contactable on the phone on a daily basis. But they have said it's only for business continuity/emergency use. If that is genuinely the case then I can't understand why you have an issue with it.
If it starts to become the regular way of expecting you to be contactable, or they start contacting you without good reason out of hours, then it's fair enough to expect a work phone to be provided. . From what they have said it will be used for, you can't expect them to provide a phone. If you are going to refuse to hand over your personal phone details, then be prepared to suggest an alternative that is as effective and efficient .

I agree. There are some people that I don't want having my personal phone number and a group chat means that they would have my number.

I was asked to install an app to authenticate login on work systems and I refused as I don't want any third-party app on my phone that wanted access to microphone, camera etc as well as tracking that my employer could potentially see. I said that if they want me to do that they need to provide a device. They soon found another method!

Meh I couldn’t get worked up about it. I have been contacted on my personal phone for business continuity purposes for years, way before WhatsApp was a thing.

I particular remember the phone call saying the building is flooded, don’t come in just as I was about to get into the shower. That was sweet, free day off so straight back to bed. I would have been seriously pissed if I had got ready, drove to work to find it was closed

These days such chats are usually “I can’t get logged in, does anyone have the IT help desk number” or “trains are running late I will be in at 9.30”. I mute all group chats anyway so having this one muted too is no big deal. They were more active during lockdown but that’s stopped now. Even then it didn’t bother me

Yeah I refused to give my personal number for business continuity messages. Eventually our company realised it was an invasion of privacy and relented. I opted in to start with but really didn't need to know covid had closed an office 5 hours away on my day off.

We had a WhatsApp group at work, I wasn't on it, I don't use WhatsApp for my personal use so I certainly wasn't going to use it for work on my personal phone, they just had to contact me via email for anything important work related, which wasn't very often.

They need a better business continuity system. Ours is a global system but very targeted. We get an bi-annual test which we are prewarned about and is sent during working hours. In 10 years any messages have always been relevant to me and saved me a few 40 mile round trips when the office has been shut.

Think ours is a software called Everbridge.

We have work phones and are told very firmly to keep everything separate. They said if we downloaded any apps that we use for work onto our personal phones, such as MFA, they could (in theory) wipe the personal phone in order to protect company security in the event of a breach.

But HR and your boss have your contact details so if there is an emergency they can text or phone you. That’s fine. But a WhatsApp group means they’re expecting you to install an app (OK, one most people already have but the principle of it), and more significantly, make your phone number available to anyone they decide to add to the group.

Security policy states we can't have WhatsApp on our work phones. My team has an urgent group on our personal mobiles - I didn't 'expect' this of them, it was by mutual agreement. But we work in communications and urgent contact outside of 9-5 is sometimes necessary. I can't expect them to carry their work phones around with them 24/7.

Your work cannot and should not 'expect' it though.

I have a WA with my direct reports. It is literally there for business continuity as yours has been recommended. As we haven't had a BC situation since it was established it's never been used. No big deal in the least.

There is also a phone tree established so if there is a BC situation I will get a call from my manager and will call my 2 reports. They will cascade down too.

If they really mean it's for BC then you aren't going to be getting any messages via it other than in an emergency. Don't get the big deal.