To not block this work WhatsApp?

[bingbangbongding]

Seeking a little assistance/honest feedback on how to deal with a situation at work.

A person on a team i manage has posted in the Teams chat ‘please can we not have WhatsApp groups outside this chat unless you want me to feel left out and not part of the team’

This person does not have the ability to access WhatsApp (by choice they do not have a smartphone) and the WhatsApp group was set up to facilitate meeting offsite (and out of network) with a team member we hadn’t met in person before. The person complaining didn’t come on this trip. The group wasn’t set up by me and I can’t delete it.

The WhatsApp group has not been used since the trip apart from once, when a person was going to be late and was away from their computer (which to be honest, I find reasonable).

One person has replied before I managed to and they’ve explained why the group was set up and they’ve said they will stop using it.

I replied and said I agreed with the intent of the group and that it hadn’t really been used.

I also added that I wasn’t going to agree enforcing the team to stop using it as it was a private group. I said if there were any team messages that had to go to all I would of course text her separately meaning she won’t miss out on anything.

I reiterated that there were no personal messages in the chat (there really wasn’t)

She has replied in the Teams chat with further discontent and now said she’s upset.
I will send a private message and ask to chat but I suspect she won’t be satisfied.

What do you advise?

Good grief

She sounds like a complete pain in the arse.

Right 🤔 she’s in the wrong job then

It's even more annoying that our version of slack can be on our phones but not on our cloud first computers.

It's public sector silliness.

So to be clear do you have any messaging tool which is:

1. approved for use for work-related messages
2. able to be used on a non-work phone
3. able to be used on your work computer

?

If you don't have any that tick meet all three criteria, does WhatsApp tick 1&2 or just 2? Does Slack meet 1&2?

I'm the same too. I expect to get work related information in work. Don't want whatsapp pinging on my phone 24/7 - it's like a form of harassment.

Can't you just email her the information she needs to do her job?

The complainant is not happy with this though. She's moaning she'll feel left out, but is then refusing to get WhatsApp.

It's fair enough if you don't want WhatsApp, but then for her to whinge that shes being left out is ludicrous. She's ostracising herself.

No wonder she got moved from her other team.

I agree with this. I don't think it's very professional to use WhatsApp for work communications.

She's ostracising herself.

• For some people in this position: she's protecting herself. And this is going to get more common as WhatsApp inches into this space.

OK, she sounds irritating and just abrasive . But the truth behind boundaries like this, can be something murky that a person's workplace has no right to require.

I don’t have WhatsApp (even though I have a smart phone).

I would suggest that there is no use of WhatsApp for work comms as it is likely bit to comply with public sector policy regardless.

If someone needs to send an “I’m late” or similar message they can do so via text message or email to an appropriate person (line manager or colleague).

If the team want to use WhatsApp for personal comms (specifically non work) then that is their choice.

Personally I am glad to not have WhatsApp 🤣

I'd be wondering why she is mentioning this in this way, especially as the chat hasnt been used in a while. And especially as she has just moved teams for issues.

I’m going to reread policy on comms tools this evening. Which is sad because WhatsApp had been used entirely professionally.
**
And I will speak to her about her communication style. I'm glad you mentioned emotional manipulation because that's how I felt about it. She talks about falling out with people (her sister, her friends, her last team) and I just think I should have been smarter having been aware of this.

Please speak to HR too, OP — they may be able to give you further advice. And they should be aware of what’s going on, partly so that you’re covered if things escalate.

...And while you are at it, I recommend speaking to whoever is the expert in your company about FOI requests and work comms, especially as they can apply to personal and employee data if sought by an employee. I know broadly what the response should be, but this may give you some things to think through.

If she's already discussed falling out with multiple people this will just be one issue, once this is resolved there will be another and another- it's how some people are, they can't see themselves as the common denominator

I'm not using it - consciously. I've never come across a single other app as data-hungry. With every other social network I'm aware of, you have a choice whether or not you want to let it pry into your contacts or just import connections manually. Not with this one.

She absolutely sounds like one of those people who just poisons any group she's part of. She'll never be happy, will find fault with one thing after another no matter how much you dance to her tune. Eventually she'll be managed out to another group where she'll complain about how horrible you all are!

If you didn't use the group chat might as well close it down as it would be quite a good defensive move if she claims bullying etc. But put in a formal request for an authorised group communication tool that works on phones and computers for future use!

Oh no, she didn't come in today. We all meet on a Wednesday and Thursday and she's not came in either days. Feels like she's avoiding us. Haven't managed to catch up with her.

you say you are not using it - so you might not be aware that actually you can flick a switch to choose whether Whatsapp has access to your contacts... so, sorry, you are wrong 😄

regarding OP - the team member is actually bullying here - it is not her role to tell you what the team can / can not do. She is absolutely fine to say that she feels left out - but she also has autonomy over deciding to fix that - she can choose to get a smart phone. What she does not have is any right to tell others that they are not allowed to chat via whatsapp - that is controlling and bullying.

She needs to be put back in her box - team members are allowed to talk to each other - group wide / individually / in sub-groups, no one member can dictate what they are allowed to do. Copy in HR, but simply remind her of her position in the team and that you will decide how communication takes place / remind her that all full team communications or official communications will come via Teams or email - through channels she has, but that sub-teams / individuals will be allowed to use whatever technology they wish and it is not for her to critique or decide...

I'd advise her to quit being such a bloody snowflake.

We have a WhatsApp for team we are all in apart from one person (their choice).
We use Teams chat or email for any work communication or for organising Christmas do so no one misses out.
It’s used very infrequently. A few new baby pics, thanks for my leaving present type posts - they won’t have access to work IT if on maternity or left.
Handy way to message team in emergency eg Motorway crash jnc 10 if you know other colleagues heading in why have everybody stuck in traffic.
Booked team room wasn’t available - so quick message we are in x room. Otherwise everyone goes to booked room, not available, has to go to free room, log on laptop to see we are in x room, pack up go to x room. Saves 10 mins wasted time a person.
I think as long as not discussing work or leaving her out eg organising socials via it then fine to continue.

I’ve just looked back at ours and there’s nothing work related or concerning at all.
A few holiday pics (again done when not on work laptop)
Several is anyone struggling to get logged on - it helps if you know if it’s just you (so perhaps your broadband) or work server end. If you can’t get on you can’t send via teams chat.

So she got moved from another team to yours for not being able to gel with the team, as a way of "managing" her behaviour? Did they discuss certain of her behaviours with you before they moved her across to you? It sounds like they may have just moved her problematic behaviour on to you! She's probably not happy being moved across teams and suspects its being discussed on whatsapp which she's not part of. Are you sure there's not another whatsapp group your team uses that you're not part of? Also not coming in to the office when you expect her to is not on. Did you call her at home then? Its tough to manage someone who feels unwelcome but whose behaviour already may alienate her from her work colleagues. It sounds like something HR may need to get involved in if you cant resolve this.

Nope it the company are conducting company business on tec an employee is not obliged to provide personal non-company assets to do their job, it remains up to the company to provide the tec. (The employee should not be expected to "pay" the company to work there)

As the OP's company has opened the can of worms it is up to the company to "review" the use of tec and either limit it to what is currently on offer ( delete the old group) or offer the employee access via company provided tec. (This will only create more problems as employee will reject the tec)

The OP can point out that the employee should not make "request" instructions across teams and needs to communicate directly with the OP. Again doing this across the team as a training exercise limits the employees ability to say the OP is bullying or being mean etc.

Bullying by exclusion is a company problem so the OP would be foolish to "authorise" any sub-groups or imply such unofficial groups have company approval. The OP just needs to cover her obligation as employer and remind all the employees that a communication policy applies to all work related communications. If not the OP ends up playing whack-a-whatsapp with HR.

not sure why you are saying nope - I think you might be misunderstanding...

sure, if there is an official need to communicate then the company makes sure that everyone can partake - but if members of a team wish to chat to each other on whatsapp, they are adults and are allowed to do that...

quite frankly to call that bullying by exclusion is a little bit OTT - if 3 people in a team wish to go to the pub - it might be bullying to not allow a 4th member to come - but it would not be bullying if they opened it to all and the 4th member chose not to... similarly if 3 people wish to chat unofficially on whatsapp - and are happy to include the 4th member - but that person chooses not to have whatsapp, it is not bullying to carry on - they have the choice to join in and choose not to take part...

it is bullying by the team member to tell others that she doesn't wish to use whatsapp and therefore they are not allowed to!

I don't think it was the old team that was the problem.