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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

How do you feel about using your personal phone number?

103 replies

Pizzaholic33 · 03/02/2024 19:27

I know people who will not share their personal phone number for anything work-related, for a reference, anything at all really.
A colleague created a WhatsApp group for our department but one man refused to be on it, saying it was work and he didn't want his personal phone number being used.
I've known people refuse to be referees for jobs, housing, passports etc. because they don't want their phone number being given.
It's not something that bothers me at all really but everyone's different. Just wondered what people think?

OP posts:
cakeorwine · 04/02/2024 08:27

I absolutely separate work life from home life - I don't have work email on my personal mobile and I took the "work telephone app" off my personal mobile.

If people need to contact me, they can - and if it's an emergency, then people who need to contact me know how to do that.

Darknesshasdescended · 04/02/2024 08:27

Absolutely no to work WhatsApps. I'm currently self employed and have a separate phone that I have various WhatsApp groups on, BUT, I can and do switch it off. I find constant notifications intrusive. I work with different teams for a few months at time and see the permanent staff regularly contacting colleagues on their day off. Not for me. Nor school/neighbourhood/family groups. I don't want to be listening to pings/checking my phone all day long.

inabubble3 · 04/02/2024 08:28

Never thought twice about it before. Worked in a hospital where we had a group group chat and everyone would ask questions in it (anyone got the red folder, anyone able to come and help with a patient in x ward etc) . Then people would phone to ask where you were- in work hours.

move to current job- community working- lots of wfh very much on your own. We have work phones. manager casually asked if he could save my personal number on his - I agreed as I thought nothing of it. Cue calls and texts on my non working days about work and non work things. Really was struggling with the job and trying to be boundaried with it all for my sanity and him doing that really p**ed me off/creeped me out to be honest . So I’d now think twice about it.

Defaultsettings · 04/02/2024 08:29

I’m in work WhatsApp groups but I know that I won’t get called for anything work wise due to the nature of my job and my manager. It’s more of a chat group and I keep it muted.

However work are bringing in authentication apps for our work and want us to use our own phones. I’m not happy about having to use my own phone because it means I have to keep a working phone with me but they aren’t prepared to pay for it. Like a PP said it’s a slippery slope of expectation. Work should provide everything I need to do my job.

DilemmaDelilah · 04/02/2024 08:44

I keep my work and home life completely separate, so I refuse to use my personal mobile for any work related calls. I have also refused to join the work whatsapp. A couple of people from work have my personal number, but not for work calls.

I was extremely angry when our team Secretary gave my personal number to a colleague who used it for a (non-urgent) work call when I was on leave. This was a breach of data protection and will very definitely NOT be happening again.

I have email and Teams, and can be contacted by either during working hours. Out of working hours my time is my own. I have had colleagues ask me how I manage the work life balance, and I just tell them that I am willing to work extra hours if required, but when I'm not working I switch off my laptop, shut my office door, and don't go back again until my next working day starts.

Ilovemyshed · 04/02/2024 08:46

Complete segregation. Personal phone is mine, number /email not shared to work.

Work phone is that, just work apps, number on email signature, contactable for work hours and controls on apps.

Howmanysleepsnow · 04/02/2024 08:51

I won’t use my personal number for work, because people call me instead of the on call. I have to turn my work phone off overnight unless I’m on call as I get 2am/ 3am/4am phone calls about 3 times a week on it. No way my personal number is being shared as I use my phone as my alarm so wouldn’t be able to avoid it.

Iheartmysmart · 04/02/2024 09:00

We don’t get supplied with company mobiles. I’m part of a small work WhatsApp group that we use when travelling. We are the only UK based part of the team and usually travel together so the group only gets used for that purpose.

But the company seem to want us to download ever increasing apps in order to do our jobs which is totally unfair in my view. We also had an email recently asking us all to put our personal contact numbers on our email signatures. There’s been quite a lot of pushback on that request!

charabang · 04/02/2024 09:14

I pick and choose who I share my number wuth. I am in a colleague wharsapp but that's purely to let each other know if we're going to be in late, wfh etc... and is barely used.
What annoys me is having to use my phone for multifactor authentication to log into university systems at work. It just seems very cheeky that work assume they can use our devices to keep their systems accessible.

Chocladore · 04/02/2024 09:25

Mortimermay · 03/02/2024 19:49

I also left a work WhatsApp group because it used my personal number. We had work mobiles but were added under our personal phones. I didn't want all of my colleagues having access to my personal number and what I hated the most actually was receiving work related messages on my personal phone. I don't think anyone should be obliged to use their personal phone for work purposes.

This happened to me!

Part of a work WhatsApp group, some colleagues have company phones. One colleague then started sending a copy of messages he’d received on his COMPANY phone from customers, which often includes photos, regarding issues with the product they’d bought, to my PRIVATE number!

I let it go a couple of times but then it became a regular occurrence, he was sending this way purely because it’s more cumbersome to copy and forward to our company email address.

I have now told him not to send anymore work related messages to my personal phone but rather to the work email address. I was receiving messages on my days off and over the weekend! I’ve now archived his number, should block but I think he’s finally got the message.

SallyWD · 04/02/2024 09:29

We have a work WhatsApp group (team of four) and I don't mind because I trust my colleagues not to harass me when I'm not working. Occasionally it's useful to get out of hours messages - maybe to let me know something that will affect me at work the next day. None of us abuse the group. If I had a boss who was always texting me work dtuff on my days off (and expecting me to respond) then I'd probably leave the group.

AcridAndStanLee · 04/02/2024 09:30

I have a work phone now but don't care who has my personal number, it means nothing to me. There are so many platforms people can find you on if they wished to contact you.

What does bother me is work places expecting you to install a verification app on your personal phone to get into their systems. I don't want to - if they're that bothered give me a device to verify that I don't pay for. But it's the norm so...

EBearhug · 04/02/2024 10:02

If there is a business need for someone to have my phone number, then the business can give me a phone.

This. To be fair, every job where I've needed a phone for work (which I have, because I covered on-call) they have provided them. Some colleagues also have my personal number, but that is for "which pub are we going to?" conversations, not work.

SweetBirdsong · 04/02/2024 10:14

@Valid8me

I don't really care who has my number (other than companies who might use it to try and sell me shit), if I don't recognise a number that rings me then I don't answer it, simples. If its important then leave me a message and I'll ring you back.

I also don't understand people who don't answer their door - it's just FUCKING WEIRD as far as I'm concerned, especially when you then come to mumsnet and go 'oh, somebody just knocked on my door but I didn't answer because I wasn't expecting anyone. Who do you think it could have been?'

@IloveAslan

I was just about to say the same thing. 😂😂

I freely give out my phone number, with no issues at all. MN is a whole other world.

Well I think it's FUCKING WEIRD to give your phone number out to all and sundry, and also FUCKING WEIRD to instantly jump up and answer the door every time someone knocks, and you're not expecting anyone or anything!

I think the people who give their number out freely to anyone and everyone, and who jump up to answer the door as soon as someone knocks it, must have nothing to do, and must be quite lonely, and in need of company and friendship. Awwww, sad. Sad head tilt.

AcridAndStanLee · 04/02/2024 10:16

SweetBirdsong · 04/02/2024 10:14

@Valid8me

I don't really care who has my number (other than companies who might use it to try and sell me shit), if I don't recognise a number that rings me then I don't answer it, simples. If its important then leave me a message and I'll ring you back.

I also don't understand people who don't answer their door - it's just FUCKING WEIRD as far as I'm concerned, especially when you then come to mumsnet and go 'oh, somebody just knocked on my door but I didn't answer because I wasn't expecting anyone. Who do you think it could have been?'

@IloveAslan

I was just about to say the same thing. 😂😂

I freely give out my phone number, with no issues at all. MN is a whole other world.

Well I think it's FUCKING WEIRD to give your phone number out to all and sundry, and also FUCKING WEIRD to instantly jump up and answer the door every time someone knocks, and you're not expecting anyone or anything!

I think the people who give their number out freely to anyone and everyone, and who jump up to answer the door as soon as someone knocks it, must have nothing to do, and must be quite lonely, and in need of company and friendship. Awwww, sad. Sad head tilt.

Are you really that busy that you can't answer the door when someone knocks?

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 04/02/2024 10:54

MedSchoolRat · 03/02/2024 22:33

People who have work mobiles... what phone (spec, cost) is it?

What are the terms of use? Are you required to have it turned on all your hours at work but then you can turn it off & ignore until your next actual shift starts? Is there an expectation how quickly you must answer or reply to a message on it?

For work mobiles, who keeps track of paying for it, keeping software on it, keeping it insured, paying a data contract, and authorising apps that can be installed on it? How does that work. Are you allowed to put it in a back pocket or must the phone be kept in some other kind of bag (or how are you allowed to carry it). Do you have a screen protector and bumper to protect it... or what stops the screen getting smashed? Presumably someone monitors that you haven't watched 6 movies on it a day to use all the data allowance.

I obviously don't know a single soul with a work mobile.

My employer provides everyone with an iPhone. Not sure what model mine is, but it's about 6 years old - prepandemic anyway! Maybe 5SE. It could do with replacing actually, it's getting slow and losing battery life. It's provided with a screen protector and bump case. We no longer have desk phones. We are a large gov body, where about 70% of staff have an element of field/peripatetic work, so mobile technology is extremely helpful, not just for keeping in touch and phone calls, but for sending data, photos etc whilst out, dialling into meetings whilst out and accessing documents,looking at risk assessments, maps etc on the fly.

Work pays all business phone costs, keeps the software updated etc. we have the option of using our work phone for personal calls and going through the bill every month and paying for these via a negative expense report. Most people opt not to do this, and just have another personal phone, so they can turn their work phone off when not at work. Also, we're not allowed to take our phones out of the country unless there is a business need.

Work phone use falls under the sane IT use agreement as laptops, desktops and iPads. Ie: basically business use only, and they are monitored!

Both my personal and work phones are set up to receive business continuity messages, so I don't miss news about my office being closed (again!)!

Obvs my line manager can access my personal contact details if needed.

Jellycatspyjamas · 04/02/2024 11:03

What are the terms of use? Are you required to have it turned on all your hours at work but then you can turn it off & ignore until your next actual shift starts? Is there an expectation how quickly you must answer or reply to a message on it?

I have a work mobile, it’s an iPhone SE and has settings which block any unapproved apps. My work phone is turned on while I’m working and turned off or left at home when I’m not. There’s no expectation around how quickly I respond to calls or texts, beyond the expectation that I do reply in a reasonable space of time.

My team have my personal number for emergencies, and wouldn’t use it outside or emergencies. I keep clear boundaries between work and home, a work mobile helps with that.

Bobbotgegrinch · 04/02/2024 11:27

I spent 3 years being stalked by an ex after I split up with her during university.

She'd turn up in the middle of the night drunk,harassed my parents, convinced my housemate to let her in the house and then destroyed all my stuff. Police didn't take it seriously (one policeman asked "Why am I scared of a woman).

I got through 3 phone numbers during that time, she always somehow found out my new one, and the harassment didn't stop until I left the country for a year.

I'm still incredibly careful with my phone number, even 20 years later. Maybe 10 people have it. I have an old one that's not connected to a phone that I use for any online forms etc.

I start a new job next week and they've just mentioned adding me to the company WhatsApp group, so that's going to be a fun conversation.

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 04/02/2024 13:19

@Bobbotgegrinch

when trying to evade the company WhatsApp groups the good excuses I’ve heard are 1) don’t have a smart phone, I still have the old Nokia. 2) my phone software is too old to support it he updated WhatsApp and I’m not currently considering buying a new phone
3) my phone doesn’t have enough memory space to allow another app, maybe once I’ve deleted a few things but I’m too busy to do that right now and I use a lot of current apps regularly. 4) I don’t get a good mobile signal at home it’s already switched to 5g and my phone is only basic 3G/very poor 4 g. So it isn’t really going to work for me.
5) I usually have my phone on airplane/mute due to other people at home working nights. I’m not going to catch messages in a timely fashion until
i switch in on, on my way to work.

All have been accepted by managers. My favourite is 1) and that’s what I’m using going forward.

Bobbotgegrinch · 04/02/2024 14:25

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 04/02/2024 13:19

@Bobbotgegrinch

when trying to evade the company WhatsApp groups the good excuses I’ve heard are 1) don’t have a smart phone, I still have the old Nokia. 2) my phone software is too old to support it he updated WhatsApp and I’m not currently considering buying a new phone
3) my phone doesn’t have enough memory space to allow another app, maybe once I’ve deleted a few things but I’m too busy to do that right now and I use a lot of current apps regularly. 4) I don’t get a good mobile signal at home it’s already switched to 5g and my phone is only basic 3G/very poor 4 g. So it isn’t really going to work for me.
5) I usually have my phone on airplane/mute due to other people at home working nights. I’m not going to catch messages in a timely fashion until
i switch in on, on my way to work.

All have been accepted by managers. My favourite is 1) and that’s what I’m using going forward.

Eh, I work in web and mobile app development, so no-ones ever going to believe the bog standard Nokia excuse.

I'll tell them the truth, I've done it in my last few jobs and they can either like it or buy me a work mobile.

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 04/02/2024 14:38

@Bobbotgegrinch fair enough. Although everyone I have ever known who work in Tech or IT either have the latest most up to date stuff, or are totally old school refusing to have at home what they deal with day in and day out! Bit of a busman’s holiday maybe?!

Growlybear83 · 04/02/2024 14:45

I've always used my own phone and really wouldn't want to carry a second phone with me - I was given one from work when I was still employed which I refused to use. I work from home and have always given people my landline, and tried to keep my mobile just for a few close friends a family.

rwalker · 04/02/2024 14:57

Don’t care because you have the mute and block option

Jellycatspyjamas · 04/02/2024 16:57

when trying to evade the company WhatsApp groups the good excuses I’ve heard are

Or you could be honest and say you don’t use your personal mobile for business, including social media.

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 04/02/2024 17:10

@Jellycatspyjamas you could and then have your card marked by management for not being a ‘team player’ and suffer all the associated crap that goes with it and the endless nagging about accepting being in the group as you haven’t got a good reason to say no. Been there and seen how this happens. Not worth the aggro when there are perfectly good excuses which can’t be argued with unlike the response of “no”.
Thats why people come up with these perfectly valid and unarguable reasons because it’s easier than having to deal with shit managers who don’t take no for an answer.

Also social media accounts are scrutinised as part of the hiring process by many industries - so that’s definitely not going to fly unless you have absolutely zero digital foot print on fall social media.