To not want to be expected to give my personal number to my team for work purposes

[swimdog]

I have recently started my first line management role. I manage a team of about half a dozen people in the Civil Service. Part of my job involves managing annual leave requests, sickness, one to one meetings with my team etc.

This week I have been told that I will not receive a work mobile and need to give my team my personal number for use if they need to phone in sick. I was advised to tell my team not to use my personal phone number for any other reason. Other equivalent grade managers in my office do have a work mobile, but policy has changed between their start date and mine, and work phones are no longer provided to new managers.

AIBU to be unhappy with this arrangement? It's not that I don't trust my team; I honestly don't think they would abuse having access to my personal number. It's the principle of it that bothers me - I don't want to be expected to mix work and personal life on my own phone. I don't need a smartphone like the other managers have, literally just a basic 'brick' phone with call functionality would be perfectly fine. Surely it's not fair that other managers don't have to give out their personal number to their teams while I do? I also don't want to be in the situation where a member of my team forgets I'm off on annual leave and phones me to tell me they're sick while I'm sunning myself in the south of France! (I wish!)

AIBU?

I'm completely with you. I object to giving my personal phone number out to all and sundry. What if one of your team turns out to be a weirdo stalker?! If my company want me to use a phone they should supply one. As it happens, we use Zoom with an incoming number set up, so work people have that and I have Zoom running on my phone sometimes, but not if I'm on holiday, in which case it goes to a voicemail->email system. It feels like a potential breach of privacy laws as well.

Do you not have a messaging system like Slack or Teams? I've been a manager for years and whilst I have given out my phone number to some people it's never been for them to call in sick. If I'm working on a day they're sick, they contact me by Teams. If I'm on leave they contact another manager in the wider team.

I would not do this.

It's all very well offering your personal mobile number when there is no expectation it is available or obligation on you to make it available but not as an unending agreement.

I want the freedom to change my number, switch providers including having a gap when there is no phone etc. I don't want to feel obliged to keep a mobile phone going for work purposes.

I only have a works mobile - I genuinely don’t have a personal one!

So I have given my personal number to people at work (also civil service). I'd only do it sparingly in future as some people have no understanding of boundaries.

I'd push back & say no & that really doesn't sound right for a civil service job. They can ring you when you get to work to tell you they're off sick

its really not worth charging and carrying another phone just on the off chance somebody is sick. Can they not leave a voicemail on your work number if they need to call before 9? Are you public facing and need to arrange cover overnight? Do you have the teams personal numbers? If not then what can you do out of hours anyway?

Surely they can call you on Teams?

No one needs a physical phone now to speak to people.

If they must have a number to call, Teams can be set up with a direct dial phone number for you

I would ask them to do that instead of this nonsense about giving out your personal phone number

We all have work phones but sickness is usually reported to personal phones, as we need to know early and people don't have their work phones on. I explain to those I line manage that on X day they need to call Y instead. It can be annoying though if they forget and it edges in to your consciousness when you are off.

I work in a civil-service adjacent government agency and there’s no way you’d ever be asked to use your personal phone for anything. We have to use our work mobiles for two factor authentication to get into any of our systems, and do that via an app installed by IMT. Push back, hard. Mobiles are so cheap for them with Vodafone on the government tariff that there’s just no excuse not to provide you with one if you need the ability to take and make work calls.

I'd just activate a SIM and stick it in an old phone

Yes it's the having to give it out that bothers me most - if I had chosen to give my personal number to colleagues that's different.

Policy is that we have to phone in sick. We are not allowed to email/text/send a Teams message if we are going to be off sick. This week alone so far in my team there have been two people off - one sick and one due to an emergency at home that came up.

It’s a new policy for the civil service, but I don’t think it is for the private sector. Neither DH nor I have been given work phones for years, you’re expected to use your personal one.

But I can see that it might need to be different for public sector employees, you could potentially be harassed. Push back against the policy if you’re uncomfortable with it.

I don’t know, I have everyone’s number and have work teams chat on my phone, wouldn’t think anything of it if my boss texted or messaged or emailed late at night or while I’m on holiday - I expect to check while I’m on holidays.

If you have Teams, you have a work phone number. If it has to be a phone call then they can call that. Go to the Calls tab and you’ll see it under the keypad.

Personally I’m fine with a Slack message though!

You don’t automatically get a phone number with Teams, it has to be set up separately. You can always phone internal contacts on the same network on their short Teams number (like and extension number) but if you want to be able to dial in and out from other numbers, it needs setting up separately.

Tell them your only compromise is to have a landline diverted to your mobile.

Colleagues can call the landlines but not have your mobile number.

Private sector over here, always separate work phone. I do not want to have to worry about work on weekends and days off.

That’s great @ExcitingRicotta , I wish we were in the same position! DH and I are expected to check our phones. It’s not healthy at all and I wish the work culture wasn’t moving in this direction.

I’ve only ever worked in the private sector - finance and law - and I’ve always had a phone.

Not bragging, just you seemed to think it’s the norm.

@freyastar I’m glad to hear this, sounds like we’re the exceptions.

I didn’t think that you were bragging, I’m glad that using personal phones hasn’t become as commonplace as I thought. Ours were stopped pre-pandemic, can’t remember exactly when.

She shouldn't, but honestly for less than £25 this is a non-issue.

I've had my managers personal number for the past 10 years or so. I've used it about twice once for calling in sick and once when my train broke down and I was really late. We dont have work phones and I didn't really think anything of it.

Nhs here and we have whole team on our private phones in group chat. Use it all day long eg 'need help in ED four patients referred' but you can just mute notifications if your not on shift🤷 thought it was perfectly normal.