To think it’s inappropriate to call outside of working hours?

[fotevers]

I finish at 5pm. I was packing my bag for work and looked at work phone flashing with a missed call from someone in the business. And an email saying they are still available to speak until 6pm.

It’s not even anything critical they are calling about and could be dealt with tomorrow.

That didn’t make it at 5, they made it at 5:30

In this day in age when there is extremely flexible working hours you are BU. Time has moved on from clocking in at 9 and clocking out at 5. In my team some start at 6:30am and finish early, others do not roll in until 10am and are therefore are often in the office until after 6.

If I do overtime, I draw the line at calling anyone (colleagues, contractors, clients etc) after 6pm as most have left the building.

That didn’t make it at 5, they made it at 5:30

Your OP indicated it was 5pm to be fair

My crystal ball was obviously a bit cloudy, it failed to detect that from your OP in which you totally failed to mention the time of the call.

Oh wow, can't believe it was as late as 5:30, surprised you weren't asleep in bed at that time 🙄

Fuck me, a 5:30pm call? Is that the biggest problem in your life right now?

Are you always this dramatic ?

Prior to 6pm, maybe 6:30, I don't think they are being unreasonable. You'd also be reasonable to ignore it until morning.

I don't think it's unreasonable for them to call at any time if they're working. If you aren't available you don't answer. Other people shouldn't have to second guess contact attempts, check calendars/schedules/statuses every time they want to see if someone is available. You need to manage your own boundaries, not expect everyone else to manage them for you.

It's a slippery slope. I'm against answering because it blurs a line. 'One occasional call' for DH crept in to be more calls at 6pm, then weekends. Eventually holidays. He'd get calls or emails, starting at 8am day one, from either the boss wanting him to do things, or other staff asking questions on how to do something, or external provider companies or clients (who didn't give a toss when he said he was on leave). Two years ago he ended up working the entire week because his boss & colleagues kept calling and/or emailing. So we both now have set working hours & refuse to answer any contact outside hours.

We now have laws that support employee right to disconnect, but really it just comes down to if I'm outside of paid hours, I'm not answering.

Probably not unreasonable to call and definitely not unreasonable not to answer.

I only work weekends but get calls throughout the week during the evenings (6pm tonight was the last time!) as customers can easily access my number so ring me as their first port of call. It does state weekends only but people try anyway. I feel a bit bad for not answering but I only earn 50p above minimum wage so not paid to deal with them.

YANBU. Obviously a lot depends on the type of job you do and level of responsibility, but in general colleagues shouldn't call you about non-urgent things outside of working hours.

The thing is, if your colleague had made a thread here asking if they were unreasonable to call you about something non-urgent outside of work hours, the thread would also be a resounding "YABU". Much of mumsnet loves a good opportunity to lay into a real life but anonymous person. They can't wait to tell someone they don't know just how wrong they are. Whether the person is actually wrong or not isn't of much consequence.

The public telephone system, both landline and mobile, allows you to place a call to any number, at any time, that's how it works.

The receiving subscriber has the option to turn off, switch to silent, switch to do not disturb, switch to night service or just not to answer.

That's how phones work, you didn't answer, which is perfectly appropriate.

It very much depends on what job you do and the flexibility required, how senior you are, how senior they are, and the urgency of the matter they are calling about. I'd answer a call from someone junior to me but would not call someone junior to me at that time.

It's fine for them to call on the off chance that you're still working.

Lots of people work flexible hours and not everyone finishes at 5. They're not necessarily staring at your online status! It's fine for them to just pick up the phone and see if you're there.

You are under no obligation to pick up or even have your phone switched on after work.

Unless there's aasssove drip feed coming, I can't imagine why you need to canvas opinions on MN.

The way phones work is that, if someone wants to speak to you, they call. If you want/are able/need to talk to them, you answer; if you don't, you don't.

Someone wanted to speak with you during their working hours so they called. You didn't want to answer outside of your working hours so you didn't answer.

It's really not a problem.

I don’t see the big drama, unless people are complaining about not answering you simply don’t pick up the phone. If someone emails me at 8am because that works for them I don’t care, I’ll just respond within my working hours, and I won’t even see that email until I’m online so why does it matter?

5.30pm is hardly the middle of the night, it’s a common time for people still to be working, unless they complained you didn’t pick up I really don’t understand the problem here.

You need a new hobby if this is the extent of your worries!

You received a work call at 5.30pm on a work day which you didn't answer and have now made a post about it. You've given this far more thought than the person who even called you.

It's not like they called you at 11pm demanding a 6.30am meeting!!

Get a grip!

I don't think it's inappropriate to ring someone at that time at all, but I realise some people wouldn't answer after they had finished their normal working hours. It's never worried me if people want to ring me in the evening or at weekends, and if I'm not busy then I'm happy to talk to colleagues until around 10pm. If it's not convenient to talk then I'll tell them so and speak the next morning.

So your work phone, on your desk, not even a mobile never mind a personal mobile, rang at 5:30 and you are outraged? You really really need to toughen up.

And your comment, "they could see I'm not online"? Do people really check this sort of thing even if they can? if I want to call someone, I just dial their number. You could be at your desk but your screen has gone to sleep because you're talking to a colleague or working on something with a pen and paper.

Was this a work phone or teams call? or was it to your personal mobile?
if it's the former then it's really not an issue!

I think it’s fine to call/
email outside of work hours but it’s not fine to expect people to answer or respond outside of work hours x

I had a coworker at another location who knew damn well that our location closed at four. He'd phone the office after four. I didn't pick up, BECAUSE I WAS NOT THERE and then he'd send an email to me cc my boss saying that he called repeatedly but noone answered.

So in essence he indicated that I had skulked. Luckily he also did it one day when my boss had been there until four, so my boss knew he was full of it.

Some of my colleagues had my private phone number. I always told them it was ok to give it to most coworkers but not to the twat, and they had to tell people that if they shared my number. Turns out he had also been a twat to some of them and they understood completely.

It's fine for them to phone. Even if you are not online. Loads of people are busy, will forget to check, and people can be offline for multiple reasons. I would never think to check if someone was online before calling. I would expect them either not to answer or for their work phone to be switched off if they were busy or it was outside of their working hours.

A message saying "I'm here until 6" means just that. I am about until 6 if you are able to call me back. It's not requiring you to call them outside your working hours.

I'm not sure why the sound of a phone ringing bothers you so much. It's not compulsory to answer a phone. If it really bothers you I'd suggest you get into the habit of switching off as your first stopping work activity.