to think that my mobile phone should be on at work?

[BarkisIsWilling]

Briefly, I am the first point of contact in my family should any emergency arise at my children's school. The school has my mobile number on which to contact me.

I work in an open plan office, and have my mobile phone on silent from when I step in. I do not work in a customer-facing environment, and have chosen my place of employment (in the public sector) based on its proximity to my children.

In the past 3 weeks, I've been phoned by school to inform me that my children have either sustained injuries, been in a coach crash, or need to be picked up from school due to ill health. These I take at my desk.

I have also received phone calls from my landlords about repairs that need to be carried out to my home, and from the people meant to come carry these out. These I would normally get up from my desk, move to a quiet area and respond to. If family members call, I simply disconnect without answering.

Some days my phone doesn't vibrate even once , but other days it may vibrate up to 4 times (at most).

At a recent discussion, my manager said that it has been noticed that m phone buzzes too much, and I should bring my calls down to zero to minimal. I explained my responsibilities and the fact that while I may make calls to say, my landlords in my lunch hour or breaks, I cannot control when I receive calls. Some calls must be answered as I will not be able to contact these people out of working hours.

We do not have a mobile phone use policy beyond some vagueness about respecting others and using our phones courteously.

I cannot give out my office number, as you need to log in to use it, and I am not always at my desk. Also, I am not aware of others doing so.

AIBU?

Is there some way you can put it in your pocket/down your bra/ somewhere on your person (no not THERE! ) so that you know its vibrating but it doesn't sound as such? A vibration on a desk is very noisy.

Having said that I think they ABU and I hate this kind of ridiculous office politics - sometimes some people get away with murder whilst others do something once and are suddenly the subject of a big pointy finger. Gives me the shits.

YANBU

If people can't contact you on the landline then YANBU for keeping your mobile on. Personally it doesn't worry me if people have phones on vibrate.

Mine is on as every so often the dc's are sick at nursery and I have to pick them up.

I wonder if your manager is the first point of call for family emergencies / domestic chaos

I would just keep on as you are
but while calls re children are essential and urgent calls from landlords etc not really on
could your dh take up some of the responsibility or are you a lone parent?

I completely understand your need to be called for your kids (prioritised over any job!!), and people working on your home needing to call you whilst on the job... just one of those things, and the landlord calling will only be for a short time. Why a boss wouldn't allow this is beyond me.

I used to work in an office just like this (publishing) and it drove me to distraction... especially when there are different rules for different folk...

I'm not a lone parent and the responsibility is quite well distributed, compo. The thing is, I work and live in London zone 3, a single bus ride away from my children. My dh works in zone 1, and does the school run every morning before going to work.

When I first started at this location, he stayed at home when the kids were ill, but now I've been there 4 months plus, I have to start pulling my weight too. Even now, he takes off the time from work to be in for workmen. I make the arrangements, though, as most of us do, I suspect.

Sloanypony, I did try the phone in bra thing, but a colleague gave me a cancer warning. Put me right off.

Tell your boss he's BU and leave if he won't back off.

Ok, so your boss said the arrangement with the mobile wasn't acceptable - what alternative did s/he suggest? (I bet nothing)

YANBU

meglet, schulte, boss is a single woman (with boyfriend, assorted nephews and nieces). She had the nerve to say "Well Colleague X has children too (secondary school age & both past yr 9), and he doesn't get calls the way you do".
Without thinking I came back with "He does have a wife!"

jennipenni " especially when there are different rules for different folk... " Exactlty so!

keep your phone in your pocket.

i have a colleague whose phone vibrates annoyingly on her desk.. much more discreet if you keep it in your pocket as then 'silent' really is silent.

Oh god, female bosses are the worst ones. Especially the ones with children. 'I went back full time 4 weeks after having my first baby, why won't you do that?'

on your behalf.

Divert your mobile to your work number?

YABU. It is irritating when you are in the middle of something which requires concentration and the person next to you has her phone going off at regular intervals - you could just put a message/status on phone to say you are busy and that you will call in your lunchhour and anything extremely urgent ie like school, give them your landline anyhow. I'd be the boss from hell wouldn't I?

Mrspickles, I will keep my phone off my desk surface as much as I can. The buzzing could indeed be a (minor) source of irritation.

maxpower, none whatsoever.

Can you not turn the vibrating alarm off? If the phone is in front of you, you'll notice when it goes off as the display will start flashing. That's what mine does anyway.

You must work in a very quiet office. In mine there is so much shouting all day that nobody would even notice my mobile ringing.

skymoo, my phone doesn't buzz at regular intervals. I do keep it in my pocket if wearing clothes with pockets, fluffles .

I used to leave it in my bag and check it, but since the school called to tell me my son was injured and could not speak to me, I keep it within sight.

Diverting to landline - and being forced to look unprofessional by taking non work related calls at my desk - is not really an idea that works for me.

Shulte, thanks for that suggestion. I'll try it and see how it works for me. Not trying to make excuses, but as I am visually impaired, I do like an auditory signal as I don't always things.

But I will try that. And yes, our office is as quiet as yours doesn't seem to be.

put phone in a box of tissues on desk, will deaden the worst of the noise.

I still think it is very distracting when other staff take personal calls in the office, regardless of whether the phone buzzes or not. Perhaps I am one of the minority who is irritated by this sort of thing.

Having said all that, I have mine on (silent) just in case of emergency and would take a call if it was something urgent. Can't you ask your landlord to email you?

I'm afraid I can't see how taking a couple of personal calls can be seen as unprofessional when having a buzzing mobile and going off to hide behind the coke machine to ring them back is not

Crispy see skymoo's point about personal calls being distracting.

I don't go behind the coke machine, I prefer the breakout area.

I think you'd be far better diverting to landline and taking odd calls at your desk rather than disappearing with your mobile.

Does your work not have a reception. If its that important they'll make sure you get the message.