Use of own mobile/laptop for work?

[MandaraSugar]

I’ve recently started a new job, small team of 10 and office based but opportunities to work from home.

In the office we have a PC each, there are however no desk phones and if we want to make work calls we are expected to use our own mobiles. It’s fair to say most people have a contract with unlimited minutes these days (myself included) but nevertheless it just feels…odd. Nothing was said when I started along the lines of ‘we don’t have desk phones, it’s email/Skype only’ I’ve just slowly realised this! Another gripe of is I don’t want people I call thinking my personal mobile is a work number, for obvious reasons.

On top of this, everyone uses their own personal laptop (mostly Macbook Pros) for work. As everyone’s role involves lots of regional and international travel we’re expected to work whilst in transit – which is fair enough – however I am not the proud owner of a lightweight laptop. Mine is fairly old, heavy and 7 years old. I could work from home on it (have no need to though) but it needs to be permanently on charge (you know the type!).

Has anyone else worked anywhere like this? At no point in the application or recruitment process was it asked if I’d be happy to use my own phone and/or laptop. It’s only a 9 month contract in the first instance so I’m not going to outlay my own £ on a laptop if I end up in a new job in 6 months’ time that I won’t use it for at all.

Am I stuck in the stone age? Do all professionals have a shiny Mac these days that they’re happy to use personally and for work? I’m too embarrassed to raise it with a line manager as I already feel like I look less professional than the others sans Macbook Pro and I may only be there for another 6 months.

No, this is weird.

If you are expected to take a computer places, they should give you a computer that can be taken places.

By not giving you a laptop they are IMO implying that your job can be done entirely from your desk. Can it?

I wouldn’t want to use my personal phone for work use nor my laptop. Who would pay if it gets damaged or stolen?

No. You should be able to switch off from work.

I have a lap top and a work mobile, I wouldn't be happy giving out my personal number either.

We'd be risking a disciplinary for using non-work devices on the company network.

Thanks all, there's no 'encryption' issues - like most other places i've worked - or at least nobody has mentioned this. I was never really given a proper induction, I spent the first half of my first day with my line manager but no 'housekeeping' (for want of better term) rules were brought up . I know I should really just email/ask 'what if I'm not happy/able to use own laptop? What happens then?' - I guess I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb in comparison to everyone else...off to give myself a kick and remind myself i'm a grown woman and not to be embarrassed!

My work have a small supply company laptops you can book and take home, would this be option? Or suggesting they invest in a couple - say your productivity is effected by not having the correct equipment. What would happen if you didn’t have a laptop at all?

I wouldn’t be happy about the phone thing either, I don’t even give my mobile number to colleagues as I don’t want to be contacted out of work hours. (Obviously HR have my number for emergencies).

DH had to use his mobile for work, he started to expense the cost of calls, he quickly got a work phone after that.

Some companies do have a BYOD policy. Normally if you need a new laptop the company would give you a £200 gift card at pc world or something. Then you can contribute as much of you own money as you like.

As everyone’s role involves lots of regional and international travel we’re expected to work whilst in transit - which is fair enough

It isn't "fair enough" for an employer to massively enburden employees with the expense of computer equipment, no phone and to top it all, expect them to work all the hours God gave.

Thankfully it's a short contract, so I'd look for something else, please don't think this is commonplace with companies that value their employees - don't accept that treatment, a good employer will give employees the equipment to do the job and don't put upon them.

I travel a lot. Anyone in my org who is not entirely office-based gets a work laptop and mobile. We can bring our own phone, and you get some compensation, but then you have to hand over rights so they can kill it remotely if it's lost or stolen. Very few people take this option because of the annoyance of work calls coming in at night etc.

At a previous org, we had desktops, if you needed to travel there was a pool of lightweight laptops and mobiles.

DH works in the corporate world and gets phone and laptop too. I've never heard of anywhere with the arrangement that you use your own.

Are you sure they won't supply you with a laptop and phone? It is possible they haven't asked IT to give you them and no-one has noticed.

Not techy enough to answer this but how are theyensuring the company is protected from viruses etc and that everyone is using the latest, safest software?

I was a carer so not sure if it's somehow different, but we were expected to use our own phones. Everything was done on them; calling SU's or their families, calling GPs, social workers, DN's.
Was okay until you were off shift & got a phone call from an SU with some trivial question 🙄

How on earth are they going to expect you to comply with data protection (soon becoming GDPR) laws?
It sounds to me like they're leaving themselves wide open.

I use my own laptop for work after my company one broke down about 5 years ago and was never replaced. I don't travel with mine though although my colleague does with hers.

Very interesting points that have been brought up regarding data protection, insurance etc and I will look into it.

The company has installed a very stringent anti-virus on my computer that records websites visited. I'm not really happy about this tracking our family use on a personal computer outside of work hours but haven't worked out how to approach this yet.

Sorry OP no advice but just wanted to share my similar experience.

I would expect to have a work phone if I have to make work calls.

But in the past I've had a job where I worked from a desktop in the office and used my own computer to log on from home, and I am about to switch jobs to a similar set-up. You log on remotely via a VPN or similar, so there are no data protection issues.

In my current role I am given a laptop and we use it to make calls too, we don't have desk phones. Until recently I had a brick but I have recently been upgraded to a small tablet-size laptop, it's lovely and I wish I could keep it when I move on.

Tell them that your insurance and license terms of the software you have on it are not for commercial use, so they will need to provide a work laptop if they need you work on a laptop if they want you to work out of the office.

And/or that you only have a desktop at home.

And/or that the computer is a family one that is used and needed by all the family for homework/keeping in contact with others/partner's work from home/etc so you can't take it away from home.

I would hate having to use personal equipment for work.

Once a boss gave my personal number to a client and it was a real shock to get a work call on it. Especially as I wasn't at work and didn't have the info available to give him nor was I going to go into the office to get it as I was on holiday (albeit not away). Which was why he had been given my number - I wasn't there to help him so the manager (albeit not involved in the project and not my direct manager) had dug my home number out so I got hassled on leave rather than get the hassle himself. . Seriously uninpresssed and have him an earful on my return!

Be brave, take a deep breath and ask them - or at least do that next time they ask you to go away for work!