Working with someone who, no exaggeration, clears her throat every 30 seconds. Sometimes more. 
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duck that, they just shouldn't have your personal number. I wouldn't be able to relax knowing somebody might try to get hold of me at any time about work. I have a work mobile for that, and it's off when it doesn't absolutely have to be.
At least, your company at least provides work mobiles. Ours doesn't and now I'm expected to provide my personal number. Absolutely not. If we had a work mobile, sure but me giving out my personal number to people like that, not happening.
That's so unfair and unreasonable of them.
My work don't provide phones and all the teams have WhatsApp groups.
Some of the teams are very sociable and message a lot as they are all "friends" my team message about once a fortnight mainly just "my laptop is doing an update, I'll be online asap" or "my Internet just died" etc.
Thankfully none of my team want to be friends
@TheGlossy I'm with you 100% on that. There is absolutely no need for a work WhatsApp group. We have a right to disconnect and we are colleagues not friends or family. Hustle culture has got to stop. We have Teams, Zoom, Slack, other CRMs, constant team check ins, town halls, department updates so on so on. When I leave work or on my weekends / annual leave then colleagues do not exist in my world.
Exactly. There are far too many streams of communication at work without having to add WhatsApp on top of this.
The manager added they also need this group for notifications in case someone is sick. If someone is sick, they just have to text the manager, not the whole team. Then the manager can circulate the information once we're all logged in in the morning. It's a really weak excuse in my book.
The manager added they also need this group for notifications in case someone is sick. If someone is sick, they just have to text the manager, not the whole team. Then the manager can circulate the information once we're all logged in in the morning. It's a really weak excuse in my book.
I think you’re in another country, so this probably won’t apply, but in the UK, sickness records count as sensitive personal data under the DPA. It’s not appropriate for anybody but your manager to know why you’re off sick or even that you are. If somebody from my team calls in sick, I just let the others know that “Richard won’t be in today” or whatever. There’s no world in which it makes sense for you to have to let your whole team know that you’re off sick.
Also , since I’m ranting a bit anyway
, you just know that you’ll get loads of “Hi, I know you’re off sick, but I have a few questions about [ ] and urgently need an answer by 10.30, sorry!” messages under those circumstances. Sod that.
@TheGlossy could you raise GDPR concerns as you are not consenting to everyone in that WhatsApp group chatting having your personal mobile number?
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To be fair, in most companies I've worked in, managers just let the team know the person is ill and won't be coming in. As long as they don't disclose the actual illness and just keep it generic, it's fine. My issue is about having to let the whole team know when you're sick - it's not how it works. Then again, I work in a team where people tell each other's business out in the open and I refuse to be part of this.
That is what I plan on doing. If my manager forces this whole WhatsApp group on me, I'll highlight GDPR.
Thank you.
That is what I plan on doing. If my manager forces this whole WhatsApp group on me, I'll highlight GDPR.
As far as I know in Ireland employers can’t ask why you’re sick, people generally volunteer the information though. I would in my hole be sending a group message about being sick and then having to put up with the fake ‘omg if you need anything let me know’ messages. Go get stuffed.
Until and unless the requirement to report absence into a WhatsApp group is part of official policies and procedures they can shag off.
Thankfully we have legislation coming in about the right to disconnect which is going to prove very interesting for companies operating like this.
Until and unless the requirement to report absence into a WhatsApp group is part of official policies and procedures they can shag off.
Thankfully we have legislation coming in about the right to disconnect which is going to prove very interesting for companies operating like this.
That's what most of my jobs have been like. I don't mind, spend enough time at work and I think it's better to make friends with people you have to interact with so much. Well most of them at least.My work don't provide phones and all the teams have WhatsApp groups.
Some of the teams are very sociable and message a lot as they are all "friends" my team message about once a fortnight mainly just "my laptop is doing an update, I'll be online asap" or "my Internet just died" etc.
Thankfully none of my team want to be friends
No chance I'm answering any work related stuff out of hours though
Poor people management skills are much too common! My partner has had his fare share of nob head bosses. If I spoke to my pupils the way his bosses spoke to him they’d tell me to F off. Rightly so
I would quietly go about finding another job. This sounds like a classic bullying tactic but is hard to prove sadly. Life is too short to be unhappy day in and day out. Your poor friendThank you for the shiny new thread, @Hope96 !
I used to work in a place where meetings were banned on Fridays which, in essence, was quite a good idea as it gave everyone a decent chance to get stuff done ... but there were no exceptions for crisis meetings or anything of the sort, which was silly.
In the same place, our manager encouraged us to get up off our seats and go and talk to people - rather than emailing them - of course that's all fine and dandy in an ordinary world, but when you're dealing with people who'll say they'll do something only to later deny they ever agreed to it ... well, let's just say emails are handy to have in case evidence is needed!
A friend has just returned to her job from maternity leave and is having a hell of a time. Her workplace decided that they liked the contractor filling her role while she was off, better than her, so created a new position for this person that sits alongside my friend's role. The contractor makes little comments under her breath constantly while my friend is on the phone to people (they sit next to each other), and is holding back on giving my friend information during handover sessions (this other person denies that is happening). My friend has returned to work on reduced hours to start off with (leaving mid-afternoon everyday), which the contractor has been using to her advantage by "finishing off" things she says my friend failed to do (she's very vocal about that to all the right people), and organising team get-togethers (dinners, drinks, etc.), where she tells them all that my friend's head isn't in it. I've suggested my friend find another job STAT! My friend is well-liked and used to get on fabulously with everyone in the team, but when she went on maternity leave only a couple bothered to keep in contact, and have stayed friendly - everyone else has iced her out. These two said to her before she returned that they won't pick sides, which was the first time she sensed there was even any drama there! Hideous.
Yeh we all get on well enough and have a few in jokes etc.That's what most of my jobs have been like. I don't mind, spend enough time at work and I think it's better to make friends with people you have to interact with so much. Well most of them at least.
No chance I'm answering any work related stuff out of hours though
But the group chat is mainly kept to IT issues and birthday greetings lol
I'm in Ireland too.
This manager is out of their mind and clearly does not have a notion about HR protocol.
I told them I'm uncomfortable with WhatsApp, it's documented as it was a written conversation. They take it or leave it but I dare them to escalate to HR because I'll be having a good laugh then.
Can you just leave the chat?
Once joined everyone will have the number
I know, but I think you can decline being added to new conversations?
Did anyone ever come across a colleague who can't do enough for everyone, says all the right things, gets involved, smiles and is positive but you just don't trust them and their vibe seems off despite everyone else's seeming to rate them highly?
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