Phone ringing during lunch break!

Funky_Bold_Ribena

There's nothing quite so attractive to a client than having the phone answered by someone with a mouthful of food.

'Nom nom can I nom nom help you? Gulp'.

My recommendation would be to advise the employer to make sure the phones are covered during lunch hour. It's a poor employer who doesn't understand this to be honest.

stinktankcynic

Don't sit at your desk, sit in your car, go for a walk instead. Don't the firm have a kitchen or canteen? Do you have an answer phone? I sometimes pick up the phone, sometimes I do not. Each to his own I guess.

stinktankcynic

skintandscared wrote: »

A work phone should NEVER go unanswered. During normal working hours, how many of you are at the same level and responsible for answering the phones? I would set up a rota of all those people, so everyone has one day where they are the one who answers the phone during the designated lunch half-hour, and they take THEIR half-hour break either before or after everyone else, thus getting their own quiet half-hour. We get an unpaid hour for lunch and that is what our larger departments do.

I, personally, very rarely go out for lunch and eat mine at my desk as we are a very small department and I'm often there on my own. I would never not answer the phone.

Half the time you cannot get through to some organisations within normal working hours without a long wait, a wait that often costs you time and money.

stinktankcynic

AP007 wrote: »

No company I have ever worked for has paid over time or ever allowed TOIL of anything.

If you work your lunch break due to no cover some companies do not care.

Your experiences are not reflective of all organisations. Talk to your employers about your concerns, if you don't ask you don't get.

persa

AP007 wrote: »

No company I have ever worked for has paid over time or ever allowed TOIL of anything.

If you work your lunch break due to no cover some companies do not care.

I don't really consider it TOIL if it's the same day!

Paid overtime I think is unusual in salaried positions. I can only think of a handful of companies in my line of work who offer it - and they are really small ones.

Savvy_Sue

skintandscared wrote: »

A work phone should NEVER go unanswered.

At the very least, there should be an answerphone message. Ours states what our normal hours are, and apologises for not always being able to get to the phone. You can then leave a message.

Even when I worked for a company which had a dedicated switchboard operator and an automatic transfer system to a team of 6 for the times the operator was engaged, the answerphone still kicked in sometimes - only two team members at their desks over lunchtime, a couple of complicated enquiries, it's better than nothing!

AP007

persa wrote: »

I don't really consider it TOIL if it's the same day!

Paid overtime I think is unusual in salaried positions. I can only think of a handful of companies in my line of work who offer it - and they are really small ones.

I meant if you are working part of your Unpaid lunch every day it soon mounts up.

ironlady2022

Personally I don't mind answering phones during my lunch break and do it without thinking. We have a canteen so if I am having a quieter day then I sit in there but even so I get back to my desk with about 15mins to spare.

I think if people love their job they aren't sat counting time about unpaid lunch breaks and doing unpaid OTT. It's quite the norm in this day and age. I easily clock up 3-4 hours OTT per week (we have a clock in system) and I'm not sat counting the mins cos I'm so busy all the time and because I want to do my best.

My suggestion is your either like it or lump it.

MothballsWallet

skintandscared wrote: »

A work phone should NEVER go unanswered.

So, when you go to the loo, you should take the work phone with you?

That's really unhygienic...

Jules2012

Voicemail picks up my calls at lunch although rarely to I sit at my desk at lunch.

Your Manager should organise his staff lunchtime better