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Do you have to provide a personal mobile phone number if/when asked?
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Virtually impossible to give a clear answer without more details on your role/industry etc.
I would give my number but along with the caveat that you won’t be answering it outside of working hours0 -
I reiterate the opinion that if your company need you to be contactable by phone, they must provide you a phone, or a BYOD sim if agreeable. I would simply say that you do not agree for clients to have your personal phone number, or whatever, talk about safeguarding if necessary (shuts down most conversations).As an aside, if someone were using personal contact details and left the company they could easily take the clients with them to a competitor, which would be detrimental to your company.Decluttering awards 2025: 🏅🏅⭐️ ⭐️, DH: ⭐️ and one for Mum: 🏅0
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Of course you can refuse to give your personal mobile number. It's yours. They might need a contact number, just give them your landline. Whether there'll be adverse consequences, how are we supposed to know, any more than if you refuse to work overtime, refuse to opt out of the WTD etc, some dodgy employers will treat you adversely if you refuse to do stuff you don't have to.
But what's the big deal, I wouldn't have a problem, simply ignore calls/group chats you're not interested in until such time you are. I rarely answer my mobile when I'm at home whoever is calling, usually because it's in another room and I don't get to it before voicemail kicks inIf I want to return the call straight away I will, if not I won't and will do it when I'm ready. Same for group chats, I'm in loads of group chats (not work, just friends/family) but ignore them until such time I can be bothered to read them/reply. Same with email. I'm not sure why people think such things need an immediate response, I respond when I'm ready.
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zagfles said:Of course you can refuse to give your personal mobile number. It's yours. They might need a contact number, just give them your landline. Whether there'll be adverse consequences, how are we supposed to know, any more than if you refuse to work overtime, refuse to opt out of the WTD etc, some dodgy employers will treat you adversely if you refuse to do stuff you don't have to.
But what's the big deal, I wouldn't have a problem, simply ignore calls/group chats you're not interested in until such time you are. I rarely answer my mobile when I'm at home whoever is calling, usually because it's in another room and I don't get to it before voicemail kicks inIf I want to return the call straight away I will, if not I won't and will do it when I'm ready. Same for group chats, I'm in loads of group chats (not work, just friends/family) but ignore them until such time I can be bothered to read them/reply. Same with email. I'm not sure why people think such things need an immediate response, I respond when I'm ready.
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As others have said, just don’t answer the phone out of hours you are not working or being paid. If it’s something genuinely urgent the caller can leave a message.
Maybe have a different ringtone for work and another for family.0 -
Is it the hill you want to die on?Union official.
CiPD qualified.
Anything I post is solely MY OPINION. It never constitutes legal, financial or collective bargaining advice. I may tell you based on information given how I might approach an employment dispute case, but you should always seek advice from your own Union representative. If you don't have one, get one!2 -
Emmia said:B0bbyEwing said:Emmia said:B0bbyEwing said:Now for the pedantic reading this, yes I'm aware you don't technically 'have' to do anything at work, you can say no to absolutely anything & everything, but then you wouldn't last very long & I think you know what I mean with the thread title.
It also wouldn't surprise me if you have to give some form of phone contact as part of your employment. I haven't paid too much attention to that - because I've actually supplied this without any grumble. They have my home phone and my OH's number for emergencies.
I'm asking this because I currently have a works mobile phone but I'm expecting that to change in the near future (I suspect they'll soon as for it back). This will leave me as uncontactable 'on the spot'.
I should point out that it isn't a requirement as per my contract to be contactable on the spot.
I imagine they'll then ask for my personal mobile number (this isn't just a random feeling by the way, there's good reason for me to suspect this) which I don't wish to give out.
Why? I just don't want to be contactable on the spot. In my eyes if they want to reach me they can contact the department manager who's always within reach of all of us in the department and contact me that way. When I'm outside of work then I don't want to be reminded of work. I don't want work chat groups pinging away (yes I know you can mute them but I also don't want the faff of muting, unmuting, muting again) or being called when I'm off (there is no 'on call' so i wouldn't be avoiding that. The contract doesn't mention they can call you in on days off). When I'm off work I just want to forget work, not have it in my hand/pocket throughout the day.
And like I said, they would have means of contacting me at work (via manager) and at home (via home phone) so it's not as though I'd be blocking that off.
Just wondered if you can fairly say no to a personal number request?
When they wanted my email address I created one just for work purposes so nothing work related came to my main inbox. But that's free. I don't fancy going out & buying a cheap phone just to please work.
If you must have a second number, does your phone support dual SIMs? Get a cheap PAYG SIM or an Esim and give them that number, and set the ringtone/message alert to something distinctive you can ignore if you want.
Others in the dept just use their personal phones & are contacted that way.
Thats one I've had thrown at me in the past. Called in to sign something & when I start reading it I get questioned why I'm doing so because "nobody else did". I'm the bad guy because I'm different.
What's the situation with PAYG sims these days? Been many many many years since I've been on those. Can you just get a SIM, put no money on it & just have it in a phone & leave it as that - so you can be contacted but can't contact?
If so and if my phone supports it then that MAY be something I could do to save the aggro but my preference is still just a no.
As for the wrong number - that kind of thing would work like when someone asks you directions & you give them a bogus route and by the time they twig you're long gone never to be seen again.
Work would obviously twig on the first attempt & then if a second and third etc start throwing up issues then that's a quick way to cause a slanging match.
Edit: Smarty has a rolling 1 month contract SIM only for £6 - not masses of data, but unlimited calls and texts https://smarty.co.uk/all-plans#classic
Alternatively it might be easier to find a very cheap monthly contract (If you have a current contract, perhaps a second number on that?)
Edit:this sounds like a really toxic place to work, are you looking for something/somewhere else?
As for your final edit, I know I should but no I'm not really. Again that's a whole other discussion. I should probably talk to someone about it on a professional level but wouldn't know where to start. The issue there is 100% with me (struggle with change & levels of anxiety which I've been unable to tackle but like I said that's a completely different discussion).0 -
LightFlare said:zagfles said:Of course you can refuse to give your personal mobile number. It's yours. They might need a contact number, just give them your landline. Whether there'll be adverse consequences, how are we supposed to know, any more than if you refuse to work overtime, refuse to opt out of the WTD etc, some dodgy employers will treat you adversely if you refuse to do stuff you don't have to.
But what's the big deal, I wouldn't have a problem, simply ignore calls/group chats you're not interested in until such time you are. I rarely answer my mobile when I'm at home whoever is calling, usually because it's in another room and I don't get to it before voicemail kicks inIf I want to return the call straight away I will, if not I won't and will do it when I'm ready. Same for group chats, I'm in loads of group chats (not work, just friends/family) but ignore them until such time I can be bothered to read them/reply. Same with email. I'm not sure why people think such things need an immediate response, I respond when I'm ready.
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B0bbyEwing said:LightFlare said:zagfles said:Of course you can refuse to give your personal mobile number. It's yours. They might need a contact number, just give them your landline. Whether there'll be adverse consequences, how are we supposed to know, any more than if you refuse to work overtime, refuse to opt out of the WTD etc, some dodgy employers will treat you adversely if you refuse to do stuff you don't have to.
But what's the big deal, I wouldn't have a problem, simply ignore calls/group chats you're not interested in until such time you are. I rarely answer my mobile when I'm at home whoever is calling, usually because it's in another room and I don't get to it before voicemail kicks inIf I want to return the call straight away I will, if not I won't and will do it when I'm ready. Same for group chats, I'm in loads of group chats (not work, just friends/family) but ignore them until such time I can be bothered to read them/reply. Same with email. I'm not sure why people think such things need an immediate response, I respond when I'm ready.
Alternatively you could set those numbers to go automatically to voicemail (which might be less of a nuclear option)1 -
B0bbyEwing said:Emmia said:B0bbyEwing said:Now for the pedantic reading this, yes I'm aware you don't technically 'have' to do anything at work, you can say no to absolutely anything & everything, but then you wouldn't last very long & I think you know what I mean with the thread title.
It also wouldn't surprise me if you have to give some form of phone contact as part of your employment. I haven't paid too much attention to that - because I've actually supplied this without any grumble. They have my home phone and my OH's number for emergencies.
I'm asking this because I currently have a works mobile phone but I'm expecting that to change in the near future (I suspect they'll soon as for it back). This will leave me as uncontactable 'on the spot'.
I should point out that it isn't a requirement as per my contract to be contactable on the spot.
I imagine they'll then ask for my personal mobile number (this isn't just a random feeling by the way, there's good reason for me to suspect this) which I don't wish to give out.
Why? I just don't want to be contactable on the spot. In my eyes if they want to reach me they can contact the department manager who's always within reach of all of us in the department and contact me that way. When I'm outside of work then I don't want to be reminded of work. I don't want work chat groups pinging away (yes I know you can mute them but I also don't want the faff of muting, unmuting, muting again) or being called when I'm off (there is no 'on call' so i wouldn't be avoiding that. The contract doesn't mention they can call you in on days off). When I'm off work I just want to forget work, not have it in my hand/pocket throughout the day.
And like I said, they would have means of contacting me at work (via manager) and at home (via home phone) so it's not as though I'd be blocking that off.
Just wondered if you can fairly say no to a personal number request?
When they wanted my email address I created one just for work purposes so nothing work related came to my main inbox. But that's free. I don't fancy going out & buying a cheap phone just to please work.
If you must have a second number, does your phone support dual SIMs? Get a cheap PAYG SIM or an Esim and give them that number, and set the ringtone/message alert to something distinctive you can ignore if you want.
Others in the dept just use their personal phones & are contacted that way.
Thats one I've had thrown at me in the past. Called in to sign something & when I start reading it I get questioned why I'm doing so because "nobody else did". I'm the bad guy because I'm different.
What's the situation with PAYG sims these days? Been many many many years since I've been on those. Can you just get a SIM, put no money on it & just have it in a phone & leave it as that - so you can be contacted but can't contact?
If so and if my phone supports it then that MAY be something I could do to save the aggro but my preference is still just a no.
As for the wrong number - that kind of thing would work like when someone asks you directions & you give them a bogus route and by the time they twig you're long gone never to be seen again.
Work would obviously twig on the first attempt & then if a second and third etc start throwing up issues then that's a quick way to cause a slanging match.
Many options to get second SIMS either PAYG, will depend on your utilisation rate, or small monthly fixed fee. Not sure about incoming calls if you have no credit but if you are asked to call work back you need to stay on the same number that you have "instructed" them to use.
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