Unreasonable expectations, or am I unreasonable?

LegacyUser

Hi, hoping someone can help with this, and apologies in advance if it seems really petty!

My issue is, my job are driving me nuts with texts!

I have no issue with receiving texts during working hours, or even outside of them on days when I've been working.

But they constantly text. I have three bosses, and on about 90% of my days off, i receive a minimum of one text, and another if i happen to not see my phone to reply. The texts can happen anytime between 9am and midnight, and regularly wake me up.

I get regular calls too, asking me to go work (on my day off) in a location 40 minutes from my place of work.

It's getting extremely irritating that I'm getting messges almost every day that I'm off. I'm on minimum wage, it's not like I'm getting a decent enough wage to justify it. Today alone, I've had 3 messages. Some of the messages explicitly state that the want a swift response.

Is it normal to have to answer calls and texts every day you have a day off?? My oh is getting very annoyed because these messages are waking us while we're in bed (leaving my phone on silent is not an option, due to other, unrelated reasons).

Is it normal to be texted and have them insist on a reply so frequently? Surely if they're insisting i answer work related calls/texts during my free time, i should be just as easily be able to ignore them since I'm hardly paid for my time off.

I know you may say to get a new phone, but I don't see why I should be shelling out for two phone bills each month, for the luxury of turning one off on my days off

blindsider

Plead ignorance.

"Didn't see your text." (DON'T apologise though!You're not doing anything wrong.) They should soon get fed up texting an un-responsive number. (You could also say that you don't really use that number much - esp. on days off.)

If it persists, ask them nicely to stop texting you - explain that your g/f works shifts and it's disturbing her.

As a matter of interest, why are they texting you? Is it sth. you haven't done/completed, or are they just being inconsiderate?

LegacyUser

Hi, and thanks for your reply.

I do ignore some of the texts, but they are sent again, or sent through a texting app so that they can see when I view them.

I wasn't sure if I was within my rights to ask them to stop texting me on my days off.

The texts are never related to something I'm doing wring. They're usually 'pep talk' type of texts, sent to everyone.

More often than not, though, I'll get a text at 8am, asking me to go to a place 40 minutes from my own workplace, and work there from 9am.

Once, they asked me with 30 minutes notice to work on my day off

I had a hospital appointment, and said that I could not work because of it, and was told that was fine.

A few minutes later, another boss texted me asking how long I'd be in the hospital.

It's generally 'please do X, Y and Z' texts. It's things that would be outside the realm of my day to day work, so I don't mind being asked to do them, but it's constant texts on my day off.

Even when I was on holidays last year, i came home to 7 texts. On another holiday this year, i received 3.

Am I within my rights to ignore texts until I'm actually on duty and being paid?

InReality

Are you being paid to be "on call" ?
What are they calling you for in the middle of the night if your not ?

It sounds out of order to me and not normal at all.

bee06

This is absolutely not normal unless you are on call. I have a job where I have sole responsibility for what I do. I would be furious if I was texted by my manager on my day off. If they can't manage without you in your days off then they are rubbish managers.

beauf

Why give then your number in the first place if you don't want then ringing it.

Ask them to stop texting you?

If its not agreed before hand I wouldn't be answering their texts.

Mrs OBumble

Get a 2nd phone, on prepay. Tell work you've changed your number. Turn it off on non work days.

This is mad for a minimum wage job.

ivytwine

Fair enough they may ring you to do a shift if they are badly stuck.

But only if they are badly stuck, and they ring you, and once in a blue moon.

This is not on at all, the hospital thing especially is very unfair.

I think you may need to start ignoring the phone, or tell your manager that you don't mind helping out once in a while, but this level of contact is unacceptable. As you said, it's a min wage job; I'm sure they could muddle through without you for one day out of seven!

Bepolite

There have been cases where this has gone to court and looked upon very unfavourably. Raise a grievance if the informal route doesn't work.

Frankly though I'm with Mrs O'Bumble, get another phone for work and switch it off on days off.

SteelyDanJalapeno

Yep, get a 20 euro phone a free sim card and be done with it, keep it on during working hours only and give them the new number

kenon

They will just ring the old number when they can't get through to the new number.

ianobrien

OP, I'd be with Mrs O'Bumble in getting a new prepay number. The thing is that I'd tell them that you've changed your number as you were getting a lot of crank calls and the matter is being dealt with by the authorities. You're letting them know as a matter of courtesy. This isn't technically a lie as I haven't defined what the authorities are, or what the crank calls are either.

Just don't produce the two phones at work......

(Or, an After Hours approach, when they ring again, run into the bathroom, turn on speakerphone and flush the toilet. It may cost some self-respect though.)

beauf

Well if you don't want them to ring don't give them your number.

Now that you have, nothing it going to stop them ringing it. Unless they don't get a response from it. Many phones allow you to block a specific number or redirect it to another number.

P_1

Get a 2nd phone and number, tell the bosses this is your new number. Only have this phone on during working hours. Divert any incoming calls from the bosses numbers that come through to your original number to the new number.

Alternatively change your number