WhatsApp groups for work (red flag)
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Just curious how many people here have WhatsApp groups for work? And I’m not talking about casual or social topics on those groups.
Ive been in companies where colleagues set up a WhatsApp group similar to our in-office clique.
Ive also been in companies where managers set up these groups and use it as an alternative to Teams or Slack or email.
Honestly my WhatsApp is my personal line, and I don’t want to receive messages after office hours, or be checking my phone to see if any important instructions came on in the day. I want to set a clear demarcation between work life and personal life.
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How is it for you guys, and how do y’all feel about the practice?
Here are what netizens think
- Yes. Practically all my msging accts are also used for work. Social media accts as well. At work we also use Slack and Zoom and the GSuite stuff.
My WhatsApp has >10 active work group chats for our staff in different depts/events/parts of the world. Technology has ruined us. - Hahaha my whatsapp has been completely taken over by work.
WhatsApp = Work, Telegram = Personal - Nothing wrong with muting them after office hours.
In my previous line of work, we have an app to clock in and out of work, and if we did any OT we would receive OT pay. My manager liked to ping people after work to do stuff, and most people did it without clocking in because it took ten minutes at most to complete. However, I was new, and I didn’t understand most things.
Cue malicious compliance.
I clocked in, did the work, clocked out. This went on almost daily for a whole month. HR called me in and wanted me to explain why I had multiple clock in instances after work hours. I showed them all the messages from my manager, and I told them that I expected to be compensated for it.
Manager made a huge hoo-ha, said how other people didn’t clock in for OT if it’s simple stuff blah blah blah. I said that this was officially after office hours, and any work done outside of office hours was entitled to OT pay as stated in my contract.
Manager had a major shouting fight with HR, she proceeded to have a mental breakdown (I think), I got my OT pay, and ever since then I’ve learnt to ignore everything that happens outside of office hours unless I’m getting compensated for it.