Why do people think it's okay to call/text late?
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Second phone is a royal pain. Got a personal one and one supplied by work that I have to carry at all times except on vacation. At this point I would love to go back to a land line and ditch the cells
Me too... life was simpler when the company issues pagers... cell phone is like a 24/7 leash.
OP
LD1
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Didnt realize this would turn into a debate about being on-call.
No, I am not salaried. But when you work a skilled trade job.....at a facility that runs 24/7.....sometimes things come up and they need assistance. Our department is a pretty tight group of guys. If the previous shift was fighting an issue all day long.....and the next shift experiences the same issue....its not uncommon to call or text to see what they did. Or if you think one of the other guys that isnt working can answer a question to a issue you are stumped on...
Would I get fired if I turned my phone off.....no. But thats not how we do it. And yes, we all have stake in the company....with conpany stocks and pretty good profit sharing.
But my day job is only part of the issue. I have rentals. If a water line or something similar busts at 2 am.....I'd rather get the call or text ASAP rather than have my phone off and wait to find out about it in the morning.
No, I am not salaried. But when you work a skilled trade job.....at a facility that runs 24/7.....sometimes things come up and they need assistance. Our department is a pretty tight group of guys. If the previous shift was fighting an issue all day long.....and the next shift experiences the same issue....its not uncommon to call or text to see what they did. Or if you think one of the other guys that isnt working can answer a question to a issue you are stumped on...
Would I get fired if I turned my phone off.....no. But thats not how we do it. And yes, we all have stake in the company....with conpany stocks and pretty good profit sharing.
But my day job is only part of the issue. I have rentals. If a water line or something similar busts at 2 am.....I'd rather get the call or text ASAP rather than have my phone off and wait to find out about it in the morning.
TheMan419
Veteran Member
Sounds like you need a second line......
Also for those saying they need to carry two phones to do that, not so. Get a google voice number. You can forward that to your cell if you want. People can even text it. There are apps for your phone to make your return call show the google number on caller id.
This is really an easy problem to solve. Sorry OP, but it seems to me you just want to *****, which is fine.
However we are all offering reasonable solutions....
Also for those saying they need to carry two phones to do that, not so. Get a google voice number. You can forward that to your cell if you want. People can even text it. There are apps for your phone to make your return call show the google number on caller id.
This is really an easy problem to solve. Sorry OP, but it seems to me you just want to *****, which is fine.
However we are all offering reasonable solutions....
Industrial Toys
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I know it's a little off topic, but related to phones and getting calls.
Being on Salary is one of the biggest (Employer) scams going. You can work an extra half hour every day, but it's ok if you take a couple of hours to go to the dentist in a calendar year. If it's longer then that, well then, the work awaits you upon your return. Actually, few people realize, that here in Ontario, Salaried people are entitled to overtime.
A friend of mine is a real company man and gets calls after work all the time. His employers are rich, rich, rich. One day, he'll probably just be informed that the company has been sold.
If it was me, I would probably just drink heavily after work and start giving really bad advice or bad answers. Hey, it's my time.
But then, while an employee, I was known to go on one man strikes.
There are no victims, just volunteers.
Actually, I am usually as helpful as I can be to most people and will go far out of my way to help. If that however, is expected, I get ugly really quickly.
Being on Salary is one of the biggest (Employer) scams going. You can work an extra half hour every day, but it's ok if you take a couple of hours to go to the dentist in a calendar year. If it's longer then that, well then, the work awaits you upon your return. Actually, few people realize, that here in Ontario, Salaried people are entitled to overtime.
A friend of mine is a real company man and gets calls after work all the time. His employers are rich, rich, rich. One day, he'll probably just be informed that the company has been sold.
If it was me, I would probably just drink heavily after work and start giving really bad advice or bad answers. Hey, it's my time.
But then, while an employee, I was known to go on one man strikes.
There are no victims, just volunteers.
Actually, I am usually as helpful as I can be to most people and will go far out of my way to help. If that however, is expected, I get ugly really quickly.
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An off-topic/on-topic question for those of you that state you are on-call 24/7/365: what happens if you can't be reached? What will the company do if you become incapacitated by any manner of things? Will things simply stop and the company is soon to be out of business?
I only ask because I work for a manufacturing facility that generally runs 24/7. We are usually only down for major holidays (4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas) and even then we typically have contractors or maintenance work going on. We, of course, have people "on-call" but make every effort to not call them unless absolutely necessary. This is because it was discovered very early that there is no way that you can have any one person responsible for something all the time, because sooner or later, that person will be unavailable. Of course there are people that are better at some things than others, but we always make every effort to have multiple people available to cover different departments. We have had people that were of the opinion that after they left, the company would struggle. So far, none of those prognostications have come to fruition, and in some cases, the department has run better upon the departure of the person that we couldn't do without.
We have some people here that are leashed by the cell phones because they are set to receive work email on them and they get "dings" at all times of day, everyday.
We have folks that arrive early and stay late, come in on weekends, etc.
We also have people that show up, do their job, and go home.
I have not a squabble with either party. What I have observed, through many years of experience, that someone's dedication to the company is by no means a guarantee of continued employment or preferential treatment. About 6 years ago, a large portion of our office staff was relocated to another city, and they were told they were free to move there and continue employment (it was about 200 miles away). A couple of people did, but most did not. Many of them felt betrayed because they were "come early/stay late/always on call" people.
There is very little loyalty in today's business world. I feel I am compensated fairly for the time that I provide to my employer, but work stays at work.
To each their own, and I respect that.
Good luck and take care.
I only ask because I work for a manufacturing facility that generally runs 24/7. We are usually only down for major holidays (4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas) and even then we typically have contractors or maintenance work going on. We, of course, have people "on-call" but make every effort to not call them unless absolutely necessary. This is because it was discovered very early that there is no way that you can have any one person responsible for something all the time, because sooner or later, that person will be unavailable. Of course there are people that are better at some things than others, but we always make every effort to have multiple people available to cover different departments. We have had people that were of the opinion that after they left, the company would struggle. So far, none of those prognostications have come to fruition, and in some cases, the department has run better upon the departure of the person that we couldn't do without.
We have some people here that are leashed by the cell phones because they are set to receive work email on them and they get "dings" at all times of day, everyday.
We have folks that arrive early and stay late, come in on weekends, etc.
We also have people that show up, do their job, and go home.
I have not a squabble with either party. What I have observed, through many years of experience, that someone's dedication to the company is by no means a guarantee of continued employment or preferential treatment. About 6 years ago, a large portion of our office staff was relocated to another city, and they were told they were free to move there and continue employment (it was about 200 miles away). A couple of people did, but most did not. Many of them felt betrayed because they were "come early/stay late/always on call" people.
There is very little loyalty in today's business world. I feel I am compensated fairly for the time that I provide to my employer, but work stays at work.
To each their own, and I respect that.
Good luck and take care.
/pine
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It's happened before...what will the people that just can't be without their phones do??
A massive solar storm could wipe out almost all of our modern technology and we'd have just hours to prepare - Yahoo Finance
BTW...this is one reason the US military is going to redundant/back up inertial navigation and guidance systems...
A massive solar storm could wipe out almost all of our modern technology and we'd have just hours to prepare - Yahoo Finance
BTW...this is one reason the US military is going to redundant/back up inertial navigation and guidance systems...
OP
LD1
Epic Contributor
I just cannot believe how this thread has turned into a thread about being on call. And the merits and downsides as a result. TBN surprises me everyday.
Am I gonna snub a co-worker and not answer his call or text for help at 2am.....no. Not If I hear the call/text come in.
Am I gonna call/text a co-worker at 2am if I need help...not until all other resources are exhausted and I am truly at a dead end.
Those that hate your job so much and have a F-the company mentality.....more power to you. I am glad I dont work with you or for you. Do I absolutely love my job and will do anything for them....no. But I make the best out of it that I can. Am I gonna pi$$ and moan because I should be paid for .00001 hours of pay because a co-worker text me off hours to ask a question that took 15 seconds of my time.....no. If I can help, I will. Do I "have to".....no. But its give and take. IF I cannot figure something out, I like to be able to call someone and know that a co-worker "has my back" rather than leave me hang out to dry and look like and idiot because I cannot figure something out.
Those who have never worked an hourly job in a skilled trade position have no clue what I am talking about....even if they pretend to on the internet. But its just how things work.
Am I gonna snub a co-worker and not answer his call or text for help at 2am.....no. Not If I hear the call/text come in.
Am I gonna call/text a co-worker at 2am if I need help...not until all other resources are exhausted and I am truly at a dead end.
Those that hate your job so much and have a F-the company mentality.....more power to you. I am glad I dont work with you or for you. Do I absolutely love my job and will do anything for them....no. But I make the best out of it that I can. Am I gonna pi$$ and moan because I should be paid for .00001 hours of pay because a co-worker text me off hours to ask a question that took 15 seconds of my time.....no. If I can help, I will. Do I "have to".....no. But its give and take. IF I cannot figure something out, I like to be able to call someone and know that a co-worker "has my back" rather than leave me hang out to dry and look like and idiot because I cannot figure something out.
Those who have never worked an hourly job in a skilled trade position have no clue what I am talking about....even if they pretend to on the internet. But its just how things work.
Sigarms
Super Member
Life does go on.
If you advertise for a business, be GRATEFUL that you at least got a phone call. You DID NOT have to respond at that time at night but you did, and that almost makes you as guilty as the person who texted you to begin with.
Honestly, if you're just looking for spare work on craigslist, what's you phone doing on that late anyways? I work off my phone a good 16 hours a day. However, after 9PM or before 8AM, people I work with REGULARLY know I may or may not get back to them at those hours.
I understand about the venting. Try dealing with engineers who like to copy and paste.
However with all this said, you should learn from your experience. If you advertise a business phone number and you're getting calls at hours you don't want business phone calls, advertise what hours the your potential clients should call you at. Or... turn the phone off and answer your calls/text when you turn the phone back on
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MossRoad
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When I was salaried, I averaged about 54 hours per week VS the 40 that hourly employees got. However, I got paid considerably more than them and was eligible for better benefits. And if I wanted to leave early to watch one of my kids play sports, or coach one of their teams, or get my car fixed, or take care of my elderly in-laws, etc... I'd just go and then do the work at night or from home. And yes, they could terminate me at any time, but then I could quit at any time, too.
