FabSwingers.com forum: Is it really stealing?

By *nabelle21 OP Woman
over a year ago

B38

A boss sent a memo round saying..

Mobile phones should be switched off. And, to anyone charging them, it is stealing and deductions may be taken from their wages!

I say chill the fuck out!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

It's being an awful boss is what it is.

According to the Charger Tariff Calculator, it costs the average smartphone user only 0.3p to charge their device, resulting in less than half a pence per charge. That means if you keep your smartphone's battery charged up every day of the week, it will cost you a total of £1.09 for the full year

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By *om and JennieCouple
over a year ago

Chams or Socials

It really is stealing!! Unless it’s work provided phone. My last manager made us put our phones in our drawer on silent & could only be checked away from the desk. God I hated her so much!!

J x

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

If you don't have permission, then the actual offence is one of Abstracting Electricity - Theft Act 1968.

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By *eroLondonMan
over a year ago

Covent Garden

That would be my impetus for finding a new job and moving away from that type of micromanagement bullshit.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I'd reply saying you've been stealing my sanity for a long time, where can I send the bill?

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By *heVonMatterhornsCouple
over a year ago

Lincoln

Why do they need to be turned off, is it a security concern specific to your place of work? If so then they may have a point, if not then they're on a bit of a power trip.

Athe electricity is a bit of a stretch though. Do they also ban employees from making personal notes using company bought pens?

LvM

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Technically it is stealing to a degree because you are using company electricity to charge a personal device but then if you need it for work I guess maybe you could argue the case?

We are meant to keep our phones in our lockers at work anyway, we get security checks done regularly.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

We are not allowed phones in the office it’s a breach of GDPR if we are found to have them it’s sackable!

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By *ingo30Man
over a year ago

Harlow

Be hard pushed to say theft, your taking something that's not tangible how would he prove you have stolen it and how much, blokes sounds an idiot.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"A boss sent a memo round saying..

Mobile phones should be switched off. And, to anyone charging them, it is stealing and deductions may be taken from their wages!

I say chill the fuck out! "

While I understand what you are saying they have every right to ask for certain behaviours from their employees and yes by law you are technically stealing.

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By *nabelle21 OP Woman
over a year ago

B38

We are also not allowed to use have our phones in the office, but when working from 3 days a week they are essential!

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By *tephTV67TV/TS
over a year ago

Cheshire

We have our mobile phones in the office but we do need them for a specific job we do. I have to download an app that sends me a code. So if this ever happened in our office I could charge our company for using my phone for business purposes.

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By *nabelle21 OP Woman
over a year ago

B38

"We are not allowed phones in the office it’s a breach of GDPR if we are found to have them it’s sackable! "

I get this and same for us, but we have to use them when home working!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"A boss sent a memo round saying..

Mobile phones should be switched off. And, to anyone charging them, it is stealing and deductions may be taken from their wages!

I say chill the fuck out! "

When you worked from home did they pay for absolutely all of your electricity?

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By *nabelle21 OP Woman
over a year ago

B38

"A boss sent a memo round saying..

Mobile phones should be switched off. And, to anyone charging them, it is stealing and deductions may be taken from their wages!

I say chill the fuck out!

When you worked from home did they pay for absolutely all of your electricity? "

No..none at all..or the Internet!

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By *wistedTooCouple
over a year ago

Frimley

"A boss sent a memo round saying..

Mobile phones should be switched off. And, to anyone charging them, it is stealing and deductions may be taken from their wages!

I say chill the fuck out! "

Your boss is a complete tool. If he’s that much of a cunt over something like that, I would suggest he’ll end up being worse for many more things and would be that kind of jobsworth boss who will skirt the line of ethical behaviour when it comes to treatment of his employees. I’d find a new job and tell him he’s a dick.

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By *asmeenTV/TS
over a year ago

STOKE ON TRENT

I'm with you

Annabelle x

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By *isfits behaving badlyCouple
over a year ago

Coventry

I think (depending on your particular skill set) in such vibrant job market your boss unessersary demoralises and treats their staff like that at their peril.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"We are not allowed phones in the office it’s a breach of GDPR if we are found to have them it’s sackable! "

I'm not blaming you for it, but this is nonsense. Loads of people use GDPR to justify all sorts of BS. The two things, what you have with you and what information you process or hold, are in no way connected, it would only be a GDPR breach if you had company data on your phone in the form of emails or taking photos of info etc.

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By *nabelle21 OP Woman
over a year ago

B38

"We are not allowed phones in the office it’s a breach of GDPR if we are found to have them it’s sackable!

I agree with this.

And anyone who is of the mindset to do such a thing, I don't think will be bothered by..the no phone rule!

If you work from home at times and need to use a mobile then it becomes redundant

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Start charging your work for charging their equipment that they expect you to use at home.

if they dont pay then you dont charge it and if its out of charge when they need to contact you its there problem

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"We are not allowed phones in the office it’s a breach of GDPR if we are found to have them it’s sackable!

I agree with this.

And anyone who is of the mindset to do such a thing, I don't think will be bothered by..the no phone rule!

If you work from home at times and need to use a mobile then it becomes redundant "

I don’t disagree at all. I do work from home and in all fairness they would never know unless you have a spot check. We are not allowed Alexa or any such devices either it’s the potential of listening that is used as reason. Hey I don’t make the rules

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By *iss.ddWoman
over a year ago

Leeds + Newcastle

Are some people taking the piss and just mucking about on their phones instead of working and they are doing this to put their foot down ?

The minority ruining bit for the majority

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"A boss sent a memo round saying..

Mobile phones should be switched off. And, to anyone charging them, it is stealing and deductions may be taken from their wages!

I say chill the fuck out!

When you worked from home did they pay for absolutely all of your electricity?

No..none at all..or the Internet!"

Christ. What a twat. Think that should be mentioned.

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By *ecadent_DevonMan
over a year ago

Okehampton

I’d get a different job. Nobody puts DD (or his phone) in a corner

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By *rHotNottsMan
over a year ago

Dubai & Nottingham

I’d say fine , please deduct 0.3p from my wages on those days I charge and provide a receipt so I can reconcile it , just to make sure you don’t steal extra wages from me. And when I work from hone ill invoice you on the the same terms

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

This is absolute lunacy. The cost is negligible and I'm sure you could find savings clocking in at hundreds, maybe thousands of pounds, yet you are being chastised for charging your phone - they need the get a grip. If you and your colleagues started to do a work to rule and finish bang on stopping time etc they would soon lose far more than this petty shit is gaining. They've already lost your respect, and that is really bad for business!!!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

If they claim that's stealing, insist that you won't turn on your computer until the exact second your shift starts. Otherwise it's stealing from the company, and they're forcing you to do unpaid work which is illegal.

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By *etcplCouple
over a year ago

Gapping Fanny

New job time tbf!

I hate shitty managers, they make the work place so intolerable.

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By *ightkitty4uWoman
over a year ago

Epsom

If it is stealing I'd best unplug the works mobile and laptop... both being charged and using my broadband...

WFH on a friday - I am on here via my personal phone....

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By *ee04Man
over a year ago

Essex

This is just another example of the world gone mad.

GDPR is being used as an excuse for everything. I was asked a few years ago by my company to set up what’s app group for our team, I explained that our work phones were not smart phones therefore we could not use what’s app. The response was use your own phone.

To which I politely told the boss to fuck off as it’s my phone my number and I pay for it if you want a what’s app group get me a smart phone. The next week we all had new smart phones and the group was set up but is never used as all the phones get switched off when we leave work so nobody uses the bloody group.

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By *hil most chillMan
over a year ago

South East & Europe

This belongs in r/antiwork. There’s a lot of this kind of stuff there, it’s usually Americans complaining about their inhumane treatment though. “Theft of electricity” is a new low for a UK employer in my opinion!

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By *urtyGentMan
over a year ago

eastleigh

The boss sounds like an absolute bellend. I’d be charging my tablet, laptop, headphones, vacuum and phone.

Yeah that’s right, I’m properly naughty

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I wanted to borrow something from the last company I worked for, I still have a key and the site manager said no problem so I popped in last night to collect, popped back this afternoon to drop it off. That is the kind of working relationship I've always had where I work and with my own customers. The thought of being so petty as to complain about charging a mobile is utterly beyond me. Apart from showing you to be a total arse it also means you are a useless manager. You get far more from people when you treat them kindly and with respect.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"If you don't have permission, then the actual offence is one of Abstracting Electricity - Theft Act 1968."

This.

Whilst technically its not theft, it is still a criminal offence under the theft act.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"A boss sent a memo round saying..

Mobile phones should be switched off. And, to anyone charging them, it is stealing and deductions may be taken from their wages!

I say chill the fuck out!

When you worked from home did they pay for absolutely all of your electricity?

No..none at all..or the Internet!"

Tell him to fuck the fuck off! Or charge him for your internet, heating & electric.

I can understand phones being switched off in offices. Nothing worse than some idiot with a loud ring tone who then has a loud conversation on handsfree... in a busy office! I work with such buffoons.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

He sounds like what I term a 'professional manager'

The 'professional manager' has literal interpretations of everything, they have no allowance for anything that sways from their blinkered vision, they assume that people are inanimate and can be managed as any other inanimate resource

In short, in pursuit of their career, that lack basic humanity and understanding

I loathe such people

As someone alluded to above, it would suggest to me that I was working for the wrong person and I'd be off

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

He sounds abit of a shithouse.... aslong as people arnt on their phones all day i cant see the issue.

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By *iamondCougarWoman
over a year ago

Norfuck! / Lincolnshire

Oh dear.. that’s a very sad state of affairs when you get to that point with your staff.

There doesn’t appear to be two way respect .. I’d be out

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By *UGGYBEAR2015Man
over a year ago

BRIDPORT

Anabelle, your boss is a knob, plain and simple.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I used to work for a woman who walked up n down the office clicking her fingers

If she happened to be passing when there was a phone ringing, you'd get a passing poke in the shoulder and a 'do you wanna pick that phone up?'

She once gave someone a written warning for being 19 seconds late

Phones were to be kept in your desk, apart from hers which was always on her desk in case she missed a facebook notification

Thankfully, the MD saw the damage she was doing and, all of a sudden, she wasn't there any more

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"A boss sent a memo round saying..

Mobile phones should be switched off. And, to anyone charging them, it is stealing and deductions may be taken from their wages!

I say chill the fuck out! "

We ain't even allowed to have our phone on us during our shift

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I’d buy a portable charger and put it on charge on his desk

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"We are not allowed phones in the office it’s a breach of GDPR if we are found to have them it’s sackable!

I agree with this.

And anyone who is of the mindset to do such a thing, I don't think will be bothered by..the no phone rule!

If you work from home at times and need to use a mobile then it becomes redundant

Yep, same as my son, he is working from my house at the moment and my house is a no go area for anyone other than me and him while he is working, I had to sign an NDA and sign to agree that during his working hours my house is off limits to anyone else.....They do pay for my Internet and electric though

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By *ryan...Man
over a year ago

1950's Original

"A boss sent a memo round saying..

Mobile phones should be switched off. And, to anyone charging them, it is stealing and deductions may be taken from their wages!

I say chill the fuck out! "

Here's the solution...

Say "right,if I can't charge my phone I refuse to work topless anymore"..

that'll show em - or not..

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By *ranny-CrumpetWoman
over a year ago

The Town by The Cross

Yes it's stealing.

If your neighbour came round to plug into your sockets without permission you'd feel you were paying for their electricity.

I can imagine a business feeling fleeced by it , however council buildings...... no one usually gives two hoots as they are not paying. It's not their business.

I charge my phone in the pub or in a cafe or anywhere I see a plug hole

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Why don’t you just charge your phone at home before you go to work? If you aren’t using it for work then the battery will easily last all day so won’t need charging and if you are using it for work then you should be able to use the electricity there to charge it.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I wouldnt work in a job that treated you like a child and monitored time, phones etc id expect to be trusted to get on with my job and get pulled up if I wasnt performing to standard.

If a manager sent round something like that good luck to them getting me in early, staying late, helping out when they are stuck for staff etc. That's a clock in, do what's expected, clock out with no extra effort job to me anyway

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By *egasus NobMan
over a year ago

Merton

"A boss sent a memo round saying..

Mobile phones should be switched off. And, to anyone charging them, it is stealing and deductions may be taken from their wages!

I say chill the fuck out! "

What!

That is the least any business should be concerned with.

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By *ust RachelTV/TS
over a year ago

Horsham

I get the feeling that was used, to remove the excuse that an employee is charging their phone.

Unless, they actually do squeak when they walk.

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By *am069Man
over a year ago

London

"A boss sent a memo round saying..

Mobile phones should be switched off. And, to anyone charging them, it is stealing and deductions may be taken from their wages!

I say chill the fuck out! "

Not very pleasant... extend an olive branch to your boss, give them a pack of AA batteries next time you're in...

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By *hisisntpofMan
over a year ago

bristol

"A boss sent a memo round saying..

Mobile phones should be switched off. And, to anyone charging them, it is stealing and deductions may be taken from their wages!

I say chill the fuck out! "
take the petty cash tin next time show him/her whos boss lol x

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"We are not allowed phones in the office it’s a breach of GDPR if we are found to have them it’s sackable! "

Breach of GDPR? In what way?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Charge a charger. As you have not used the power in office hours it’s not captured by the 68 act.

To charge a mobile from dead costs circa 11p.

Get another job.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I had a boss who sent a memo telling us to only walk single file on the left side of the stairs as the right was being favoured and it was ruining the carpeting.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I had a boss who sent a memo telling us to only walk single file on the left side of the stairs as the right was being favoured and it was ruining the carpeting. "

I have to be the worlds greatest boss!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I had a boss who sent a memo telling us to only walk single file on the left side of the stairs as the right was being favoured and it was ruining the carpeting. "

Weird that it was the right that was favoured as we tend to sub consciously walk on the left as that’s what side of the road we drive on. I became aware of this more so when I was living in Holland as they walk on the right for the same reason, it wasn’t really an issue apart from the times I had to quickly swerve out of the way of someone when we both hadn’t seen each other as I’d go to my left and the Dutch went to their right but that meant we both went in the same direction as we were facing each other. When it happens here we tend to both go to our left and avoid colliding.

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By *agneto.Man
over a year ago

Bham

Absolute dick heads. They want to read about staff morale and motivation.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I had a boss who sent a memo telling us to only walk single file on the left side of the stairs as the right was being favoured and it was ruining the carpeting.

Everyone knows you pass the Dutchies to the left hand side

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I had a boss who sent a memo telling us to only walk single file on the left side of the stairs as the right was being favoured and it was ruining the carpeting.

Everyone knows you pass the Dutchies to the left hand side

That did make me giggle!

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By *agneto.Man
over a year ago

Bham

"I had a boss who sent a memo telling us to only walk single file on the left side of the stairs as the right was being favoured and it was ruining the carpeting.

Everyone knows you pass the Dutchies to the left hand side

Budumtish.

I worked at a place where we had to walk on the right, it really frazzled my brain, I prefer to walk on the left.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I had a boss who sent a memo telling us to only walk single file on the left side of the stairs as the right was being favoured and it was ruining the carpeting.

Everyone knows you pass the Dutchies to the left hand side

Haha, I set that one up nicely for you.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I had a boss who sent a memo telling us to only walk single file on the left side of the stairs as the right was being favoured and it was ruining the carpeting.

Everyone knows you pass the Dutchies to the left hand side

Haha, I set that one up nicely for you. "

It was such an open goal I thought you'd done it on purpose

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I had a boss who sent a memo telling us to only walk single file on the left side of the stairs as the right was being favoured and it was ruining the carpeting.

Everyone knows you pass the Dutchies to the left hand side

Haha, I set that one up nicely for you.

It was such an open goal I thought you'd done it on purpose

The only problem is that the whole point of my story was that you pass them on the right hand side but we won’t worry about minor details....

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I had a boss who sent a memo telling us to only walk single file on the left side of the stairs as the right was being favoured and it was ruining the carpeting.

Everyone knows you pass the Dutchies to the left hand side

Haha, I set that one up nicely for you.

It was such an open goal I thought you'd done it on purpose

The only problem is that the whole point of my story was that you pass them on the right hand side but we won’t worry about minor details...."

I just skimmed and raced to the punchline

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By *inky_couple2020Couple
over a year ago

North West

"Yes it's stealing.

If your neighbour came round to plug into your sockets without permission you'd feel you were paying for their electricity.

I can imagine a business feeling fleeced by it , however council buildings...... no one usually gives two hoots as they are not paying. It's not their business.

I charge my phone in the pub or in a cafe or anywhere I see a plug hole "

You'll struggle to charge it in the sink, Granny

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By *onb21Woman
over a year ago

Cardiff

Energy crisis, isn't it.

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By *3nsesMan
over a year ago

Dublin

Does yous all work in China? Can't even imagine the reaction in our workplace if we were told we couldn't use our phones or recharge them.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"We are not allowed phones in the office it’s a breach of GDPR if we are found to have them it’s sackable!

Breach of GDPR? In what way?"

GDPR is just an excuse for employers to attempt to control employees actions

We had just the same thing - can't have phones on the desk as it a gdpr infringement

I pointed out that when we take CC orders over the phone, we write down customer CC details on a pad and those pads are never shredded, so their CC details sit for anyone to see / use at their will

That was kinda brushed off yet the phones were the gdpr issue

I'd sooner bosses were honest and said 'we don't want you on your phones cos it might affect your productivity', but they don't, they hide behind a veneer of professionalism

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By *ifty grades of shadyCouple
over a year ago

Carisbrooke, Isle of Wight

Might have understood more if it was about iffy chargers being used that could be a fire hazard.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Its a work perk

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

If youve had to work from home during lockdown then you will have had to charge your laptop and phone from home - is that work stealing from you?

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By *penmarriage UkCouple
over a year ago

Maidenhead

All well and fine but do not see my company paying for my electricity to run their equipment while working from home. So tit for tat on this thread..

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