Clocking in at work with own phone, who should pay

ivorhead

Registered User
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Hi, recently my employer started a clocking in and out system for work and breaks. It is done by text message on phone. It requires 4 texts a day. Employer is expecting us to clock/text in/out using our own mobiles without any renumeration. Their argument for this is that most of the staff have mobile packages which include unlimited texts as they avail of mobile deals similar to friends and staff HSE.
Does anyone know if they can insist on this?
 
. . . sounds like a great place to work . . . and I bet the wages and conditions are good also . . . if any employer asked me to clock in on a mobile phone whether I was on a user package or not I wouldn't. Even Lepers have principles.
 
I suppose enforce is a wrong choice of word. More they are expecting it to be done without any prior consultation with staff. There are around 200 staff spread out around different work locations and most are using their own mobiles a nd most of them will admit that they do it out of fear of rocking the boat and getting into trouble.
A few like myself who are refusing to use our own phones are been given very awkward way of clocking in and out and for breaks by going online, but a computer is not always available when you need it and this can cause problems.
It actually is a nice place to work, but over they years I suppose the goodwill has been slowy sucked out of it
 
ivorhead;

If it is a nice place to work, you are lucky.
On balance , suggest use the phone because as you say the online way is awkward.
I understand the principle but prefer the practical !
 
It actually is a nice place to work, but over they years I suppose the goodwill has been slowy sucked out of it

Well why don't you stop slowly sucking the goodwill out of it so?

I must say that if I provided people with a nice place to work over the years, and they refused to adapt to modern technology, I would feel the goodwill sucked out of it. I would try not to let my irritation at a small number of malcontents to affect the way I treat the staff generally.
 
Well why don't you stop slowly sucking the goodwill out of it so?

I must say that if I provided people with a nice place to work over the years, and they refused to adapt to modern technology, I would feel the goodwill sucked out of it. I would try not to let my irritation at a small number of malcontents to affect the way I treat the staff generally.

I don’t think that’s fair. Why should people be expected to use their own mobile phone to clock in and out?
There are lots of cheap and efficient ways of doing what’s required here without people having to use their own phone. I presume a smart phone is required if the alternative is to use a computer. Not everyone has a smart phone.
 
If someone does not have a mobile phone, then some alternative has to be provided. (The OP mentions text, so I don't think it has to be by smart phone)

There has to be give and take, especially if it's a good employer. How many personal phone calls does the average employee make on their employer's phone?
 
I don’t think that’s fair. Why should people be expected to use their own mobile phone to clock in and out?
There are lots of cheap and efficient ways of doing what’s required here without people having to use their own phone. I presume a smart phone is required if the alternative is to use a computer. Not everyone has a smart phone.

OP states by text so a smart phone is not required. I can see why the OP might be annoyed but it's not something i'd be rushing to the barricades over.

A way to raise the issue might be to go along with this but ask for prior consultation to be given to the next change in work practices.
 
I shouldn't but what the hell......

What does your contract say about clocking in and out?
 
Yes.

Not everyone chooses to be tied to a mobile phone all day. If the employer wants employees to clock in by phone he should at the very least cover the cost of that and not assume that the employee has a package.

An employer with approx. 200 staff is saving a lot of money on this new system by getting the staff to pay the cost of clocking in and out themselves.
 
Systems such as the one below certainly are appealing from the technology and benefit aspect.

[broken link removed]

200 EE's @ 4 texts per day = 800 texts per day

@ say 10c per text, that is €80 a day or €400 per 5 day week.

Someone incurs the €400 text costs per week, be it EE's collectively or ER.

EE's shouldn't incur any cost with using a clocking in system, it is an ER cost.

As another responder has said, use a freetext number, ER pays the text charges. With 200 EE's, there are cost benefits to the ER from accurate data, but these are offset by set-up and running costs.
 
Yes.

Not everyone chooses to be tied to a mobile phone all day. If the employer wants employees to clock in by phone he should at the very least cover the cost of that and not assume that the employee has a package.

An employer with approx. 200 staff is saving a lot of money on this new system by getting the staff to pay the cost of clocking in and out themselves.
...............
Could also look at it this way,
Employer give them an e-mail way of clocking, but if they want , for their own convenience employee can use their own mobile phones. employee can always use the slower system that employer provided.
Still cannot read it as a (hard) issue, in particular as he said it is a good place to work.
I cannot see unfairness here.
 
To cut costs,my current plan is for 100 mins or 200 texts.I certainly wouldn't be happy to use half my allowance every month clocking in.
 
Also due to network configuration, congestion etc , texts may take longer to arrive and would not have the original send time on them. A mess of a situation really.
 
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