# Clocking in at work with own phone, who should pay



## ivorhead (2 Jul 2014)

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?


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## Eithneangela (2 Jul 2014)

If you have no mobile phone, then they can't enforce it.


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## Sue Ellen (3 Jul 2014)

Ask the people over on www.employmentrights.ie what their view is on this.  

Seems totally wrong that it could cost you for example 60 cent per day on Vodafone RTG package for 4 texts x 15 cent.


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## Leper (3 Jul 2014)

. . . 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.


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## ivorhead (3 Jul 2014)

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


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## Gerry Canning (3 Jul 2014)

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 !


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## Brendan Burgess (3 Jul 2014)

ivorhead said:


> 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.


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## Purple (3 Jul 2014)

Brendan Burgess said:


> 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.


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## Brendan Burgess (3 Jul 2014)

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?


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## dereko1969 (3 Jul 2014)

Purple said:


> 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.


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## Purple (3 Jul 2014)

Can the employer then provide a free text number?


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## Sunny (3 Jul 2014)

I shouldn't but what the hell......

What does your contract say about clocking in and out?


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## Gerry Canning (3 Jul 2014)

Come on folks!

Is this worth chasing?


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## PaddyBloggit (3 Jul 2014)

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.


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## STEINER (3 Jul 2014)

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.


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## Gerry Canning (3 Jul 2014)

PaddyBloggit said:


> 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.


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## vandriver (3 Jul 2014)

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.


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## dereko1969 (3 Jul 2014)

Would the OP expect to have his phone call cost reimbursed for ringing in sick?


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## PaddyBloggit (3 Jul 2014)

dereko1969 said:


> Would the OP expect to have his phone call cost reimbursed for ringing in sick?



?? Lost with this comment Derek


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## Time (3 Jul 2014)

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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## Gerry Canning (3 Jul 2014)

Time said:


> 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.


.........
Didn,t think about that.
eg. Sent text to Malaysia today @ 2.06 pm.

Got reply @ 2.00 pm.


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## dereko1969 (3 Jul 2014)

PaddyBloggit said:


> ?? Lost with this comment Derek



Taking the proverbials really, but calling in sick is a work-related call, where does it end. Does the OP pay the employer back for any personal phone calls they make whilst in work, or for posting on AAM?


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## losttheplot (3 Jul 2014)

dereko1969 said:


> Taking the proverbials really, but calling in sick is a work-related call, where does it end. Does the OP pay the employer back for any personal phone calls they make whilst in work, or for posting on AAM?



But you don't call in sick 4 times a day/5 days a week. I wouldn't be happy if I had to put 15 cent into the clock in machine.

I rarely use my mobile so €40 credit would last me about 6 months. At 15c a text:
 15 x 4 times/ day x 5 days = €3.00

Over 48 weeks that's €144, just to clock in and out.


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## ivorhead (3 Jul 2014)

thanks for the relpies folks, both positive and negative.
Just to clear up a few things.
My work is nice work, but that is mainly due to the type of work I do (without going into detail it is supporting people in various ways to enhance their lives in various different ways) and the team of fellow staff that I work with.
As for good will and using my employers phone and computer etc for personal use, I can honestly say I have never done this. Actually quite the opposite happens as we regulary bring in equipment from our own homes for our service to use from time to time. Most of us are lucky if we ever get our full half hour lunch break ( most of our lunches are unpaid working lunches) and I can't remeber the last time I had a mid morning break. We often work outside our normal working hours (evening and weekend work) and we receive time owed for this at a rate of hour for hour, no time and half or double time at weekends etc.
This is what i mean by goodwill, ie the goodwill has been mostly oneway. 
over the past year, my working week has been increased with out extra pay, my holiday leave has been reduced and now I am been asked to pay to clock into work
As for ringing in sick and charging for the call, I won't justify that comment with an answer.


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## paddi22 (4 Jul 2014)

could the employer set up something like a viber account, so any employees using viber can text for free?


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