Is it okay to use company phones for personal business?
By p3ks626
@p3ks626 (6538)
Philippines
February 22, 2010 3:49am CST
I have been working in my company more almost a year now and I used the company phone several times already for personal business. My boss knows about it but he doesn't seem to mind. Or maybe he does and he's not telling me and one of days maybe he's just going to say to me its time for me to say goodbye. I just hope not? If you are a boss of the company, would you allow your employees to do this? Why or why not?
1 person likes this
4 responses
@daliaj (5674)
• India
22 Feb 10
This is a good question. I use company phones once in a while for personal use. I don't think it is a sin or crime. I don't think it is something for me to be worried about. Many people use company phones for personal use. Company has not shown justice to me. They took recession as an issue and didn't give me a salary hike for the past two years inspite of doing a very good job.
@mari61960 (4893)
• United States
22 Feb 10
The company phone is just that.... a phone to be used for company business. If you want to use it for personal business you should ask your boss first and then make the call on your own time, like a break or lunch. Why should a company pay you for making personal calls on their business phone. It not only ties up a line for business use, it occupies you and keeps you from working. I can understand an occasional emergency or if a problem arises, but as far as my employees.. Personal calls will not be made at work unless you are on break, at lunch or off duty.
@pandaeyes (2065)
•
22 Feb 10
It depends on the owner of the company.
If he is happy for you to use it, then you are fine.
It may be that he can claim his phone costs back as tax returns, I think in our country that is possible but maybe not everywhere.
It must also depend on what the personal business is that you use the telephone for.
One place that I worked, an employee was running his own company from within the building, he used the phone to take orders and of course got found out when someone else answered the phone one day.
He was dismissed.
If it is for family things you may be aright but really you should check with him or someone who has been there longer.
@skrion (15)
•
25 Feb 10
Technically, I think by merely understanding the term "company phone", one would know what it is supposed to be for, but living in a not-so-perfect world, there are cases where things are used based on not what their functions should be, that's where the boss' discretion comes in. But let's not forget, it's not in all circumstances, that since the boss says it's alright, then it is really alright... these is where moderation should be considered.
