Got this managers email today.
“Late logging on and late breaks and lunches – We have been seeing a rise in people logging in late or returning from their
breaks and lunches late. This has a knock on affect on your colleagues and customers. A reminder that if you are going to be late
due to personal or technical issues, you must call the friends and family line to provide an update. (We even ask you about the
impact of this in your interview!)” – Just to clarify this one, changing your work reason in the software a single second late is considered “a late break” – you’re expected to always start work early.
“Technical issues – If you are offline for an tech issues, it is your responsibility to be staying in contact regularly to provide updates until you are back online.” – I like this one because whenever the company systems go down, they make people sit at their desks refreshing pages all day and stay on-call, but deny people any breaks because “they aren’t doing work”
“Shouting and laughing loudly in office – We have seen an increase in people talking/laughing loudly in between calls whilst
others are speaking with customers, which can be heard on the recordings. A reminder to be aware of your surroundings and how
your behaviour may affect someone else who is on a call. Being focussed on the call that you are on rather than what is going on
around you is essential to ensure we are offering the best service.” – no fun allowed
“Swearing in the office – It is never appropriate to be swearing in the office. Whether it is jokingly to colleagues or when talking about a customer/recent call you have received.” – no coping allowed
“Posture – When working we expect everyone to be alert and sat at their desk in an appropriate manner, not slouched down or
even laying back in their chair. Not only does this look unprofessional, it is bad for your health/posture.” – sorry, gonna have to fire you for the way you sat
“Mobile phones – Yesterday, Louisa emailed out the mobile phone policy, however people continued to use their phone whilst in
the office. A reminder that your mobile phone should not be out on your desk or be used during your scheduled working hours,
unless prior permission is given from a manager. This is a GDPR breach.” – Let’s face it, if they were worried about people taking photos or recording things, the rule would be ‘no photos or recordings.’ Banning peoples phones is just a way to control employed lives.
“Attitude and professionalism – Unfortunately we have experienced on occasions colleagues making flippant and disrespectful
comments about customers and your role. In a professional environment, we expect everyone to be respectful of their colleagues,
managers and our customers.” – This is probably the funniest one to me because of the way they slipped ‘managers’ in there.
“Please ensure that you adhere to the above as these are considered behavioural issues that could be managed via the disciplinary
policy and may lead to failed probation periods. We appreciate that the issues mentioned above are in the minority but we feel it is right to send out a reminder to all, as we will soon be in touch regarding a more permanent return to the office, in line with our hybrid working policy.” – and there it is, the kicker about failing peoples probations and… returning permanently to the office in line with their supposed hybrid working policy. Hah.