I had a job cold calling businesses to sell them our services. In the past, both at work and off the clock, I've had people hide their caller ID in order to verbally abuse me, intimidate me or sexually harass me. I used to answer all calls, but since those incidents I have refused to answer calls from people who hide their caller ID. One day this woman called me FOUR times. All four times she hid her caller ID and when she left voicemails they were harassing in nature. She said, “Why won't you pick up?! It's URGENT!” And she never said what “it” was or told me her name or what company she represented in her voicemails. 9/10 times when someone hides their caller ID they're a chickenshit and they don't have your best interest at heart.
When my manager noticed I was rejecting the harassing lady's calls she said, “Answer it! That could be a deal!” (I'm thinking to myself: there's no way someone prank calling me is serious about possibly doing business with us you idiot.)
I calmly and professionally said, “Due to harassment in the past, I no longer answer calls from unknown numbers.”
Manager: “But what if it's a deal?!”
Me: (professionally and calmly): Let's agree to disagree and move on.
She then proceeded to threaten to fire me, tell me that I didn't “belong” at that company and said the reason I was unsuccessful at that job was because I had a bad negative attitude and I needed to smile more because smiling literally makes you happy.
I told a couple people this story and they said, “If your job is to answer calls and you're refusing to answer just because you're avoiding prank calls, that's insubordination, you're not doing your job properly and your manager is right to scold you for it.” And “Just do your job and tolerate the yelling, swearing lady on the other line.”
OH MY GOD! How is anyone on *HER* side?!?!