The easier you can be reached the more this privilege will be abused
As correct as it is to call out on "always on(line)" jobs and naturally accounting for emergency jobs and emergency situations, there is no real protection from abusive behaviour and coerced interruptions of "offline" time.
Two colleagues who are in constant danger of needing support (those are the guys in on site,on call roles) do indeed have my private new mobile number. The few times they used that privilege were absolutely reasonable and necessary.
I made the mistake to give out my old private mobile number for emegencies only, thats why i have a new one now.
Being called in real emergencies is not something i would object to. What did take place was sadly (and- as any cynic may say- predictably) a bit different from that one and only purpose.
- Can you shorten your day off and come over to help clean up a "management oversight" ?
- Can you come back from whereever you are on holiday on your own cost to help finish a project that "suddenly" has issues ?
- We just found out that the guy who quit/was sacked did not finish his last task in a totally unrelated field to yours. Advise on the phone what to do to get the machine running.
- We have a machine that you were never involved in. Now assist with the diagnosis via phone.
- Nobody else is in reach.so you must come over now.
- Repeated calls, partly from the same person, concerning an issue i already gave every info i have.
- You have to come over now for overtime to finish the machine, no matter that the necessary parts will not arrive before next week."We must show that we do everything to finish the job" (tm)*
and my personal super favourite from a company that sacked me 2 years prior to the phone call:
"You must cover the next nightshift."
"Why ?"
"You always covered shifts when we had issues."
"Then maybe you should not have sacked me two years ago ?"
"Oh....... Maybe i should delete your name from this list ?"
"That would be fine, have a nice day."
This little anecdote shows precisely how much you "secure your job" if you try to cover every issue thats coming up.
*(tm=totally moronic)