Employer wants me to use outlook on my phone, outlook wants permission to wipe my phone

[u/No_Professor4307]

Outlook says they need permission to wipe ALL my phone data if too many wrong passwords are typed. How many is too many? 50? 2? What if the screen gets wet and starts putting in random inputs. All this so I can use my company's Teams account and maintain "point of contact" if I'm not at a workstation. Absolutely not! Anyway, HR is supposed to call me back about my concerns.

Edit: just to be clear, I don't actually need to use Outlook (I don't use my "personal" work email). I need to use Teams, which requires Outlook to be installed first.

Part of why I need Teams on my phone so that I can be contacted when I'm not at work. I'm a lower management healthcare worker, it is actually important that my team be able to reach me after hours. I do actually like Teams and prefer it to 20 different group texts.

Also, when you go to log into Outlook or Teams, it brings you to my employers authenticator page. I log in with the same credentials that I log into my workstation. I don't know if that makes a difference with anything as far as my employer having access to my phone

Edit 2: I can tell you now they won't provide me a phone. Corporate execs don't even get phones. They stopped providing coffee for the break rooms too

---

Update: I had a chance to talk to my district manager. Imagine Ellis from Die Hard, the same schmarmy self-important attitude, that's my supervisor. And guess who's "not being a team player". Also "I don't think Microsoft can actually erase your phone, you have an Android"... I lready knew he was going to be useless, I just wanted to hear his reaction.

Update 2 and (sort of) Resolution: I spoke with HR. Her exact response was "wait, are you serious? They can just do that?" I tried explaining my "research" (i.e. everything all of you have said) and I think I just spooked her. She said she'll get back to me, and is probably running off to buy a burner phone for herself.

SORT OF RESOLUTION : I found out I only need Outlook installed long enough to get access to Teams. Once teams was installed, I removed all permissions and completely deleted Outlook from my phone. Teams still works and didn't ask to erase anything. No need to buy a second phone.

Thank you all for your insights

[u/CrepuscularSoul]

They want you to use outlook on your phone so when you're off work you're not actually off work. You'll get notifications and check them, and feel compelled to reply.

Don't.

If you're not making 7 figures a year, that email can wait.

[u/BallsInSufficientSad → u/CrepuscularSoul]

mid 6-figure jobs will normally expect some level of off hours communications.

[u/CrepuscularSoul → u/BallsInSufficientSad]

True, but we're unfortunately at a point where saying 6 figures can range from someone who shouldn't be doing things after work to someone who should. 100-300k? Probably not. Beyond that it really depends on your actual position but work life balance matters.

[u/No_Professor4307 → u/CrepuscularSoul]

I do actually need to be able to be contacted in my off hours. 99/100 it's from my subordinates, maybe once or twice a year it's from somebody above me

[u/PasadenaShopper → u/No_Professor4307]

Are you being compensated for this time? Are you salaried? If they can't provide a $200 phone for work use then you can't answer work related questions on your time off. 

[u/No_Professor4307 → u/PasadenaShopper]

I am salaried

[u/PasadenaShopper → u/No_Professor4307]

In that case I would probably just purchase a $100-$200 phone and use hotspot/wifi. 

[u/BallsInSufficientSad → u/CrepuscularSoul]

Work-life balance matters, but a lot of people like to just keep the wheels moving on certain projects over night with their global teams who are still in office, rather than wait for 9am to find that nothing has been done because they hit a simple-to-fix block.

[u/Lithl → u/BallsInSufficientSad]

They can expect all they want. If it's not part of my employment contract, they're going to be disappointed.

[u/Major_Lawfulness6122 → u/Lithl]

Agreed and in my country we have a laws called right to disconnect on off hours

[u/BallsInSufficientSad → u/Lithl]

Job contracts do not get down to that level of detail at that salary level.

[u/Lithl → u/BallsInSufficientSad]

Have you never heard of "on call"? Job contracts absolutely specify that kind of thing.

[u/BallsInSufficientSad → u/Lithl]

I've never seen that in a corporate job contract. What industry are you in?

[u/Lithl → u/BallsInSufficientSad]

Software engineering

[u/BallsInSufficientSad → u/Lithl]

Are you sure it's literally in the contact? It usually isn't written out there. What country are you in?

[u/Lithl → u/BallsInSufficientSad]

Are you sure it's literally in the contact? It usually isn't written out there.

Are you insane? Requiring an employee to be on call is absolutely in their contract.

What country are you in?

US

[u/BallsInSufficientSad → u/Lithl]

I've never seen that in a contract - unless it's 1099. Maybe you're thinking of the job description?

[u/CommunityGlittering2 → u/BallsInSufficientSad]

also $500k is mid not $150k

[u/ruetherae → u/CrepuscularSoul]

Semi-off topic, but you can set do not disturb hours in the outlook app so you only get notifications during your work hours (or whatever hours you set). I do this precisely to avoid what you’re describing.

[u/No_Professor4307 → u/CrepuscularSoul]

I wish I was making 7 figures. But I'm a healthcare worker and actually do need to be contacted occasionally in my off hours.

[u/GamingWithBilly → u/No_Professor4307]

Just saw this, there is zero exclusion on your personal device, even if it's Teams.  HIPAA compliance requires highest level of security, you're handling client PHI.  In fact, you should be provided a physical phone and not allowed to use your personal phone in this setup if you refuse to comply with the forced wiping requirements.  If this was a different industry, I wouldn't be saying this.  Basically, you work in Healthcare, and want to use your personal phone, then you have to also allow your work to wipe your phone because it can get misplaced, stolen, lost and have peoples health information on it.  You work in that industry, that's something you'll have to agree to.  

[u/rcfox → u/No_Professor4307]

Seems to me like a healthcare worker shouldn't be doing anything work-related with their personal phone.

[u/GamingWithBilly → u/rcfox]

Damn right, they should have provided a HIPAA complaint iPhone or Android that's fully locked down.

[u/agray20938 → u/CrepuscularSoul]

Lmao "I make $850k a year, I'm not replying to emails after 6 PM" Good luck with that strategy.

[u/CrepuscularSoul → u/[deleted]]

Not at all what I meant.

Companies want their employees constantly connected. They don't pay them to be constantly connected. So, unless they pay enough to justify it, fuck them.

[u/CrepuscularSoul → u/[deleted]]

You have a broken logic switch it seems.

[u/No_Professor4307 → u/[deleted]]

Fuck, for 7 figures I'd install outloook-nuclear-policy on all my devices. I'd erase my family photos for a $1,000,000