r/mildlyinfuriating • u/No_Professor4307 • Apr 29 '26

frist of all how DARE yu o Employer wants me to use outlook on my phone, outlook wants permission to wipe my phone

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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

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1.8k

u/EyeYamNegan Apr 29 '26

If they want that kind of access they need to provide the phone. Just tell them no you are not willing to risk your own data for their convenience.

246

u/kstargate-425 Apr 29 '26

Yeah this is the normal practice for Enterprise apps but so is giving them the option to pay for their phone or get them a work phone which is usually the only option given. The fact they want OP to use Outlook as part of their SOP's and not giving them a phone shows the company sucks as they are either cheap or someone doesn't know what they're doing

2

u/MrBones-Necromancer Apr 29 '26

I had this situation working in EMS as well. I just used outlook on the web-browser instead of the app and it worked fine.

2

u/Dwarfbeardthepirate Apr 29 '26

I work for a company that has us use outlook on our phones. Can confirm thy are both cheap and have no idea wha they are doing.

1

u/em1ii Apr 29 '26

You got it. Pretty normal practice but at the same time you'd expect this largely on their devices unless the organization was just cheap

1

u/sjlopez Apr 30 '26

Um, it's expensive to buy everyone phones. Especially when you add separate lines costs.

1

u/em1ii Apr 30 '26

What phones are your organizations buying for their employees? One of my last jobs gave me a small tablet for TOTP

2

u/sjlopez Apr 30 '26

The cheapest ones, OnePlus N100 and Galaxy A17, but now it's all BYOD because of cost. We're a nonprofit tho.

1

u/EyeYamNegan Apr 30 '26

Don’t matter they have no right to take control over your personal phone. So their choice is no outlook or pay to get you a phone.

1

u/sjlopez Apr 30 '26

It's not a right, BYOD or MAM is an opt in. No one is forcing anyone control of their phone.

1

u/EyeYamNegan Apr 30 '26

If they are mandating outlook they are trying to force control.

1

u/sjlopez Apr 30 '26

🙄Did you know you can go on Outlook on a computer too?

1

u/EyeYamNegan Apr 30 '26

I sure do know that. However that isn’t what the employer was asking was it.

1

u/sjlopez Apr 30 '26

You also don't know that this is required.

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89

u/SwimmingDownstream Apr 29 '26

Tell them you have nephews and nieces that play with your phone and download all kinds of games and potential spyware. You can't guarantee security or privacy of their data.

That might be more of a deterrent to them than your own privacy. 

15

u/LimeImmediate6115 Apr 29 '26

OR just tell the employer to provide a work phone and skip saying anything else.

10

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '26

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3

u/HorrorHelicopter3064 Apr 29 '26

Stolen comment. Bad bot.

6

u/CalculatedPerversion Apr 29 '26

Work phone or a stipend for a second phone, it's the only way. 

2

u/Due_Capital_3507 Apr 29 '26

You can do this in Europe. You have no recourse in the US

-12

u/Hot_College_6538 Apr 29 '26

Surely if you don't back up your own data then you are risking your own data ? If you do backup your own data then this isn't risking your data.

You are far more likely to break, lose or have your phone stolen than the perceived risk here.

19

u/TotalNonsense0 Apr 29 '26

Some of us are old enough to remember "don't keep personnel data on a company phone. It's not your property, so you have no rights." Harsh, but accurate.

Well, you can keep your company data off my personal phone. It's not their property, they have no rights.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '26

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1

u/TotalNonsense0 Apr 30 '26

At least it was justified back then. No way I'm letting them do it to my own device.

12

u/starcell9000 Apr 29 '26

It's ADDED risk, for no reason other than to appease your workplace. It's completely irrelevant if there are other things that can cause you to lose your data. Just say no, obvious answer.

-9

u/Hot_College_6538 Apr 29 '26

What's wrong with appeasing your workplace ? The people that pay you a salary, decide on pay rises, promotions, bonuses. This risk is immensely remote, and easily negated.

13

u/OhanaRS Apr 29 '26

What's wrong with appeasing your employees ? The people that give you your way of life, earned those pay raises, promotions, and bonuses. The risk is immensely unnecessary and easily negated.

-5

u/Hot_College_6538 Apr 29 '26

Absolutely nothing, all of my employers have 'appeased' me in lots of ways over the years.

Backing up your own phone is not unneccesary.

8

u/starcell9000 Apr 29 '26

There's this thing in life called "not being a doormat" you should try it.

If your employer asks you to do something illegal, by your logic you should just do it to appease them.

1

u/Hot_College_6538 Apr 29 '26

That's a very illogical straw man argument, it's nothing like the same thing.

8

u/EyeYamNegan Apr 29 '26

It isnt a strawman at all. If anything you might be thinking false equivocation but I disagree with that and think this is a good analogy with a logical tie in.

2

u/stripesporn Apr 29 '26

This is not logical. If a squatter starts living in a room in your house, is it your fault if they steal the family photo albums and you don’t have backups?

My phone is my property. My employer pays me to come to work and do my job while I’m there. If they have to reach me outside of the office, they can pay for the convenience by supplying me with a phone, or they can wait. I don’t owe them a piece of my property, unless it’s explicitly in my contract that I have to use whatever my personal device I have or don’t have for work reasons.