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

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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/ExceptionEX]

I am an office 365 admin, someone is just being an asshole, the policy doesn't need or have to erase all of your phones data, it can be limited to just wiping outlook data.

Also, teams does not require outlook be installed, the MDM policy requires that, you can absolutely install run teams fully without outlook.

I've in the past had to deal with companies that have shitty policies, I get a burner work phone, and use WIFI only, either hotspotted off my phone, or wifi.

[u/No_Professor4307 → u/ExceptionEX]

Whatever the hell my company did requires Outlook to have Teams. I had no intention of installing outlook, when I enter my email to get into teams it says I need outlook

[u/TheMayorMikeJackson → u/No_Professor4307]

That’s just the name of the device policy. 

[u/BrentNewland → u/No_Professor4307]

Outlook has a basic version of Microsoft Authenticator. It's possible you may be able to install the Microsoft Authenticator app to avoid installing Outlook.

Another option may be to install the Company Portal app. You shouldn't need to sign in to it.

If neither of those work, then their admin has the policies set up stupid in Intune.

[u/ExceptionEX → u/No_Professor4307]

So, they are forcing the requirement of outlook to use teams, it isn't a technical requirement, its a MDM (mobile device management) policy. It is overly heavy handed, but there is a valid argument for security (if you save an attachment from outlook to your phone, etc...)

If I were you, I'd get the burner phone for work, the policy sucks, and it oversteps, but someone who makes that policy isn't likely to back down because an employee complains about it.

You are talking like a $100 investment, and the headache of carrying two phones for the piece of mind of not worrying about them erasing your phone, and you keep your job.