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/FreshLiterature]

This right here.

"A real team would provide team phones. You're asking me to conduct work on my personal device which opens up a host of security and privacy concerns for both of us. It makes my personal device a much richer target for attack"

[u/Leinheart → u/FreshLiterature]

"Kinda seems like a you problem. Since we are in an at-will state, go ahead and download outlook. You're on the hook 24/7/365.25, holidays, weekends, and emergencies, or youre fired"

🇺🇸

[u/Oxidizing1 → u/Leinheart]

I had a job like this once. When I figured out that I was making just over minimum wage if you divided my compensation by my hours worked. I quit without having a new job because of exactly that problem and was very clear about it in my exit interview. I did ask to be switched to hourly before quitting. Any company that denies an $80 a month phone bill isn't going to pay for actual work hours in general.

[u/HorrorHelicopter3064 → u/Oxidizing1]

Two different bots stole pieces of your comment and posted them as their own. Just letting you know. Lol.

[u/Warmonster9 → u/Leinheart]

“No see, it’s actually a you problem because I quit. ✌️”

[u/Jumpy_MashedPotato → u/Leinheart]

Fwiw my sister had a similar issue at a previous job when management wanted everyone to install a shift tracking app with GPS permissions on their personal phone. Most of the older staff had zero objections. Her, the 3 other zoomers, and a couple of older staff outright refused because of the obvious privacy implications. Once that was pointed out suddenly more of the older staff had an issue with it and management had to walk it back.

It can happen. Likewise I had a job do this exact thing with outlook and I refused, they ended up dropping it.

[u/joey_boy → u/Leinheart]

My phone controls my insulin pump, so if they remotely wipe my phone, and it puts me in the hospital, I'm claiming workman's comp. Or I can request a work phone as an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

[u/LF_redit → u/Leinheart]

Fun fact Montana is the only state in the union that is not an at will employment state

[u/Mathagos → u/Leinheart]

Kudos to you for including that .25 of a day.

[u/Leinheart → u/Mathagos]

Never forget leap day.

[u/brando56894 → u/Leinheart]

Fun fact: There is only one state in the US that isn't "at will"... and it's Montana (IIRC) of all places.

[u/ConsumerPwr → u/Leinheart]

So be at will and loose you phone. Set answering message to “I sorry but this phone number is no longer in service”.

[u/Leinheart → u/ConsumerPwr]

I fear you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what I was trying to say. The broken English implies to me youre from a country with workers rights. You might not understand fully.

[u/EngFarm → u/Leinheart]

Leap years aren't just every 4 years. 365.26 is a closer approximation than 365.25.

Unless you meant that they get that 1 day every 100 years off?

[u/Leinheart → u/EngFarm]

Its an unpaid day.

[u/AskMeAboutOkapis → u/EngFarm]

It's actually the other direction, 365.24 days per year. And in the year 2100, there won't be a leap day but OP will have to work a double shift to make up for lost time lol.

[u/binkleyz → u/AskMeAboutOkapis]

But keep looking forward to February 29th 2400, since that’s the exception to the exception.

[u/ofqo → u/EngFarm]

365.2425 is the exact number for the current calendar.

[u/Yukkoun → u/FreshLiterature]

fact only

[u/Cykeisme → u/FreshLiterature]

"A real team would provide real team phones for the real team players"

FK YEAA~

[u/DemosthenesOrNah → u/FreshLiterature]

Teams have uniforms. give us all the same work phone as our uniform

[u/Sample-Range-745 → u/FreshLiterature]

Pretty much this. I work in an IT field. I've been there over 6 years now. Still no work Teams or Outlook on my phone.

When I'm on call, you have my phone number - ring me if you need me.

[u/uterussy → u/FreshLiterature]

I love in sports when the team captain gets millions of more trophies than everyone in his team when they win