Work uses Whatsapp

Privacy
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So I work from home, but my workplace have a whatsapp group and it seems that its «mandatory» to have whatsapp… I dont want Whatsapp…
So is there a way to get out of this? Can I make up that my number is banned from Whatsapp and send them a fake screenshot of it? Is that a solution? Please give any suggestions

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This is lie. And to make it worse for you it’s easily discoverable one that can (and should) get you fired. Not wisest idea.

Not to mention its a forgery so punishable with prison time.

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Doesn’t need to be a lie if I actually get it banned by spamming everywhere, but I get what you sayin

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@anon26110603 to be completely honest I think itd quicker for you to get another charge of stalking than to get blocked on Whatsapp, but thats just my wild guess…
People just block one another when some number annoys them. And thats it.

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Yeah well, I guess the best I can do then is to have 1 work phone and 1 private phone for now

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Thats the best way for you to go.
If you are tech person than you can also go with one number and proxy. But configuring it is more advanced thing.

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Yes I already have an separate number for it, I will look into proxy, wasn’t aware of that. Thanks man

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You could also use whatsapp in a work/user profile with a voip number to keep things contained.

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Thanks for the suggestions, will give that a try too.

I just hate how workplaces are enforcing Whatsapp, guess its a way to control more… Anyways im screwed with this job due to the use of Microsoft ecosystem etc.

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This is the worst part of working in IT, pushes tech on you that you don’t wanna use on your devices.

Guess it’s time to start my own business :+1:

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I have same feelings. And workplaces dont enforce Whatsapp only. Many other software stacks also.

Depends on your position, knowledge, as well as other factors… on my current position Im completely free to choose whatever software I want to work with. But thats me.

Or just start following PG’s recommendations. :slight_smile:

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Yeah I mean, ok cool if you give me an phone and a computer I can deal with it I guess. But once they try to push you to download Microsoft Authenticator and Whatsapp etc on your personal device thats over the line honestly.

It really depends on your position for sure, and I’m happy you have the freedom to choose.

Yeah I have followed PG a long time, but just recently I joined the forum due to I didn’t want to be a part of any other social media platform. Good old forums is the way to go…

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Have you talked to your employer about this? I think you should try explaining that your uncomfortable using whatsapp and that if they need you to use it you would like to be provided a work phone to use it on.

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Options:

  • Don’t install it on your phone, only work computer. They said you need WhatsApp, not to have it installed on your local device. If they need to reach you, your number is listed there. Still have to use your real number, or maybe you can get around it.
  • If they insist on having it installed on your phone, ask for a work phone. They can’t tell you to install it on your phone, though if you need a job push comes to shove sometimes.

Maybe you could push for Slack after joining? There are so many great integrations you could push for, and convince them the business side is amazing. No phone number needed.

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Strange advice IMHO. Ay least on WhatsApp some data is encrypted on slack nothing is.

Hard to sya what you should do. Personally i don’t see WhatsApp as end of the world. It is a lot better than several other options. And as someone suggested above just use a voip number if you wantnto contain the use.

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Depends on your use case. For personal, I definitely want E2E encryption + no ties to my phone. For work, I fine with taking the hit of E2E encryption so my number isn’t associated, and I don’t disclose personal details there. But fair point - slack isn’t encrypted, and a con for sure.

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If they insist on having it installed on your phone, ask for a work phone. They can’t tell you to install it on your phone, though if you need a job push comes to shove sometimes.

Completely false. An employer can mandate their employees do whatever they want so long as it isn’t illegal or discriminatory. I’ve had plenty of jobs tell me I was required to have certain things for the job and that I’d be expected to pay for them out of pocket.

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18

You could bridge to matrix, there are some paying services that allow you to do so, however that may not be OK with your company due to intellectual property, etc.

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I was/am in a similar situation, though it’s not employer who asks, but colleagues, for unofficial group chats and outside of work activities. So I took the old phone, bought another SIM card and activated WA there. That phone is always at home, I’m not taking it with me (also without mobile internet). I check WA via web browser, or from matrix client on PC (separate account with WA & Telegram bridges)

I am using Schildi chat (matrix account with WA bridge) on my primary phone. I’m aware it might leak more WA data (I get some status data that I probably shouldn’t see), but I don’t care much, as I barely write anything. Also, it can not be used for calls, only chats.

On the plus side, the company actually prohibits use of WA for any work related tasks, so people are becoming aware there are issues with it, and I see more and more colleagues on Signal

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Ask for a work phone. If they want you to install software they need to supply you with a device for that.
Only use the work phone for WA (and whatever else work-related), never for private things.

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