I just have to shake my head at some of our company policies

[vi edit]

I work in an application support group that provides support to a group of hospitals. Hospitals work 24/7 and thus, require 24/7 support.

So my group has an on call schedule that we rotate out to take after hours calls.

Since the inception of the system we used pagers to notify oncall staff of after hours situations. For various reasons we ditched the pagers and went to cell phones recently.

Just today, they send out a communcation stating that they will no longer allow our help desk to leave voicemails on the phones after hours. If the phone isn't answered they will call us out our secondary contact numbers.

I just have to shake my head. Half the point of a cell phone *IS FOR THE VOICEMAIL*. And now they just effectively took us back to even less functionality than a pager.

At least with a pager you could leave extension numbers as part of the txt message, you can't do that if you hang up on a cell phone call.

So now, if I'm out for dinner, or in any other number of places that I can't immediately answer the phone if they call me, they call my home number and stand even worse of a chance of getting me.

And now, to make it even more frustrating, when I do get to the phone and see that there was a call, I have to call into the help desk and play the "Pass the phone" game until I finally figure out who it was that was trying to reach me.

*sigh*

I hate policies for the sake of policies.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Have they not considered having it automatically try the next phone number in a priority list? It would be much easier to rotate on a priority list so that in the event that one person can't take a call, it'll automatically go to the next one in the list.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: AgaBoogaBoo
Have they not considered having it automatically try the next phone number in a priority list? It would be much easier to rotate on a priority list so that in the event that one person can't take a call, it'll automatically go to the next one in the list.

The thing is that we really don't have an automated system in place and our "on call" switches out weekly.

One week I might have the on call phone with the backup being my home phone. The next week someone else will have the on call phone with their home phone being the backup.

The common sense policy is simply to say:

1) Call the on call phone
2) If the phone isn't answered, leave a voice mail with a description and a number for the help desk contact and state that you are also calling the home phone incase you don't get this message
3) Then call the backup number and hope they are home and leave a message that they called the on call phone with a similar message

 

[buck]

I have to share an on call cell phone, we used to have to answer, but recently changed over to taking voicemails. I couldn't go back, it ruined weekends and nights.

 

[huberm]

some unions stipulate that if a message is left for an employee after hours, comp time is earned when the employee listens to the message.

Not sure if that is why your employer did this, but it might be.

 

[her209]

What if your in the middle of a shower or worst?

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: huberm
some unions stipulate that if a message is left for an employee after hours, comp time is earned when the employee listens to the message.

Not sure if that is why your employer did this, but it might be.

unions = stupidest people ever. i stand firm.

 

[huberm]

Originally posted by: MrDudeMan

Originally posted by: huberm
some unions stipulate that if a message is left for an employee after hours, comp time is earned when the employee listens to the message.

Not sure if that is why your employer did this, but it might be.

unions = stupidest people ever. i stand firm.

Actually I like that rule because it keeps calls down. I absolutely hate having to think about work when I'm at home.

 

[tm37]

So when you are on call you still go out to dinner and don't answer the phone?

WOW

On call means on call and you answer the phone. I run a support department and When we close down early and they are "on call" they are to answer the damn phone.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: tm37
So when you are on call you still go out to dinner and don't answer the phone?

WOW

On call means on call and you answer the phone. I run a support department and When we close down early and they are "on call" they are to answer the damn phone.

Typically I'll answer it immediately, but if I'm in the middle of ordering I'll let it go to VM an call back in. If I'm in a movie I put it to silent and I won't pick it up until I'm out in the lobby. It might roll to VM before I ge there. If I'm driving I don't answer the phone. I let it roll to VM so that I call pull over and call from a parking lot or a stopped area. If I'm in the shower I let it go to VM before I climb out and dry off. If I'm sleeping I'll typically get woke up by the ring, but won't answer it until I'm awake and have my brain functioning.

Also, I'm in an area where Verizon(our carrier) is spotty in parts of town. I could be driving and just randomly I will have a VM pop up on the phone. They could have left the message 15 minutes ago.

I don't dodge on call responsibilities. Leave me a message and I *WILL* get back to you in a very fast and reasonable timeframe. I'm doing people a favor not immediately answering when I'm not prepared to take a call.

As for the "policy", I was able to dig around this morning and find the reason. You'll love it - somebody forgot what they set the VM password to and couldn't check it. HA!

 

[FoBoT]

support sucks

 

[pontifex]

why not have 2 people on call, one primary and one backup? thats how they did it at my last job.

 

[tm37]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: tm37
So when you are on call you still go out to dinner and don't answer the phone?

WOW

On call means on call and you answer the phone. I run a support department and When we close down early and they are "on call" they are to answer the damn phone.

Typically I'll answer it immediately, but if I'm in the middle of ordering I'll let it go to VM an call back in. If I'm in a movie I put it to silent and I won't pick it up until I'm out in the lobby. It might roll to VM before I ge there. If I'm driving I don't answer the phone. I let it roll to VM so that I call pull over and call from a parking lot or a stopped area. If I'm in the shower I let it go to VM before I climb out and dry off. If I'm sleeping I'll typically get woke up by the ring, but won't answer it until I'm awake and have my brain functioning.

Also, I'm in an area where Verizon(our carrier) is spotty in parts of town. I could be driving and just randomly I will have a VM pop up on the phone. They could have left the message 15 minutes ago.

I don't dodge on call responsibilities. Leave me a message and I *WILL* get back to you in a very fast and reasonable timeframe. I'm doing people a favor not immediately answering when I'm not prepared to take a call.

As for the "policy", I was able to dig around this morning and find the reason. You'll love it - somebody forgot what they set the VM password to and couldn't check it. HA!

My point is if you are all call you should not be going out to dinner or to the movies.

You should be answerinf your phone

I have a pretty liberal policy of on call however when we do an "ON CALL DAY" due to weather or holiday (XMAS EVE, ECT..) You answer the phone. Than means NO MOVIES, NO restaurants, If you put yourself in a spot that you can not answer the phone that is not acceptible.

Also doing people a favor by not answering the call? Voice mail is never better, it is always better to answer and say "I WILL CALL YOU BACK in...."

 

[kevnich2]

Originally posted by: tm37

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: tm37
So when you are on call you still go out to dinner and don't answer the phone?

WOW

On call means on call and you answer the phone. I run a support department and When we close down early and they are "on call" they are to answer the damn phone.

Typically I'll answer it immediately, but if I'm in the middle of ordering I'll let it go to VM an call back in. If I'm in a movie I put it to silent and I won't pick it up until I'm out in the lobby. It might roll to VM before I ge there. If I'm driving I don't answer the phone. I let it roll to VM so that I call pull over and call from a parking lot or a stopped area. If I'm in the shower I let it go to VM before I climb out and dry off. If I'm sleeping I'll typically get woke up by the ring, but won't answer it until I'm awake and have my brain functioning.

Also, I'm in an area where Verizon(our carrier) is spotty in parts of town. I could be driving and just randomly I will have a VM pop up on the phone. They could have left the message 15 minutes ago.

I don't dodge on call responsibilities. Leave me a message and I *WILL* get back to you in a very fast and reasonable timeframe. I'm doing people a favor not immediately answering when I'm not prepared to take a call.

As for the "policy", I was able to dig around this morning and find the reason. You'll love it - somebody forgot what they set the VM password to and couldn't check it. HA!

My point is if you are all call you should not be going out to dinner or to the movies.

You should be answerinf your phone

I have a pretty liberal policy of on call however when we do an "ON CALL DAY" due to weather or holiday (XMAS EVE, ECT..) You answer the phone. Than means NO MOVIES, NO restaurants, If you put yourself in a spot that you can not answer the phone that is not acceptible.

Also doing people a favor by not answering the call? Voice mail is never better, it is always better to answer and say "I WILL CALL YOU BACK in...."

Well if your hourly and not at work, I don't agree with that policy at all. I get calls all the time after hours, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop my personal life just because I happen to be on call. Now when I get a call, it might go to voice mail and I'll pick up the call in 5 minutes but I'm not going to stop my entire life and sit there and WAIT for the phone to ring. There's lots of times when you simply can't answer the phone depending on where you're at, so you let it go to VM and call them back in a few minutes.

 

[Gunslinger08]

Originally posted by: tm37
My point is if you are all call you should not be going out to dinner or to the movies.

You should be answerinf your phone

I have a pretty liberal policy of on call however when we do an "ON CALL DAY" due to weather or holiday (XMAS EVE, ECT..) You answer the phone. Than means NO MOVIES, NO restaurants, If you put yourself in a spot that you can not answer the phone that is not acceptible.

Also doing people a favor by not answering the call? Voice mail is never better, it is always better to answer and say "I WILL CALL YOU BACK in...."

You sound like a blast to work for...

 

[woowoo]

Are you paid to be on call?

 

[daveshel]

Sounds like somebody is dodging their responsibilities and your management is retaliating. It is not reasonable to expect you to skip the shower just because you are ob call, even if you skip the restaurant and the movies.

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: tm37
So when you are on call you still go out to dinner and don't answer the phone?

WOW

On call means on call and you answer the phone. I run a support department and When we close down early and they are "on call" they are to answer the damn phone.

Typically I'll answer it immediately, but if I'm in the middle of ordering I'll let it go to VM an call back in. If I'm in a movie I put it to silent and I won't pick it up until I'm out in the lobby. It might roll to VM before I ge there. If I'm driving I don't answer the phone. I let it roll to VM so that I call pull over and call from a parking lot or a stopped area. If I'm in the shower I let it go to VM before I climb out and dry off. If I'm sleeping I'll typically get woke up by the ring, but won't answer it until I'm awake and have my brain functioning.

Also, I'm in an area where Verizon(our carrier) is spotty in parts of town. I could be driving and just randomly I will have a VM pop up on the phone. They could have left the message 15 minutes ago.

I don't dodge on call responsibilities. Leave me a message and I *WILL* get back to you in a very fast and reasonable timeframe. I'm doing people a favor not immediately answering when I'm not prepared to take a call.

As for the "policy", I was able to dig around this morning and find the reason. You'll love it - somebody forgot what they set the VM password to and couldn't check it. HA!

So basically you're on call when it's convenient.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: woowoo
Are you paid to be on call?

I'm salaried. It's "built" into the pay. Doesn't matter if I take 50 calls during my week or 1 call. Still get paid the same.

As for "my" oncall policy, here's how it used to work when *I WAS THE ONE* putting out the pages to on call people when I was staffing the service desk.

1) I put in the page
2) 15-20 minutes later I'd get a call back
3) I'd describe the situation to the on call person
4) They'd simply say "Ok, let le look at it and I'll call you back"
5) I'd call back to the end user telling them that on call was working on it
6) eventually the on call would research and either call back the service desk or the end user

Here's *my* system for on call

1) Service desk calls in to me. If I can get to the phone, great, if not leave me a detailed message.
2) If they leave a detailed message, I can go ahead and get signed into the systems/applications that are having problems and see what is up before I call the service desk back
3) Once I have bearing on what is happening I can call them back and immediately give them an idea of what is wrong and a time frame or I can directly call the end user

I save some steps and provide better support to the end user.

I just find that my way is better than simply answering a phone and saying "ok, I'll look at it and call you back".

When you call into a support desk what do you prefer to have to do? Have someone answer and say "explain to me what is happening", or have someone answer and say "I understand your problem is this, and I know how to fix it it".

I like being prepared and having a heads up gives me a bit of time to research and analyze before being put on the spot.

 

[tm37]

Originally posted by: joshsquall

Originally posted by: tm37
My point is if you are all call you should not be going out to dinner or to the movies.

You should be answerinf your phone

I have a pretty liberal policy of on call however when we do an "ON CALL DAY" due to weather or holiday (XMAS EVE, ECT..) You answer the phone. Than means NO MOVIES, NO restaurants, If you put yourself in a spot that you can not answer the phone that is not acceptible.

Also doing people a favor by not answering the call? Voice mail is never better, it is always better to answer and say "I WILL CALL YOU BACK in...."

You sound like a blast to work for...

Actually they really do like working for me.

I am not an effort guy.. I don't care how hard you work. I am results guy I care what gets done.

However if I give something I expect something in return. When I started they were the big takers of blame and the joke of our industry. now they are condsidered the best (same people) there are rules and expectations. They both make more than they could make elsewhere and to be honest I don't ask any more than I do myself.

We have turned a corner and both have stated they enjoy working for me because they now have job satisifaction. Recently a feild job opened up and both could have had it and while it paid more neither pursued it due to 1. the travel was about 15% and they like working for me. I do all I can to give them the tools to do their job. I also do all I can to ensure they get the credit for the sucess and I take the blame for failures.

 

[sswingle]

On call here leaves a VM if the phone isnt answered in time. They get a call back and everyone is happy. No need to not go to the movies or something just because you are on call.