Thread: Tools of the Trade

Here's a conundrum. How do you decide whether you or your employer supplies essential kit for your job?

If you work in an office, you'll need a desk. Nobody'd expect you to buy your own desk. You also need clothes (in my case, to stop women turning into lust crazed demons and pouncing on me). In a standard office job, you'd be expected to buy and wear your own clothes.

What about mobile phones? A mate works 9-5 in an office and he has to be on call at other times. To be on call he needs a mobile phone and he's just lost his. The lost phone belonged to my mate, not to his employer.

The nature of mateys job means that he needs an all singing, all dancing push email type phone that will cost over 100 quid.

Employer thinks mate should buy a new phone ASAP so they can continue to call him at all hours of the night. Mate reckons he can do without a mobile for personal use so wants the employer to fund the phone.

Who is right? Should matey cough up for a mobile like he does for the glasses that he needs to do his job, or should his employer provide a mobile phone same as they provide one for his desk?

What if he buys the phone and they pay the bills? Then he could probably get a free phone depending on the contract. Or he could get a proper job instead.

I think they should provide the phone.
As long as he doesn't use it for personal purposes, which can be checked by seeing the phone bill, its the same as the glasses; he needs it to be able to do his job.

*Union steward hat on*

If the employer wants him to have a phone, they should buy a phone. If the contract states that your mate has to supply a phone, then ...well...he has to. Otherwise you could argue it's employer responsibility

*union hat off*

However, this is the NAAFI - is your mate female and and can she take a full fist?

He should pay himself if employers pay for a phone that he will want to use for personal calls even if he has to pay for them. This is ridiculous what next because he has to wear clothes at work are they gonna pay for them?

Originally Posted by Glesga_short_bloke

However, this is the NAAFI - is your mate female and and can she take a full fist?

Good point, but front bottom or back?

Im keen to know to.

I think your mate may be on a looser here if, in the past, he provided his own mobile 'phone. Its called "custom and practice". If knew he was expected to be at his gaffer's beck and call and he provided his own mobile 'phone I think his boss is right to expect him to be contactable, HOWEVER, his boss expecting him to have a 'phone with all the bells and whistles is a different kettle of fishies. I suggest he gets hold of a cheap 'phone (£15 from Woolies) and lets his boss have the number. If his boss wants to do super-dooper things over the 'phone, he is responsible for providing said 'phone. Compromise / Common Sense ?

He can borrow mine.

I was told once that I had to pay for my personal calls on the company phone. Cue one phone being placed on knobs desk. That lasted for two days. Cue one phone being placed back on my desk, - never paid a penny since.

Originally Posted by Spank-it

I was told once that I had to pay for my personal calls on the company phone. Cue one phone being placed on knobs desk. That lasted for two days. Cue one phone being placed back on my desk, - never paid a penny since.

Hope you're confessing that to Harry the Taxman. He'll be wanting to tax you on calls made, value of the phone, value of electricity for charging the battery, value of amusing ring tones - oh and don't forget the national insurance too.

Gordon has to get the money to fund Sven's Sky subscription from somewhere you know.

started off similar for recieving calls. once my boss went on Long Term Sick, and I was doing his job and testing new solutions, I got a phone. never had to pay a penny for personal calls.

in my new job, got a phone straightaway (Blackberry) but the bar stewards at work would bill me for personal calls, then make me pay tax as well