Ignoring work texts

[tvguy]

No one is denying iMessage can show a read receipt. However, you need to send from an iphone to an iphone, the recipient has to have "read receipt" turned on, AND the message had to be sent as iMessage, not SMS. PP claimed there was a 3rd party APP that would send a read receipt across devices and texting apps. Doesn't exist.

My former boss's latest response:"It says "delivered" at first, then changes to "read" afterwards."
He uses an iPhone.
My Android co-workers say there are a number of APPS that work with Android, . .
I don't do it. In the last 15 minutes I have had co-workers show me on both Android and iPhone that it works.
See your provider if you are interested in doing it because there seems to be reasonable evidence that it can be done.

 

[DaisyJ]

My former boss's latest response:"It says "delivered" at first, then changes to "read" afterwards."
He uses an iPhone.
My Android co-workers say there are a number of APPS that work with Android, . .
I don't do it. In the last 15 minutes I have had co-workers show me on both Android and iPhone that it works.
See your provider if you are interested in doing it because there seems to be reasonable evidence that it can be done.

Last reply on this and then I'm done...it only changes to Read if the person is using imessage with an iphone and has read receipts turned on. Your boss doesn't sound like the brightest bulb.

 

[Allison]

See your provider if you are interested in doing it because there seems to be reasonable evidence that it can be done.

Not with the text function that comes on your phone.

As everyone has told you, this is a possible function of a messaging app such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or Imessenger. You send the messages from these apps, the apps don't function as a a means to tell you if a regular text message has been read.

There is a difference. You are not understanding what the people you are talking to are telling you.

 

[sam_gordon]

My former boss's latest response:"It says "delivered" at first, then changes to "read" afterwards."
He uses an iPhone.
My Android co-workers say there are a number of APPS that work with Android, . .
I don't do it. In the last 15 minutes I have had co-workers show me on both Android and iPhone that it works.
See your provider if you are interested in doing it because there seems to be reasonable evidence that it can be done.

Yes, it can be done *IF* people are using certain messaging apps (WhatsApp, iMessage, Facebook Messenger, etc). If you're using the standard SMS app that came with your phone, you can't tell. As far as evidence...
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/mobile-phone/how-tell-if-someone-has-read-your-text-3605143/

 

[Southernmiss]

The irony in some people's tag lines is intriguing.

 

[msjprincess]

My former boss's latest response:"It says "delivered" at first, then changes to "read" afterwards."
He uses an iPhone.
My Android co-workers say there are a number of APPS that work with Android, . .
I don't do it. In the last 15 minutes I have had co-workers show me on both Android and iPhone that it works.
See your provider if you are interested in doing it because there seems to be reasonable evidence that it can be done.

Only if both parties are using the same app.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Why do retail chains make it a point to put on big sales during Memorial Day? Especially car dealerships and mattress stores. It's disrespectful.

 

[nkereina]

I respectfully disagree. On my day off, with my personal phone, it is up to me if I look at or respond for text messages. A work phone? That may be a different story depending on the conditions that were in place when it was given to me.

My DH moves heavy equipment and his company has not given hom or his colleague a phone. They call him on hs personal phone throughout the day, and after hours if need be, (he refuses to text so they woudl be SOL if they sent him one) and while the calls make his job easier, it irks him a lot. He feels strongly that they should pay for a phne if they want him using one. He does not use it while driving, but between moves he is tied to it.

I have given my clients my personal cell phone number and have encouraged them to use it, either with text or call on my days off. They understand that I may not get teh text, or hear the call, but I prefer to keep on top of any issues they may have. It is entirely my choice, my employer backs me up either way.

I have been called on vacation by clients who were in a pickle, and I helped them. Had I chosen not to respond, I woudl expect that decision to be respected.

In the circumstance you describe with your work, it sounds like responding or answering a client's call could lead to a longer conversation or may require solving a problem, taking time out of your day off. I can understand why you wouldn't want to respond in your scenario. But in the scenario the OP described, it would have been very fast and easy for their co-worker to simply reply to the manager with a "no I can't come in" text and then they could have ignored any subsequent messages. Then the manager could have moved onto the next person to find coverage. While the co-worker may not be obligated to do that, to me it just seems like the professional and polite thing to do so as not to leave their employer hanging.

 

[soccerdad72]

Why do retail chains make it a point to put on big sales during Memorial Day? Especially car dealerships and mattress stores. It's disrespectful.

It's pretty standard for retail to have "sales" on every three-day weekend. Let's face it, the real meaning behind days like Memorial Day or Independence Day is long gone, it seems.

 

[sam_gordon]

it just seems like the professional and polite thing to do so as not to leave their employer hanging.

A manager should not expect an immediate reply to a text based on all the various possibilities listed in this thread. If you need someone to come in, sure, text (I would say call) an employee. If there's no answer in ~5 minutes, move on to the next person. If you wait 4 hours for the first person to reply, that's stupid on the manager's part, not "leaving them hanging" on the employees part.

 

[msjprincess]

A manager should not expect an immediate reply to a text based on all the various possibilities listed in this thread. If you need someone to come in, sure, text (I would say call) an employee. If there's no answer in ~5 minutes, move on to the next person. If you wait 4 hours for the first person to reply, that's stupid on the manager's part, not "leaving them hanging" on the employees part.

Exactly. That's how it's always been where DH and I work. You just go down the list. Leave a message, call the next person. Sitting around waiting, especially on a holiday weekend makes no sense.

 

[piccolopat]

Read what you typed... that shows WHEN. IT. WAS. DELIVERED. He's not saying "I see you read my message at... ".

That is not the case with our phones / service provider. I send DH a text when I am on the train to let him know when I will be arriving since he picks me up at the station. Sometimes he doesn't get the text for several minutes after the time I send it. The time that shows on my phone is different than the time on his. This could be because he is in a dead zone, his phone is off, there is too much traffic on the network, etc. and there is a delay. Even still, delivery to a phone isn't the same as a person has read the text. When I get a text, I see a preview from my home screen automatically but it isn't registered as read (and clears the icon) until I go into the text app.

 

[nkereina]

A manager should not expect an immediate reply to a text based on all the various possibilities listed in this thread. If you need someone to come in, sure, text (I would say call) an employee. If there's no answer in ~5 minutes, move on to the next person. If you wait 4 hours for the first person to reply, that's stupid on the manager's part, not "leaving them hanging" on the employees part.

I hear you, and I don't disagree. The manager should be calling and not texting when they need someone to come in. But in this day and age, especially with certain age ranges (mine included), texting is just the norm that has replaced phone calls for things like this. Perhaps the manager did move on after not receiving a quick reply from the person, but it still would have looked better on the employee to shoot a quick text back saying no. If they truly didn't see the text until hours later, it still would have been easy and painless for the employee to say "sorry, didn't get your text until now, i'm not able to come in at all. hope you found someone" - or something along those lines. I agree there's no obligation and should be no punishment, but I just feel like it's the nice thing to do.

 

[sam_gordon]

That is not the case with our phones / service provider. I send DH a text when I am on the train to let him know when I will be arriving since he picks me up at the station. Sometimes he doesn't get the text for several minutes after the time I send it. The time that shows on my phone is different than the time on his. This could be because he is in a dead zone, his phone is off, there is too much traffic on the network, etc. and there is a delay. Even still, delivery to a phone isn't the same as a person has read the text. When I get a text, I see a preview from my home screen automatically but it isn't registered as read (and clears the icon) until I go into the text app.

You might want to go back and read the context of what you're quoting.

 

[wenrob]

He or she must mean they know when it was delivered. I leave me read receipt on as do most of the people I deal with that have i phones. We want the sender to know that we read the message if we haven't had time to respond. Don't know why some insist on leaving the read off. The sender knows you read it, and are ignoring the text.

Your two statements are kind of contradicting each other. If read receipts is off you don't know the person read it and is ignoring it. That's why they'd leave it off. Even if it does show read it doesn't mean the person actually read it. There have been times where the Touch ID on my phone is super quick and if the last place I happened to be was a text convo it will show that person I read it but I've gone right out of messages because that's not why I opened my phone. So I may have opened it but not even looked at it.

FWIW Read Receipts is no longer just a global setting. You can set it up for or turn it off for individual contacts (who use iMessage.) I have it turned on for my DH and kids and off for everyone else. This is kind of our signal that 'I saw your message but I can't respond right now.' Not always effective because we really may not have. For a boss who thinks texting is a professional way to contact someone and has a habit of texting me on my day off? This would be OFF.

There's also this handy little feature called Do Not Disturb. This works for ALL messages/phone calls. You can turn it on globally or for individual contacts. A long holiday weekend I'd personally have it on for everyone, most certainly the boss who is not paying me to be on call.

My DH's boss would never text him, he would call and if he did it's probably pretty damn important. They're dealing with millions of dollars worth of equipment and if DH was the last person on shift he may be the only person who can answer a particular question. These instances are very far and few between. He'd answer a call in because Call in Pay+OT+Holiday=a very nice chunk of change. But if we had plans, even just small ones he would answer and turn it down. His employers don't take advantage of the situation though. If call outs were due to poor scheduling and he was being habitually called knowing my DH he wouldn't bother to answer or acknowledge them.

 

[RedAngie]

Why do retail chains make it a point to put on big sales during Memorial Day? Especially car dealerships and mattress stores. It's disrespectful.

Because for plenty of people, Memorial Day is a shopping holiday. Or it's a three day weekend at the beach, picnics, or various other leisure activities. The true meaning may be observed for an hour or two in the morning, but what are people supposed to do the rest of the day?

 

[piccolopat]

You might want to go back and read the context of what you're quoting.

Sorry if I quoted the wrong post. I was on the train and lost my signal so I apparently went to the wrong post when signal came back.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Exactly. That's how it's always been where DH and I work. You just go down the list. Leave a message, call the next person. Sitting around waiting, especially on a holiday weekend makes no sense.

That's how it was in all the retail that I worked in the past.

 

[smiths02]

The thing is, I feel that it sometimes is perceived as rude if you do respond. Darned if you do, darned if you don't kind of situation. It also depends on the question.
I sometimes have a need to email my colleagues asking them to do something that would not take more than a few minutes (we have various work sites and sometimes you need something from the central office)...I usually send a group email asking "Can anyone do xyz for me?"
I've also had a boss send group text/e-mails asking "Can someone cover xyz meeting tomorrow?"
In both those instances, I don't consider it rude to ignore if indeed you cannot do it. I really don't want to get all the no responses with or without excuses.

I am a passive person, and I really don't like to say no, especially if I have to justify it. I don't see it as rude to ignore if it was a general text to ask for extra people to work. And would it be considered rude to text back just "no"? Why do I have to text back, "No, I cannot come in today. I am busy." I see a lot of people advocating that as a response. This is already a day off, why must it be justified for something that is not an emergency? Has someone just outright told the person that a "no" would suffice and be preferred?

I also agree with people who stated that texts aren't always delivered in a timely manner, for whatever reason. If I was in the mountains, for example, I might not get the text until hours later. If you wanted me to come in for work at noon and I get the text at 7pm, do I then need to take time out of my day off to craft a response about how I never got the text?

 

[Klayfish]

Why do retail chains make it a point to put on big sales during Memorial Day? Especially car dealerships and mattress stores. It's disrespectful.

Why is it disrespectful?