1y ago

Boss man said I have to listen to all the voicemails on the phone.

39 comments

Assuming these are messages from the businesses customers, in what world would it be sane NOT to listen and respond to your customers?
- Well it's because I'm site security , and while technically yes it's within my scope of employment, that phone should've been answered by the previous 2 shifts, or the other security officer working the desk with that phone.
  I'm not sure why the boss decided I should do it.
  
  So, protip: at the beginning of your shift, notate the number of voicemails and notify your boss. Clear out the voicemails correctly. Notify your boss.
  Keep track of the time stamps from the VM envelopes. This will help your boss identify who isn't doing their work, and is a "gentle" prompt. It may not happen immediately, but eventually there will be a bulk of data showing that it's particular people on particular shifts.
  Doesn't help you to raise a fuss about it, but if you handle it and create documentation around it, it will either get resolved or you will be more justified in a decision to look for a new job. Or to ask for a raise/apply for a promotion/whatever.
  
  Context, man, this post needs context! It seriously sounds like you're mildly infuriated that you're being asked to do your job until you explain that you're actually pissed off at the other workers for not doing their job.
  
  Ahhhhh thank you for the context!! Yeah no one wants to have to cleanup after co workers not doing their jobs!
- Right??
  Maybe some context would help explain why being asked to do your job is mildly infuriating.
  
  Why do that when it’s easier to whine into the void?
- Even assuming they're mostly spam, you still need to listen to them in order to sort out which messages are legitimate.
  I understand being annoyed by the task, but this is a job that's justifiable. It's not some petty make work bullshit (unless these messages have been collecting for months, then they can probably be safely ignored). Either way, it doesn't seem worthwhile to try and get all petty revenge about the situation.

What's your hourly rate? Sounds like the easiest day of work ever.
- $20. It was alright ig
  
  iggy pop

Put that shit on and break out some Space Cadet my man!
- Man that's a throwback! I managed to find the game for Linux ages ago, absolutely loved it
  
  You can play it also on Android! https://github.com/fexed/Pinball-on-Android

Shouldn't be that big a deal, I'd pop open a spreadsheet and take notes, send it to the boss.
Call #1 - 7/14/2023 From 555-1212 7:43 AM - No audio.
Call #2...

You know what time it is. That's right. Malicious compliance time!
- This right here. You get paid either way. Since its just voice mail, there's no reason you need to sit in an office for this work. Go to the beach, the mountains, or forest with a second device to turn on some nice music. Bring a cooler with your favorite beverages and a picnic lunch. Kick back with your sunglasses on, and start listening to those Voice Mails.
  Boss: "Where have you been for the past 3 days?!"
  You: "Doing exactly what you told me to; listening to the voice mails. I even my notes sorted them into categories for you. There is apparently some really diligent people interested in letting us know about our car warranty."
  
  This hypothetical would be way more at home on reddit.

Listen? Ok.
Respond, return call, take a message etc, no thank you.

I work in IT and when the phone guy asked if I wanted voicemail on my phone I said NO.

I turned off voicemail years ago. Spam, hangups, long rambling calls with no useful details, long rambling calls for the wrong business. Our phone just plays a "Sorry we missed you" message, lists the hours and encourages them to send an email.
- I just never set mine up so when you call me and I predicably don't answer, it just says "This user has a mailbox that has not been set up yet. Please try your call again later." What I'd rather it say is "Hang up and text me like a normal person. If you can't text me, I don't want to hear from you anyway."

Ah, but did he say you need to do anything about them?

can't you call into the voicemail system from an outside line, log into it, and listen to the messages?

My service provider lets me download messages as audio files.
I'd download them and pop them into a player that can display waveforms, so that you can skip those pocket dials with a bunch of silence. Or so that you can speed up the audio to 1.5x, which will be 33% faster than listening at normal speed.
OR if you dont feel like working for a few days, play the stuff back at 0.75x for a 33% increase of your billable hours.
- Almost every place I call has a voice mail limit to prevent people from rambling on. Some places are 60 seconds, some are 120 seconds.
  If OPs place is similar, they might only have an hour and a half of work.