Installing apps for work on your personal phone?

Installing apps for work on your personal phone?

Author
Discussion

bitchstewie

Original Poster:

50,790 posts

209 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
quotequote all
Do any of you work a company that has asked you to install an "app" on your personal phone in order to be able to use the service that the app gives access to?

I'll use something such as SalesForce as an example, but essentially something where there shouldn't be any reasons to feel "wary" of doing so.

If so, did you? If you didn't, what were the reasons please?

Be good for this to stay here please as I'm after feedback from regular Joe vs. people who may go out their way to look at the computer forum.

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
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I wouldn't, and I can't imagine why a company would take the risk. My company gives phones to anyone who needs them for business use, and with cheap smartphones being so cheap these days it seems odd to do anything else.

Jasandjules

69,825 posts

228 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
quotequote all
I have my work phone for work things. If they want to put apps on a phone, they can provide you with a phone....

bitchstewie

Original Poster:

50,790 posts

209 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
quotequote all
To be fair Salesforce was a bad example as there is company data involved. Think something such as the Google Authenticator app.

Quhet

2,409 posts

145 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
quotequote all
ask for a work phone if they want you to do work stuff on one

Allanv

3,540 posts

185 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
quotequote all
bhstewie said:
Do any of you work a company that has asked you to install an "app" on your personal phone in order to be able to use the service that the app gives access to?

I'll use something such as SalesForce as an example, but essentially something where there shouldn't be any reasons to feel "wary" of doing so.

If so, did you? If you didn't, what were the reasons please?

Be good for this to stay here please as I'm after feedback from regular Joe vs. people who may go out their way to look at the computer forum.
As a contractor I am asked to use my own phone for some things but this latest contract wanted me to have email / VPN authentication software (I will put the VPN software on my phone) and a few others so asked them for a company mobile.

Reason being to have the above they wanted encryption software and remote wipe so that will not happen, I do have my own software for that but not what they control.

But I got to choose the phone so all good in the end.

bitchstewie

Original Poster:

50,790 posts

209 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
quotequote all
Yes if things get intrusive I'm totally in favour of the employee simply being able to say "No, give me a company phone if you want me to do that".

With something like a simple Google Authenticator type app I'm trying to gauge feedback because whilst I get that people have a right to say "No, it's my personal phone", it's so unobtrusive I'm struggling to think of a reason anyone should have an issue and refuse, other than simply because they can.

Allanv

3,540 posts

185 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
quotequote all
bhstewie said:
Yes if things get intrusive I'm totally in favour of the employee simply being able to say "No, give me a company phone if you want me to do that".

With something like a simple Google Authenticator type app I'm trying to gauge feedback because whilst I get that people have a right to say "No, it's my personal phone", it's so unobtrusive I'm struggling to think of a reason anyone should have an issue and refuse, other than simply because they can.
As a company you have to think of the "you installed stuff on my phone and now it is broken" Can you prove this who knows. Regardless if they want to or not.

I worked a contract 2 years ago where it was asked that they install something and I forget what it was but they then had claims for shed loads of phones.

It is a slipper slope in my eyes but others may see it differently. My situation is different to most.

grumpy52

5,565 posts

165 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
quotequote all
I have several work related apps on my phone ,but as I work mainly for agencies these days it's for my own benefit .
Hazardous goods app
Truck parking app
Truck fuels app .

Celtic Dragon

3,161 posts

234 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
quotequote all
I got asked to, I refused as its my personal phone. I choose what's installed on it as I'm the one paying the bill. To be fair, my boss is a good 1 and knew what my answer would be.

Troubleatmill

10,210 posts

158 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
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Yes.
I refused.
They gave me a company phone.

I don't want my data allowance being eaten up on company stuff.




Rich_W

12,548 posts

211 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
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I have 1 work related App on my phone. It helps me to check if a particular system is working correctly.

It was downloaded from Google Play, so commercially avaialble. I rarely use it. It's not a problem to me.

jamoor

14,506 posts

214 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
quotequote all
there is the faff of dealing with 2 phones

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
quotequote all
bhstewie said:
Yes if things get intrusive I'm totally in favour of the employee simply being able to say "No, give me a company phone if you want me to do that".

With something like a simple Google Authenticator type app I'm trying to gauge feedback because whilst I get that people have a right to say "No, it's my personal phone", it's so unobtrusive I'm struggling to think of a reason anyone should have an issue and refuse, other than simply because they can.
Any app uses data and electricity, both of which the employee will be paying for. That's not fair, even if it is a very small amount.

Mr Will

13,719 posts

205 months

Wednesday 10th February 2016
quotequote all
My work want the ability to remotely wipe my phone before I install any work related apps. They aren't getting that.

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
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Absolute not, my employer has a stated written policy that their IT equipment is for business use only, they are fair on this and allow unofficial personal use, so I am fair and use my lap to etc to check work emails when away, but my stated written policy is that my IT equipment is for personal use only, so they don't get to install software on my stuff, I've had issues that I could not down load certain things when on holiday but my answer is I'm on holiday not my problem, you change your policy and officially allow me to use your equipment for personal use and I'll change mine.
They did offer me a company phone 10 years ago I said I wanted a 200% pay rise to be on call, I will answer my phone out of hours at my discretion but will not carry a company phone with a presumption/duty to answer.

DanL

6,177 posts

264 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
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For something as simple as an authentication app I don't think I'd have a problem. I did decline an app for email access though - I wanted the app as it would have been handy, but there was a "remote wipe" clause in there that I wasn't going to accept.

If I really needed a work phone (rather than it being useful for emails) then I'd ask for one and they'd provide it.

Don

28,377 posts

283 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
Ah. The days of BYOD. It's difficult.

You can offer employees a Company phone and they'll turn it down because it isn't cool enough. They've already got a phone.

So instead you offer a means by which they can use their own phone for business. But this comes with remote management and the like because you're (rightly) paranoid that they'll lose the damn thing with company data on it. That's no good either.

Personally I have taken the view that unless it is mandatory for me to have a Company device then I'll just not have one. I can get my work emails when I'm at work.

From a Company perspective just give the employees a device. You may find it remains in the bottom of the briefcase and is never used but it was hardly necessary anyway.

HarryFlatters

4,203 posts

211 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
Quhet said:
ask for a work phone if they want you to do work stuff on one
This.

Keep your work and personal life separate.

bitchstewie

Original Poster:

50,790 posts

209 months

Thursday 11th February 2016
quotequote all
OK some interesting responses which is good smile

So, devil's advocate:

Let's use Google Authenticator which is an app, doesn't need to use the internet or any data allowance, might consume a small amount of battery, and you need to generate and enter a code each time you login to a given website.

You wouldn't put that on a personal phone because "It's work" - fair enough.

We can give you a phone just to run that app - do you want to carry two phones all the time?

We can give you a tablet just to run that app - do you want to carry a tablet all the time?

We can give you a hardware token that you have to carry all the time - you want to carry a fob all the time?

I'm interested in the mindset if I'm honest as I don't see it as a privacy issue or a control issue because it's not as if it's a solution that gives us control of your phone, visibility of anything on it, ability to wipe it, it's not something where we're blasting you with notifications or can "disturb" you via your personal phone, so if I'm honest I'm a bit confused that people seem to want to be carrying yet more kit confused