How often do these calls occur? how many times a day/week? Also, do you have the option to just not answer? What if you're not at your desk?

Also, isn't a chat message from them also going to disturb your train of thought anyway?

@stanri a chat message is WAY less disrupting than having your "phone" (even though we don't use phones) ring. With a phone call, you kinda have to answer it. With a chat message, you can just ignore it for a few minutes, then get back to it later. The calls occur maybe twice a day.

@KentA. right now due to the pandemic I am partially remote. I usually go to the office a couple of days a week and work from home the rest of the time. The call occur only during normal working times, and yes, we do have a daily standup.

You don't want to receive calls when working home office and during working hours? I don't see that as very reasonable. You should be more accessible. Wouldn't you think your message answers delays can be disruptive as well to the work flow?

" With a phone call, you kinda have to answer it. " not really. What if you're in the bathroom? or generally unavailable? Just ignore it like you would a chat message.

@Mandrill it's not that I don't want to receive calls at all. It's that I don't want to receive calls right here, right now at any time as if the fate of whole company was at stake if I don't answer in that very moment, which obviously isn't the case. I am a developer. I need to be deeply focused in order to do my job properly. Having my phone ring while I'm looking at a complicated piece of code is a huge disruption to my concentration, and after that has happened it can take me quite some time to regain it. So, those calls are actually impairing my productivity.

What's up with all the downvotes? Thank you very much...

"With a phone call, you kinda have to answer it." - are you not able to see who is calling, and choose to let it go to voicemail? Are you not able to turn the ring off while you are deeply focused?

If it's not convenient to answer the phone then it shouldn't be ringing! Put your phone on DND, set a status message on your chat software "Focussing, free at 1500" or similar. If you answer then you are signalling you are ok to talk.....

This cartoon is the best explanation I've seen of what it's like to be interrupted while you're in ‘the zone’.

This disrupts my flow so much as well. Whats worked for me is a consistent approach from me which eventually leads to similar behaviours in return. I always message first for availability & topic summary, leaving the recipient the opportunity to respond & informally schedule a call, ie I'll call after 12. If a call is placed first and I can't answer, my response in return is via chat and something like 'I'm in the middle of x, I can chat with you after y time if that suits' again scheduling as much as I can so we're both free. But its the consistency that makes it work and rubs off onto others

But the second issue is addressing the need for updates. Does the PM have access to boards, tickets etc and does this filter into their space. If they have the right info at the start and they can check status via Jira, DevOps etc, there should be no need for a call. This is as much anything and information issue rather than a disrupted workflow issue

@JoeStrazzere, I think the problem is that most of us do not want to ignore phone calls that may be urgent, especially if others are operating on the basis that the facility to make an urgent call exists for when they need it (and don't realise that the call will go unanswered). We simply want another person to calibrate their behaviour and use the phone more sparingly and use non-real-time messaging more often.

@Steve - ignoring their calls may help calibrate their behavior.

@Steve this. 100% this. I couldn't have said it any better.

@JoeStrazzere, it may well, but it also may just cause you to miss an urgent call, or leave others to think that you're simply impolite or unreliable. Obviously, it may be appropriate to ignore calls once the other person has already been informed of your policy and you don't think they're taking heed, but that's the OP's question: how to broach the subject politely?

@Steve once again, you hit the nail right on the head.

@JoeStrazzere but there are actually times in which it would be perfectly appropriate for my colleagues to call me. For example, in case we had a problem in a production system. So it is not an option for me to simply flat out ignore all calls. Most calls aren't that urgent/important, but some (rare ones) are. And of course, I can't I know that before answering. Also, as a Steve pointed out, not answering could make me look impolite or unreliable, and I obviously don't want that.

@DeveloperGuy Messaging first to check availability is as bad as just messaging with your question. See How to gently enforce "nohello" to a coworker?

@shoover but in my case, "convincing" the colleague to go from to calls to "Messaging first to check availability" is exactly my goal.

@mrodo Got it. You want them only to call you when you expect it. Unless it's urgent. Good luck.