If you were to answer the phone at your business/place of work, and said, “Hey, what’s up?” Would you consider that professional?
I guess it depends on who your talking to, lets just consider, it was someone you already know, such as your own boss.
…Is it becoming a casual norm now?
My “hello, this is Tom Scud at [place of business]” spiel apparently sounds pretty canned - a lot of the people who call think I’m a voicemail message - so I sometimes append a quick “what’s up?” if there’s a pause.
Moved to IHMO from GD, dudes.
I answer the phone with the appropriate spiel. But if someone walks into my office, I sometimes greet them with a “what’s up”.
Depends on the relationship between the boss and the employees. If the boss is someone you have a close working relationship with and you feel relaxed around, then “what’s up” may be perfectly fine. If you say it to a member of top brass that you just met, that’s probably not going to go over well. Context is everything.
I won’t answer the phone that way, but I’ll say it as a follow-up, even to customers. I think it makes them feel a bit more comfortable and friendly. I’m in TN, so I don’t know if that makes a difference, and I’m in the telecommuncations industry.
Yep. Also, I would add, depends on whether or not clients/customers can overhear you.
It even more so depends on caller ID. My boss’s boss* seems to get very vaguely … annoyed? maybe? or just a little :dubious: … if I pick up the phone with my canned professional spiel when she calls, like she’s thinking “WTF, purple? You know it’s me!” So now I just say, “Hey, what’s up?” or something along those lines when I see it’s her, and frankly she does seem more comfortable with it that way. But she’s the same age as the rest of us and has a pretty joking way with all of us, so YMMV and all that if you work for an old stodgy curmudgeon.
Never for any unknown callers, almost always for coworkers, even bosses. I think it’s become the default for people you know are calling you for a reason.
Also if I’ve talked to a client a lot recently and we’re both taking care of a situation I will say "Hey, Client, what’s up?’ meaning what’s going on with our situation. The “hey” is more of a cross between “Hi” and “Hey”.
“Casual norm” would cover it for me. I wouldn’t normally answer the phone that way or open a conversation with my boss’ boss that way but I’d say it in a routine business setting.
I have call display on my phone line. I use it when the person calling and I are friendly. (Actually, I use ‘How’s it goin’?’ but same thing.)
Otherwise, I just answer it with my name.
I say it to both customers and colleagues, but only after the whole “Daerlyn speaking, oh hello, Caller, how are you, I’m fine” is out of the way.
I think I could safely say that to anyone in my company, including the CEO who is three levels up from me in the corporate hierarchy. In fact, I might say it to him next time I see him in the cafeteria. (Yes, he buys his lunch at the same place as we minions do.)
I don’t have clients. If I don’t know whose on the other end of the call, I answer with “This is Dangerosa.” If I do, it depends - if its Dave who I’ve been working with for ten years and gone to conferences and seen drunk “Hey, what’s up?” is perfectly appropriate. If its my CIO, no, it isn’t.
I’d do it with peers, subordinates, and even superiors with whom I’ve established a certain rapport. Coworkers generally call me by a nickname comparable to Oak being short for Oakminster.
Never with clients. They get the formal treatment, and are expected to call me Mr. Oakminster.
Yo dude, wat uuup dog. I can say that.
I could say that guy looks like he has a pickle up his ass.
I could hike my shirt up above my belly and tie it in a knot.
I can blow snot out of my nose onto the floor.
I can do all this and more. I’m in …
construction.
I answer the phone with my name, unless it is one of a few friends or family, in which case I very well might say “What’s up?”
I read this thread yesterday, and then smiled later on when I passed a couple folk in the hallway and said, “Hey, what’s up!” Of course, that is one of the pleasures of being a judge - very few people will tell you to your face that you are wrong! 
Thanks to call display you can answer the phone in a personalized fashion for whoever is calling.
One of the things that I’ve found really improves my relationships with coworkers is to pay attention to how they like to communicate and mirror that to them. That includes not only the choice of formality level in speech but whether I call with a request, email or use our internal instant messaging system.
I don’t say “what’s up” because it’s stupid. When I greet someone it’s Hi or Hello or Hey there or something like that.
If it’s my boss or I don’t know who’s calling I answer with “This is Oredigger”. On the other hand if you walk into my office and I don’t know why you’re there you get a “What’s up?”. Depending on the reason I know you’re there I’ll range from “I’m not here you’re seeing a figment of your imagination” to “How’s it going?” The last is exactly what what I said to our VP when he walked into my office a couple of months ago.
A guy just walked into my office, and I didn’t realize it until the words were out, but as I turned from my computer I said “Hey, what’s up?”
So I guess I really DO find it appropriate in at least some work situations!