I know this pain well - I used to work at a bank and I avoided the incoming calls at all costs (I was terrified and the clients were always angry) and then I worked for a firm where I had to talk with clients and would have internal panic attacks whenever my phone would ring from an 'outside' line. I've had to work through this and it's seriously taken years. Now I don't flinch when my phone rings (just a few times a day usually). If one of my direct reports told me your situation, I'd ask them their plan for dealing with this issue and how I could help. Answering the phone is part of the job and there is an expectation that on occasion, they will have to answer the phone. Are they going to avoid it permanently (this may be OK if we have a plan in place to cover) or are there steps the employee can take to be able to eventually answer the phone (progressive exposure therapy for example)? Steps to tackle the issue would be my preference, but it would depend on the situation. You may not want to give the appearance of being lazy/shirking your duties by not answering the phone and so if your Manager is approachable, I would recommend saying something, but having a plan to address it. Depending on where you are, HR may be able to help and there may be an Employee Assistance Program that would be a good resource for advice too (I'd probably start here - EAP is a great, often under-utilized service). Personally, it was uncomfortable to work through it, but eventually the anxiety got better as I tackled my phone avoidance (I still block on "Hello" though so it's always "Bryan speaking"). Best of luck!