Dave Liquorice wrote
Alan wrote

Which is a pain for real callers from behind switchboards like myself.

Reputable companies and organisations don't hide phone numbers.

And with todays technology why can't the company PABX present a
number that when called checks your CLI against a list of calls made
from the PABX and connect you through to the phone that called you?

Because not everyone calls back from the number that is used to receive calls on.

I recieve calls on my POTS number and call back using
my voip service, because that costs me a lot less to call,
like 10c for the entire call anywhere in the country, and
to the 3 major foreign countrys I call, Britain, US and China.

Perhaps not 100% for A&E departments but then the PABX
could route to the A&E reception not an "operational desk".

True, it would be useful for many.

But you could also just present a direct indial number when anyone
in the company calls out, so anyone could just return the call to that
direct indial number too. Any decent modern PABX can do that.