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o/t cameras at the work place?

J

JD2ACWD

Member
ok we are being watched at work, I know that is legal ,but can they have audio on without our consent, and they are listening to us,is this legal? this is a manufacturing company,thanks for any info
 
I work in a large plant, fortune 50 sized, that has cameras everywhere. Regular, infrared, and night vision. Indoors and out. I don't know about sound though. They claim it is mostly for homeland security since it is a probable target. I assume its legal
 
Before I retired I wouked for a large computor company. I don't even think they said they were putting in cameras. They just appeared. I think the cameras were mostly used for theft prevention. There was never much said about people using the computors for personal use now and then. Stan
 
I don't have a definite answer on the audio, but I think it's legal.
Its their property, so just like the video your expectation of
privacy basically only exists inside the restroom.
I work in IT and everywhere I've worked for the last 12 years has
recorded all communications. Phones, email, IM, text messages on
company provided cell phones, internet usage, everything.
 
Camera's were a fact of life, at the Boeing Co. I don't remember anyone complaining about, getting in trouble for not working hard enough, or taking too many bathroom breaks. You were expected to be at your work station during working hours. The only thing I worried about, was to get seen picking my nose. LOL
 
I live in Texas and where I work has cameras. We were told putting in system. No signs posted anywhere. Said they could record but so much background noise dont think could understand anything said. I flip them [cameras] off several times a day and nothing has been said.
 
I think if you have audio monitoring with your video you have to have a sign stating that the area is under video and audio monitoring.
 
Of course a private employer on private property can listen and record what is said during the working hours without the employees consent, they own the building, they can use the recordings to fire someone for breaching any rules they have, say against profanity or racial remarks but not for complaining about working conditions or management but how would you ever prove that is why they fired you if it happened. Except for few exceptions, such as negotiated employment contracts, everyone who works for a private enterprise in the USA is employed at 'the pleasure of the employer'', in other words, anyone can be fired at any time for no reason except that the employer wants them off of their property. Even if someone suspects a breach of law, say they think they were fired for being too old or disabled or whatever, that employee still needs to prove it in court which can be almost impossible in many cases.
 
They can record audio and indeed use it for dismissal for racial or other comments, both of which can create a " hostile work environment". As Wal Mart found out years ago they cannot fire you for saying something not favorable about the company even on their time.

Rick
 
You could just quit and go out on your own.
Been self employed for most of my life because I could NEVER comply with so many silly, invasive workplace rules.
But I also don't understand people who do work for someone else and then complain about conditions there - assuming they are safe/legal of course.
 
As others have said, it is not illegal to record you at work but how they use the recording may be restricted. For example it may not be admissable in a court of law unless you were informed about it.
My concern is why would you care? When I worked for others I always conducted myself as if the boss was standing next to me. Your employer is paying you, supporting you and your dependents and deserves your 100 percent loyalty and work effort.
 
I used to work in a lumber yard where the owner would sneak around and eavesdrop on us. I'm sure he got an earful, and most of it not very nice about him.

Boringest job I ever had.
 
If you look at the wad of papers you signed when you were hired, you will find that you voluntarily gave up many many rights when you agreed to be employed.
You can be recorded any time with or without your knowledge. More than likely you gave the company permission to search your car, locker, lunch box, or person at any time.
I worked at Sylvania making CRT Tubes back in the '70's. Everyone signed over to Sylvania any thing that they might patent while they were employed,even if it had nothing to do with electronics. I am sure that was aimed at the R&D folks,but everyone from janitor to plant manager had to sign the agreement.
 
We had them at GM. Never really was a issue that I know of. No real privacy in a factory anyway.
 
(quoted from post at 07:15:36 11/02/13) As others have said, it is not illegal to record you at work but how they use the recording may be restricted. For example it may not be admissable in a court of law unless you were informed about it.
My concern is why would you care? When I worked for others I always conducted myself as if the boss was standing next to me. Your employer is paying you, supporting you and your dependents and deserves your 100 percent loyalty and work effort.
Click to expand...
retty well sums it up......they bought you and own you for that 8 hours of the day and when you are paid at the end of a period, you & company are even, they owe you nothing & you owe them nothing.
 
They are just trying to see if the employees are spending the required 50% of their time on their cell phones talking to friends and playing games.
 
In most factories it's an accepted practice to have cameras aimed at employees. But most factories ban cameras, and some won't even let you bring in a photo-capable cell phone.

So do your job as if you were collecting profit sharing from the company [as many employees are], and not as if the company is "the enemy."

Even if the company treats employees as if they are "the enemy."
 
(quoted from post at 09:45:12 11/02/13) In most factories it's an accepted practice to have cameras aimed at employees. But most factories ban cameras, and some won't even let you bring in a photo-capable cell phone.

So do your job as if you were collecting profit sharing from the company [as many employees are], and not as if the company is "the enemy."

Even if the company treats employees as if they are "the enemy."
Click to expand...

It doesn't take cameras for a company to be a enemy. I worked for a company and after I had been there 17 years they decided to brake the union. The company was 70 years old and had always made good profits, good on stock exchange. Ie it was as good as any company could be. Well CEO retired and they got a CEO that knew nothing about that kind of business. Well it took him 7 years to brake the union and the company. The companies name and logo is still out there but it isn't the same company. It has gone through about 5 different owners and is only about 20% of the size it was. Employe turnover is high now. When I was there if an employe made the first year there was a 95% chance he would retire there.
Don't worry about the camera, worry about their greed.
 
I don"t always agree that its right but when you agree to accept a paycheck you become the property of your employer during working hours.As far as cameras go your employer probably has the right to have them.Think of it as a way for them to hire fewer watchers so they can pay you more.Employees don"t need cameras as they see things the company doesn"t want competitors or peta folks and thier like to know about.
 
If you've got nothing to hide, what does it matter? You really shouldn't have anything to hide, and if you do, maybe you really shouldn't be working there?
 
I was making a delivery to one of those "big box-we've got everything" stores. The load heavy enough that I was over weight. I had to go without my forklift to make it leagal. The dispatcher had set it up that way. When I got there (aprox 100 miles), the receiving clerk screamed and hollered about how I was in no uncertain terms supposed to have my Moffet with me. After she screamed at me for a while, I politely told her that I would be outside getting it ready for her to unload. When she came out, she apologized, but she was really unhappy (did I say it was Raining on the oregon coast). She unloaded me and I went away shaking my head. The next time I delivered there, She wasn't around, and the person doing her job told me that she had been fired. I know that company is real big into video surveillance, but I think someone must have heard her, either audio surveillance or just someone in the store close to the receiving area. I just know that I should act professional, and keep my mouth shut when things are tense.
Tim in OR
 
I've got cameras and microphones covering my business. They protect my employees as well as me. If you aren't doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about. If you ARE doing wrong, myself AND the rest of the GOOD employees would like to know who they're dealing with. No one wants to deal with law suits, etc. Camera and voice recorder eliminate most of the false claims. Unless there's an issue, the content of audio/video recording is never even looked at. I don't need to watch to see who is or isn't working. That's easy enough to determine by what gets done or doesn't get done.

So far, since the system was installed, it shot down a false claim against workers comp. Employee lied and was subsequently fired. Good employees had zero issues with situation.
 
About 8 years ago our company put up cameras also. I wrote, "Go away", on a piece of cardboard and put it up in my work cell. The owner, whose office is in Mn., came to me and politely informed me that the cameras were only being used to give "Virtual Tours" to visiting clients at the Corporate headquarters.
 
I prefer the cameras over the real live azz of supervisor hanging over my shoulder. I've had mostly great folks to work with but just enough new guys out to "improve" things to justify there existence. Like I said, I'll take the cameras.
 
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