security cameras
vic
14 Posts
I'm HR Mgr for mfg company with 200 employees - about 50 in the offices. The president of the company wants to put security cameras around the office. Do we have to inform all employees of this? Is there anywhere we can't put cameras? I know the restrooms and breakroom is off limits but are they any other areas.
Comments
Security of company information and property and our work force should be the reason for putting in cameras. Everone should be made aware in order feel more comfortable about their personal safety. We have security cameras on site and we have caught some personal behaviors on the camera
record on which we discovered "drinking on company property during work hours and after work hours". This violation of company policy pertaining to the carrying of alcohol beverages onto and consumption of same on company property was documented by chance. We then knew we had a violation on-going as well as the abuse of company time because individuals were not clocking out and then drinking. They were drinking on our property in the parking lot and then clocking out inorder to gain O/T hours without work. We let the production manager develop his plan of action to have 1st hand knowledge of these events and to then take the necessary actions to stop both activities. He set up a sting operation and sprong the trap and caught them in the act of violating. He then took video and still camera action of this "after hours drinking party" and with the complex manager as a witness, he executed his plan and documented everything with witness and photgraphs and video cameras. He terminated one supervisor and three labor ees. We never heard another thing from the X-ees. The supervisor went through a rehab program and we have re-hired him. Alcohol consumption from his beer cooler in his station wagon has not happened again. The cooler has been checked several times and there has not been another vilation.
All to say yes you can put in security cameras, seek legal guidance with a clear statement of purpose, which will tell you who you must tell based on state law.
PORK
You may wish to draft a policy detailing how long tapes will be stored and under what conditions an ee may request copies.
Hope you never have to defend your company on the need to police the herd with "big Daddy's eye"!
Your's is a cop out for quality of life for the employee!
PORK
Brad Forrister
Director of Publishing
M. Lee Smith Publishers
Just wondering does your employer monitor computer usage? Is that really any different?
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman
Glad you asked and now I must get back to company work before the "computer whiz" in North Carolina sticks the "poker/hot stick" to me!
PORK
Small company here, little monitoring......so I can stay on here all I like! :-)
Video cameras will extract an emotional reaction to a perceived privacy violation. Fact is there is no expectation of privacy in the workplace except in the bathroom.
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman
My response was: that all of the managers at my level were given the same tasking for cost controls, including the telephone and proper use of company time. We have no other cost control that is within our controls, therefore, I selected this for one of our department goals for cost reduction. Everyone now understands and we are tackling as best we can.
Everyone have a Blessed day.
PORK
We receive monetary funds via US Mail and we're located 20 minutes from 10 casinos often filled with desperate people. Before the new highway that is now located far behind us, when the traffic to the casinos passed directly in front of the building, problems occurred in our little growning town. The gas station was robbed almost every other week, the bank was robbed two times in three weeks, and three times in two months, the post office was robbed, and with a daily visit to our facility by a Loomis Wells Fargo armored truck, it was just a matter of time before we became the next target.
Before we installed electric automatic gates fencing in the facility, we would find folks parked in our parking lots sleep because they were not able to make it back to town after being out all night or half drunk. We had a car stolen off the property and replaced with one filled with broken glass and spent gunshot shells.
I reconfigured the Reception area to pull the receptionist behind electric secured doors with bullet proof glass. In our mail room where funds are extracted, there are 4 cameras, plus a panning camera behind a bubble. The mail room supervisor has a monitor on her desk so she can see in advance who is attempting to gain access as well as the sort room. The ladies were informed in advance before the cameras' installation and they seemed relieved to have proof that they could not be accused of stealing.
I have the place covered with cameras. Several times there were attempted burglaries, and the folks merely ran off camera. So now I have every entrance covered and signs posted outside warning that the place has surveillance equipment. I have cameras panning the outside parking lots, 3 cameras in the break area, cameras in Production, all time clocks covered, a camera outside my office so I know in advance who is approaching, and I have the managers' hallway covered.
No one in the building seems bothered by the cameras. In fact, ee's have forgotten that cameras even exist. You will be surprised what people will do when walking down the hall and they don't pay attention that someone is monitoring their behavior. There are 30 cameras in all, and everyone feels safe and secure. Sometimes I feel like I work at Fort Knox, but at the same time, workplace violence is non-existent, internal thefts have ceased like stolen lunches and office supplies, outside burglary attempts have ceased, and when I have had to use the video surveillance due to questionable behavior(s), everyone knows so no one is surprised.
For every camera, there is an experiential reason. Cameras have not been installed without a specific purpose or as a result of a real life experience. The cameras are for everyone's protection.