Annually we sign a form that acknowledges our common work areas are until video surveillance. And obviously, this makes sense in the setting we work in. It has come to my attention recently that our HR manager has been monitoring the cameras at different locations on a consistent basis. She called me once to tell me the newly installed panels for our partitions was missing a piece. It's gotten to the point where she approached my boss when I was out on PTO day that she didn't know I was out of the office, as my computer screens were black all day. It doesn't feel that she's watching the camera for business purposes, but more for spying. I have nothing to hide, but now she's inserting herself into my office and the way I manage it, simply by watching. Does anyone have any suggestions. My boss is aware she does this.

If she has time to do that, sounds like she has too much time on her hands, you may be overstaffed in that area or she is being poorly managed in regards to what she actually accomplishes at work. As Security Officer I have views from my desk of every location we have a camera. The ONLY time I go into the systems if for law enforcement or a customer issue, never to spy on employees.

if your boss is aware and has done nothing concerning it, doesn't seem like you are going to get much support about moving it up the chain. have you explained to your boss that you believe it goes beyond normal monitoring and provided examples where you feel they have overstepped?

Orignal anon here. Thank you for the responses. I have explained to my boss, yes. He's talked to the bank president, which is likely where the problem lies, in that he tends to sweep issues under the rug. I'm just not sure how to handle, because it is now affecting my productivity, as my focus is being pulled elsewhere. I know the bank has a right to monitor, and don't question that necessary business need. But this feels bigger than that, and wonder if taking this to the board level would be beneficial. I certainly don't want to create a situation pitting one employee against another, but also feel that her overstepping in this manner is indicative of a broader issue.

Another anon here. I feel this is extremely common. Ask yourself this: If that person monitoring you isn't hiring anyone this week or this month, and it's not open enrollment for benefits, and they aren't responsible for company training either, then what exactly are they doing all day? The answer may be that they think a big part of their job is looking at you and your co-workers and seeing what you are doing.

At my prior bank, the live camera footage could be accessed not only by HR, but by IT and multiple levels of management. It was a daily occurrence, that someone at a high level of management would amuse themselves for an hour, by flipping through the channels, and commenting and joking about tellers who were picking their nose ("She's got it all the way up to the second knuckle!!!"), tellers who looked as if they might be asleep ("Let's call her number and startle her awake!!"), people waiting in the main office lobby for interviews (comments on their clothing, their fidgeting, etc.), just to name a few misuses of the tech. IT would use the cameras to "verify the cameras and recording devices were working" but this involved making fun of what they saw and laughing about it, and calling others into the room to laugh about it.

If you work in a location where a camera is pointed at you, you should assume that someone - possibly multiple people - are staring at you, mostly out of boredom, and/or with an agenda. And that to justify their intrusion, they are making a list of things they don't like - like how high your partition is, or how often you go to the restroom, or how you are using your cell phone for social media when the policy they gave you specifically says you can't do that at work, etc. The whole point of cameras is surveillance. It would be naive to think that they would only be used appropriately, or even primarily be used appropriately.

Likewise, it would be naive to think that when your calls and emails are recorded, analyzed, and monitored for surveillance purposes (by your employer and/or by your government), that they will only be monitored appropriately and with regard to the specific security risks for which they were granted the ability, rather than in general for amusement and for anything and everything they can possibly dream up to surveil you on. Once you give someone a periscope into your life, you must assume there is always an eyeball on the other end of it.

Is it wrong and unethical for them to do that? Absolutely. Has that ever and will that ever stop them? No. As the tech improves and adds on features like iris-focus monitoring (detection of what part of your screen you are looking at, and whether you are even looking at it, and for how long) and similar intrusive techniques, you'll have to judge for yourself whether you are wiling to accept that to continue on in your current career.

In the bigger picture, consider the use of facial recognition cameras at big box stores at their entrances and at their self-check-out lines, and increasingly at their high-dollar/high-theft aisles like electronics and cosmetics. Consider that some countries are using things like gait-recognition - recognizing how you walk, with dozens of data points. In the US many states have already rolled out the automatic, county-wide recording of all license plates that pass by dozens of checkpoints per county, on all major and on many minor roads (these are the little bubble cameras you see mounted on tall poles at interstates and on state highways). You have to decide whether you have the ability to influence this - by complaining to your elected representatives - and whether you are willing to continue being a customer of that store, and/or, continue being a resident of the places that use those surveillance techniques.

"as my computer screens were black all day. "

If she can view your computer screens there may be a privacy (need to know) or Information security issue that needs to be addressed.

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING. He has been for a long time. He can even track these conversations.

So can Alexa...

The HR persons name is Alexa? LOL

Hostile work environment for a professional IMHO

I worked at a credit union where IT, Management, and various other "higher ups" would spend seemingly a large portion of their day "watching" the teller line. Needless to say, it wasn't too long into my employment that I submitted my resignation.

While that is a horrible practice - I don't think they understood the biggest risk of loss isn't at the teller line.

Hi Skittles; anon poster just above you with a response:

I couldn't agree more. I have been a teller almost 17 years and while over the years I have seen my share of internal theft, none of it has come from the teller line. Not saying that it doesn't happen, but if you're spending your days watching tellers that might take $100.00, you're wasting your time not watching Operations staff that might be taking $100,000.00.

I hate to rain on anyone's parade, but it would amaze you to see the numbers of tellers, head tellers and vault tellers who have been booted out of banking for stealing cash from their teller drawers or vault cash. Sure, non-cash embezzlement and theft are generally bigger crimes and result in bigger losses, but cash can be just so tempting to people with access.

Tellers, head tellers, and vault tellers stealing means there is a hole in some procedure.

Management is not auditing regularly, dual control is not being followed.