Punished for declining to participate

Atmywitsend_2

Myself (and other employees) declined (politely) to have our photos taken for an annual report. We were then punished by our operations manager who stormed up to our desks and demanded loudly that we take extra work because we had let the team down. This is despite the fact that that we had manned the office phone line and worked on our tasks while the photographer was taking photos of others. This happened less than half an hour before we were due to finish work and was the last working day of the week for a number of us. No reference was given to the fact that I have childcare responsibilities and had to leave on time to pick my child up.

Can our employer discipline us for not having a photo taken? Is it not our right to refuse permission for this?

The wider background is that this is a very unhappy workplace. Previous photos taken were used for purposes other than what was originally stated by a partner organisation and we were given no guarantees as to the scope of use for these new photos. Personally I informed my manager twice that I felt really uncomfortable and anxious about having my picture taken and was given no reassurance but just punished in front of the open office. There are also LOTS of other issues unrelated to this but any advice on the photography issue would be hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance!

elsien

I would have declined to have my photo taken. But I would have also made it very clear well beforehand that it wasn't happening. It sounds like you told your manager you weren't comfortable with it without saying it was a definite no until the last minute. Which is a mixed message on your part and a bit late in proceedings when arrangements have been made and your Ops manager thinks it's a done deal.

From what you've written, you are not being disciplined for the refusal as in formal disciplinary procedure.
Your manager going off on one may not be completely professional but with regards to the extra work, was it work that falls within your job role? Because if he'd said "I need you to cover for x while they are having the photos done" that would seem to me to be a reasonable request.

getmore4less

Should have refused to do the extra work based on the reason and spent the last part of the day raising a grievance and gone home.

Bongofish

I agree with gethomes

Bongofish

I agree with getmore*

Ja7188

What "extra work" did you take? Did you have to stay beyond your expected finish time...?

sangie595

Atmywitsend wrote: »

Myself (and other employees) declined (politely) to have our photos taken for an annual report. We were then punished by our operations manager who stormed up to our desks and demanded loudly that we take extra work because we had let the team down. Your manager punished you by giving you work to do? You'll need something better than that to complain about. This is despite the fact that that we had manned the office phone line and worked on our tasks while the photographer was taking photos of others. So what? You are complaining that you were doing work during working hours. As were your colleagues who did have their photos taken. This happened less than half an hour before we were due to finish work and was the last working day of the week for a number of us. So what? Half an hour before the end of the day / working week is still the working week! No reference was given to the fact that I have childcare responsibilities and had to leave on time to pick my child up. So? Childcare responsibilities are not the employers problem. Do you have a written agreement that you will always be able to leave on time in order to collect your children? If not, that's irrelevant.

Can our employer discipline us for not having a photo taken? Is it not our right to refuse permission for this? Yes you can refuse to have your photo taken. You were not disciplined. You were given work to do.

The wider background is that this is a very unhappy workplace. Quite probably. But that's irrelevant. If you don't like your job or workplace, you must find another one Previous photos taken were used for purposes other than what was originally stated by a partner organisation and we were given no guarantees as to the scope of use for these new photos. Personally I informed my manager twice that I felt really uncomfortable and anxious about having my picture taken and was given no reassurance but just punished in front of the open office. There are also LOTS of other issues unrelated to this but any advice on the photography issue would be hugely appreciated. Other issues are other issues. Irrelevant. Thanks in advance!

I'm sure that your manager isn't the most pleasant person to deal with, but you need to be clear what you are saying. You were not disciplined. You were given work to do during working hours. So your position, as you have put it here, is untenable - put in a grievance that says this and you'll be the loser. So what, exactly, is it that you say that your manager did that was wrong, and do you have any evidence that what you are saying is true? Because my experience of things that happen in front of an office full of people is that as soon as you submit a grievance, nobody saw a thing.

If you are going to submit a grievance, you need to be rational about it and understand that if it sounds like a whine, that's what the employer will treat it as.

gettingtheresometime

Unless there was a safety issue for not wanting your photo taken (which could easily & privately explained to the manager beforehand) then it does sound, on the face of it, as an overreaction.

If there were issues about picking up your child then perhaps, again, you could have explained this & got your photo taken first.

I speak as someone who hates having formal photos taken for any occasion

moneyistooshorttomention

I don't think it's an over-reaction at all.

It's always a personal decision imo whether to have a photo taken or no. Even if the reason for refusal is someone doesn't like their appearance at present and doesnt want it "broadcast" - they are still entitled to refuse imo.

Add that one never knows what purposes one's photo might be put to - and OP says they've already had experience of work photos being misused.

Brynsam

Perfectly reasonable to decline to have your photo taken.

Childish overreaction on your part to start whining because you were expected to work instead of being photographed!

If you don't like your workplace, start job hunting.

Ozzuk

Something that might help, under GDPR companies must make it easy to remove approval for use of personal data (which would include photo). Obviously if it is used for id then they have legal right to ignore your wish, but for most other circumstances you have the right for them not to use photos.

Being in the right however, and living with the consequences can be a different story...