At my job everything on the bus is recorded by CCTV. The data packs can store over a month of footage, and each bus has 6 cameras (with one directly facing the driver and one pointing forward that sees traffic and signals ahead). There is also a microphone located directly behind the driver’s seat sensitive enough to pick up the driver muttering and cussing under his breath.
Fortunately, the footage is only reviewed during accidents, injuries, or incidents (passenger accidentally gets pinched by closing doors, trips, gets in a fight, etc). They are also only allowed to review footage 90 minutes before, and after an alleged incident.
Still, the fact that they can pull up something that allegedly happened up to a month ago and ask me what happened means I try to be careful with what I say or do. I know it sounds pretty rediculous that I have to work under the umbrella of Big Brother but the job pays so well that it’s not that hard to develop routines to prevent myself from getting set up.
When my job gets stressful or puts me in an ambiguous situation, I try to tailor my reaction/actions in the sense of “could I justify this to a supervisor while reviewing it in his office?” I find that this really helps keep me calm and control my tone of voice. There are people that are quick to call customer service for the slightest indignation (and they love to passive agressively do it while standing RIGHT NEXT TO ME often blatantly fabricating stuff that didn’t happen, as if to goad me into arguing with them). By remaining calm it preserves my credibility and my sanity. Still, if there were no cameras I don’t think I would worry as much.
As a teacher, I have to be aware a fair bit, but it’s less of a concern than people make it out to be, I think. I know people who spend a lot more time worrying about it than I do.
From other people I know who work under cameras like these, overall this is a huge improvement. It’s very difficult for you to be falsely accused, and if something bad happens, it is usually possible to prove if it wasn’t preventable. I would just remain calm and do the best job you can.
It’s when the cameras aren’t there that fabricated reports can screw you over, and your boss can just fire you based on lies and rumors.
I’ve had a couple of bosses who would, pardon the saying, throw you under the bus. I would document everything and often request that they put things in writing. CYA big time.
There’s a fair amount of it, since I work in IT. Our business types are hyper-political and pretty cutthroat and will sell you out if it gives them a personal leg up, so we tend to document everything.
That way, when something does go pear-shaped, we can point back and say “Well, your stupid ass told us to do that back on XX/YY. Not our fault that you didn’t listen when we tried to tell you what the problems might be.”
That’s true in theory, though the cynic in me kind of feels the cameras tend to implicate the driver far more than exonerate him in my personal experience, the footage on camera is often so ambiguous that it ends up being a he said/she said situation anyway where the driver and shop steward are interpreting the events one way, while the supervisor is claiming they happened a different way. In the end, what was recorded on camera becomes kind of irrelevant because it’s so ambiguous sometimes (incident happening off camera). I swear many of the CCTV footage gets more scrutiny than the Zapruder film .
Generally the camera helps the driver by proving the accused was not even driving the bus at all. And the presence of the cameras does help enforce proper conduct bu both drivers and passengers. I defused many fights by reminding people their actions are recorded. Folks that take the bus regularly won’t cause problems since the CCTV footage makes it easy to identify them.
Call handling procedures are all based around providing service while also limiting liability. This sometimes ends up in an over-response, sending an ambulance when we are 99.999% it is not really needed*, but alas that is the legal environment we live in.
All our calls, both emergency and admin line, are recorded and retained indefinitely. Calls are regularly reviewed for quality assurance purposes.
At times we received a request for a recording of all calls/radio transmissions related to a particular event. Rather than attempt to parse which calls/transmissions relate to a specific event it is routine to simply copy everything from a few minutes before the event to a few minutes after. That might mean including personal calls from the admin line that occurred just before the event under investigation.
Bottom line, even my phone call to make a doctor’s appointment for that unpleasant rash is recorded and could end up played in open court.
I work in the Security department at a Vegas casino. There is probably no profession in the world in which the workers are more routinely scrutinized, recorded, observed, and otherwise “big brother”-ized than us.
It’s better and worse. Better because there’s a measure of protection that other professions don’t have. We just simply can not be falsely accused of anything. It’s worse because everyone fucks off at work (yes, everyone. including you) but stuff that everyone else gets away with (taking an extra 15 minutes on break, smoking in an unauthorized area, briefly dozing off at the desk, etc) will get you fired here.
ETA: I just read the post above this one. I think 911 operators are probably more scrutinized than we are, but it’s close.
I spend about 10% of my time on CYA email and comments in the work management software. If I were less paranoid and simply documenting because it is the right thing to do, that would be 5%.
Incubus, this is as good a time as any for me to ask, since I was recently wondering and don’t remember - which came first, your SDMB username, or your career choice?
I’m a painting contractor and often work in high-end homes and businesses. I’ve been aware for years that many of my clients have hidden “nanny-cams” and that is OK by me. People hide cameras in outdoor lights, above kitchen cabinets hidden behind knick-knacks, in book shelves, whatever.
Last year, a homeowner accused me of stealing some dinner plates and towels (huh?) from her home. They were having a lot of remodeling done, but I was the only female trades person on the job. She told the general contractor I was working for that it must have been me because they were items that would attract a female. (Huh? Again.) She also told him that she had video, and upset as I was, I was delighted to hear this. Because, of course, there absolutely could not be video of me handling anything I didn’t need to be handling, let alone taking it out of the client’s house. That was the only time in 35 years in the business I’ve been accused of stealing, and it really hurt my feelings.
Luckily the contractor knew me well enough, and he is still a frequent client. Nothing ever came of the accusation and the homeowners never had the class to apologise.
I’m very aware that we are often moving around people’s expensive shit, or having access to it, while working in their homes. I welcome the nanny-cam overlords, personally. It’s a little weird knowing you may be watched by the client while they’re at work or whatever, but it makes me feel more secure in the long run.
My job requires me to do CYA for my agency. I’m the one who has to anticipate how the Feds, big industry lawyers, or angry citizens will respond if we change our policies. Which we’re always doing. I have to think about what these groups will say and then plan our response. Only rarely am I the one who has to give the response directly. That’s what the big wigs get paid to do. I just have to come up with the talking points. Once I turned on the news and heard the agency spokesperson regurgitating what I had told him the previous day. I freaked out a little!
This particular job duty used to stress me out. There’s always going to be some mystery person who is pissed off for some unexpected reason, and it sucks when they catch you off guard. But now that I’m used to playing “defense”, it’s not too bad. Most people aren’t nearly as fired up as their emails would suggest they are.
I cover my own ass by getting everything in writing and saving all my emails. People often forget what was agreed upon in the past. Being able to remind them with their own words can be a life-saver.
There have been at least two occasions when I would have been fired if I hadn’t been able to pull up email showing that my bosses had instructed me to do exactly what I did.
Another time my retention of emails showing that I had been directed to do something illegal, and I had refused and advised my boss that he shouldn’t do it either. We were both terminated for cause. After the big bosses were arrested, we successfully not only insulated ourselves from the criminal liability, but were reclassified as laid off, and got severance payments.
in my personal experience, the footage on camera is often so ambiguous that it ends up being a he said/she said situation anyway where the driver and shop steward are interpreting the events one way, while the supervisor is claiming they happened a different way. In the end, what was recorded on camera becomes kind of irrelevant because it’s so ambiguous sometimes (incident happening off camera). I swear many of the CCTV footage gets more scrutiny than the Zapruder film 
.