Like most managerial positions, my job requires me to regularly consult with my staff on their current projects, overall performance, etc. Some of these meetings take place at the employee’s desk, some wandering around the bullpen, some in my office. One of my peers has suggested that whenever we do this we should turn on our web cams, and make sure both manager and subordinate are positioned so that both are in the shot, and record the conversation.
This seems a bad idea to me, but I wonder what y’all think. Responses from both managers and subordinates are welcome.
You’re answering a question I didn’t ask. At any rate, it is often needful to have a *conversation, *face to face. I can’t adequately coach someone on her or his phone technique through emails, for instance. And an oral, in-person conversation has far superior give & take than email or IMs possibly can.
I would bother me very much if it was done without my consent and knowledge. If my (hypothetical) boss let me know it was happening, I wouldn’t mind. I doubt the company’s HR and legal department would been keen on the idea.
It wouldn’t bother me to have 1:1 meetings recorded as long as there’s a good reason for it, such as one party having memory issues or as part of a training program. Recording audio only would be less intrusive, if it’ll do the job. Recording just for the sake of having a record seems really weird to me. It’d make me wonder if the boss is a control freak, or if they’ve had trouble with harassment lawsuits, or if they’re documenting things as a lead-up to firing me.
What is the problem that would be fixed by videotaping these meetings?
Yes, it would annoy me – the number one reason being that it’s pointless and stupid, and I already have to deal with way too many stupid pointless management policies. Also, there’s already a huge trust and respect issue between management and subordinates at my work place, and the videotaping would make it even worse.
The problem with thousands of hours of video documentation is that when you need something there are thousands of hours of video.
If there is something you need to clarify at the end of a face to face meeting send a summary email.
Skald:
Per our meeting today I’ll be taking off 45 seconds (earth time) next Friday and you will be providing a time machine allowing me to live for 6 months in Hawaii in 1973. I will return from my 45 second break fully rested and ready to resume my duties.
During my break you can contact me via your usual methods.
While it wouldn’t bother me, 'cause it would cover MY ass, too, it would have to be with foreknowledge and need to satisfy some requirement not currently being met in order for me to be comfortable green-lighting it as a general practice.
I hope this doesn’t come across as snarky, but given this little information your original question is very hard to answer. Are there circumstances where video-recording all private meetings would be appropriate and even useful? Yes, although it requires an active imagination to come up with these scenarios.
Let me try to answer your question as completely as I can. Considering the specifics of my own situation (i.e., my specific relationship with my boss), I would not enjoy being video-taped but I also would trust him to not use those recordings against me because he’s a good guy. If I ever felt threatened or uncomfortable by a boss of mine, I could see the value in a video recording. If I had a boss who was not physically threatening and did not make any sort of sexual advances, but seemed out to get me and was trying to find whatever excuse he could to fire me, then yes, I would be bothered by the video recording.
In summation, if I had a good rapport with my boss (and anyone who might view the tapes) it would not bother me. If I did not have a good rapport then it usually would.
Agreed with TriPolar . Sometimes I want to speak candidly or off-the-record, whether it be with my boss or my subordinates. If everything I say will be on-record and will potentially be scrutinized down to the last word, I’ll be much less willing to communicate freely.
If the goal is CYA, I second the idea of a summary email. For meetings/conversations of any reasonable length, I recommend follow-up summary emails as a general practice. It’s very easy to forget key points or misinterpret what was discussed. A simple “here’s what we talked about, let me know if you have any comments or corrections” saves trouble down the road.
No I wouldn’t be bothered by this. In fact, I would not only assume you’d record meetings when possible, but that it’s good for legal reasons too.
If you have a private meeting with someone in your office, what’s to stop a female (or male) employee from claiming sexual harassment? Nothing like a little video showing no such thing to cut that off at the pass.
That makes me go :dubious:. I suppose it’s possible that making a video is really the best method for ass-covering in this situation, but it seems unlikely. And then double-ass-covering by trying to make it sounds like a general rule (instead of owning up to why it’s necessary in this situation) is even more :dubious:. If the peer is having trouble managing an employee who is performing badly, videos aren’t a great tool for that. If there’s a harassment issue, hold the meetings in a public area or a coffee shop.
It would make me uncomfortable and somewhat fearful, because it seems unnecessarily confrontational. I would not be comfortable imposing it as a manager (which I am not, but I have been in the past) and I would be unhappy if it were imposed on me as a subordinate.
I have a co-worker in another department who once told me, quite smugly, that he keeps all his emails from his various bosses, so that he can “defend” himself, and point out to them that a current instruction is at odds with an earlier instruction, or things of that sort. That seems like a pathetic way to spend one’s work life. And it told me a lot about his character, in a negative way.
Roddy
First, depending on the state you’re in, if the person being video taped is unaware and has not willingly consented (as in you can’t fire them for not doing the tape) it could be illegal.
Second, I can’t imagine your HR or Legal Council signing off on this. So, if a tape is ever pulled out in some sort of tiff, I could see the employee going straight to an attorney and the manager making the tape is in a good position to get fired just as soon as the law suit is squelched. [ There is a substantial difference between security CCTV systems and what you’re describing. ]
Third, this is among the creepiest things that I’ve ever heard a manager wanting to do. I don’t care who is covering their what ever, it is absolutely creepy and it provides no follow up ‘instruction’ to the employee (since I doubt you’re going to give access to the video files to the employees). So, it is a sign of an incompetent manager who needs to be gone.
If I ever met a manager that admitted to doing this (and I doubt that any would openly admit it), there is no way you could convince me that he or she were not mentally ill (either paranoid or a pervert or some form self-delusion).
I think workplace recording in general is on the increase, and wouldnt be surprised if its fairly standard practise to record meetings in a couple of decades.
I dont like it as a solution but I can understand the temptation for it once you hear how a few workplace misconduct allegations have gone badly for someone.