Don’t Smile..You’re On Camera And They Haven’t Told You !

If you suddenly find CCTV cameras where you are working as a housekeeper, do you have the right to know in advance and what the images are used for?

The answer is yes to both questions and your right are laid out by the government. It’s not the same in every country; recently in Singapore an employer used CCTV to monitor his domestic staff and when he saw his child abused, handed the evidence to the police. He then posted it on Facebook. In the UK this is illegal.

So what are your rights?

Employers must tell you about any monitoring arrangements and the reason for it.

You are entitled to privacy, so no cameras in your living quarters, bathroom, bedroom etc.

Your employer must display clear and visible signs of where the cameras are in the building.

Employers must make sure that they use the data they collect for the purposes it was collected for.

You do have the right to access any CCTV recordings an employer holds on them through a ‘subject access request’.

So, CCTV can be used, but only within the rules.

The Graham Agency, working for you.