Can work make me do this?

[Nopicplease]

We use outlook and teams at work a lot. They have said recently that they want all employees to have a picture of themselves as their profile picture on teams by the end of this week
I really don't want to see my face staring back at me every time I send a message. Can they make me do this?

My previous work asked me to do this as they found it easier when they didn’t know names and only recognised faces!

This is definitely the other way around, it's been asked for because people know names and not faces!

My place strongly recommended this but admitted they cannot force it

It's recommended where I work. Most people do it but some don't. It's actually quite useful when you hear a name in a meeting you don't recognise but look them up after and think "oh yeah, I've seen her about".

Could it be artistic, a silhouette, a photo of you standing amongst some mountains, your pet cat,

We have profile pics, some people don't bother and one (fairly senior) person used to have a picture of his dog.

I've worked remotely since 1995, most colleagues are in the US, in earlier years just email and phone. I had one manager who I never met and it was only some time later I saw his picture on LinkedIn... it was a bit odd in retrospect so on balance I quite like the pics. I don't really look at my own.

Not video though, I've disabled my camera.

If they’re going to enforce it (not sure if they can) I’d choose a rather far away one if you’re self conscious, or include a lot of background - the pics are quite small and you can’t see much detail if you have to zoom. Or one with sunglasses - quite a few people at my work have outdoorsy ones with hats and shades. Or you can adjust the lighting in the pic to make it more silhouettey. It might be easier to just add something like this in early on, rather than digging your heels in and then they’ll all be looking to see if you’re added something yet, chasing you up, then potentially picking at your image if it’s not clear enough.

TBH I know it’s embarrassing but I do prefer it when you just have some idea what someone looks like - it makes it more human, if you’re often working remotely from others or they from you.

Thanks everyone, I work in the office every day and I'm on the lowest grade, nobody actually needs to know who I am. It just feels massively unnecessary.

I'm struggling to understand the concern with People adding photos.
Were in the process of trying to get people to do this where I work and very few can say why they don't want to.
We have a mix of in person and remote workers so it's useful for those in different offices or who WFH.
I see it as a security issue as well, of I'm in a different office, people will recognise me as staff not customer and act accordingly
Plus cameras are on for teams .... So genuinely asking. If people see you and know what you look like, what is the issue with the photo?

Apart from hating seeing my own face looking back at me, we have multiple different offices. There's no reason for someone in a different office to know what I look like. With my picture on teams they have my name picture and location which is just unnecessary information.

Americans and networkers seem to get professional photos for this purpose, often at arty angle with clever lighting, if that's affordable for you?

Hahaha not a chance!

Knowing what people look like helps people make connections, and having a profile photo is pretty much the norm professionally. I would make the effort to get used to it - you have many working years ahead of you.

It probably won't make you feel any better but having been to 3 different offices in the last week there was nothing nicer for me than recognising people and saying hello, one was a work student who'd done translation work for me.
Another was a person in IT who again, has helped me in the past.
Had i not known who they were, I'd have likely smiled but walked on to my next meeting. Instead I could pause and genuinely thank them. It goes a long way when I'm constantly needing the help of other teams

My company tried to enforce this over lockdown (WFH) along with always having your camera on during a call.
Some staff complied and others didn't, no action was ever taken and it just faded out.

One noticeable thing is that there is always the ONE who has to have a silly profile pic and when on video makes sure they are dressed (or undressed!) in a wacky outfit or acting in a stupid / crazy manner. They think they are being a "character" and some people laugh, the rest of us just think they are being a knob!
The trouble is the boss thinks they are great (building up team spirit etc) and while not actually encouraging it, does / says nothing to discourage. ☹️

I would find a picture of a model with a passing resemblence to me and use that and see if anyone mentions it 😌

I don’t think they can force it but surely some of your colleagues must know what you look like?

Doesn't matter if people can't explain why they don't want it, you could just respect their decision if it makes them feel uncomfortable or they want to protect their privacy. If it's for personal reasons or self esteem issues, they're not really going to want to have their face permanently paraded around email. It's just not necessary.

Whether they can enforce it or not - is this really the issue you want to make a stand on? It doesn’t seem worth the effort.

I feel sorry for employers sometimes. All they are trying to do is encourage a bit more camaraderie and team spirit so people know what others look like.
I'm old and ugly and I have to look at my ghastly ugly mug in meetings because having your camera on so you focus fully on the meeting and others see your reactions, is the right thing to do.

If you really hate it use an avatar picture or cartoon instead.

@jesusjoan how is this any different to work ID cards and photos on lanyards for access to work buildings?
Your face is not a privacy concern - it's in no way classified as personal or sensitive data!

Low self esteem sort of makes sense, but in real life you don't walk around the office with your face fully covered

Some people in my organisation use photos that are so heavily edited it creates more confusion because when you meet in person they are unrecognisable.

I've worked in roles where safeguarding is taken seriously, this is a given. It falls under the data protection umbrella of knowing and verifying who is handling sensitive data. Especially in companies with many premises (and over the Covid restrictions) it was possible there were members of staff who did not get to meet in person from day 1. Getting their pictures on their profiles meant one way of ensuring they were who they claimed to be if they turned up at another office as a double-check with the photo on their ID badge.

All of this was on the understanding that the DWP/DfE or their contractors (mainly SERCO in my experience) could drop in unannounced at anytime to check data protection was being taken seriously. Which might consist of challenging staff at screens - and the staff they are talking to - to ensure they were (a) who they said they were and (b) permitted to handle data pertaining to subjects.

Generally the safest way was to use the photo taken for the ID badge. Which became the unofficial standard after people started wanting to use their instagram filtered snaps which - quite frankly - were not appropriate in a professional setting.

Ultimately such a policy is intended to achieve an end. If you are really dead set against and if you can work with an alternative system that can deliver the same, you might be able to swerve it.

Interestingly having cameras on in meetings would also have been mandated. Again to ensure everyone was who they claimed to be and who was known. Pretty essential if you are discussing peoples personal situations, which was the case.

Solved by ensuring a photo is taken at induction and used on ID cards etc ...