to refuse to have my photo on the intranet at work?

[wowfudge]

I've received an email today which says the company I work for is setting up an intranet page for HQ (where I work) which will have everyone's name, job role and contact details on it and we are to provide a suitable photo to go on there. The purpose is so that those people in the wider company who have dealings with us can put a face to a name. We've been given a deadline to comply with this.

I am really not comfortable with this as I don't really know why anyone I only deal with over the phone or by email gives a monkeys what I look like or what difference it makes. When employees from around the company visit here, they tend to seek out the people they deal with and introduce themselves. I also have concerns that someone could use my photo for some other purpose without my knowledge. Plus I am not confident about my looks at the moment and don't want my fat face on there for all to see.

What do you think MNetters? Does anyone in HR know what my rights are on this? I feel pressurised to do something I don't want to do and would like to know how to deal with it.

Op, I was merely asking what your colleagues felt to see if it was making anyone else feel uncomfortable and therefore there may be some support in your stance, I wasn't suggesting you were a sheep.

Thanks for input folks - I haven't changed my mind: I don't want to submit my photo and I'm weighing up how to deal with it.

Yes, I can see that there are some benefits to the organisation's other staff of doing it, but they don't outweigh how I feel about it as not necessary, my concerns about the protection of my data, or that I am not confident about my looks.

I have stuck to my original reasons. Just because you don't like them/can't empathise with them doesn't make them wrong. Some OPs have provided some really useful info and details of their own experiences which have led me to do some research and think about wider data protection issues, which I think my employer needs to address.

I wouldn't bother posting a question which quite frankly makes you look a bit batty in AIBU on Mumsnet if you don't want any judgement! You have certainly come to the wrong place otherwise!

And I think the majority think YABU, so you probably are a bit.

Interesting that some places are using photos taken for the purpose of ID badges and uploading them to the corporate directory. Unless they have asked for permission I think this is bending the Data Protection Act, as the stored data (photo) is no longer being used for the limited purpose it was obtained for. My previous employer had to 'break' the link from the database holding the security ID photos and the corporate directory.

my concerns about the protection of my data

You keep saying this about your picture, yet it's the least important piece of data the company has stored on it's internal systems.

Did you flounce when they asked you for your address, NOK, contact numbers, NI Number, Bank Details etc.? They can be used against you.

A photo? No

YABVVU

kitty - that was the 2nd thing that made some of us refuse... there is a requirement that the pictures taken for ID badges have protection / restriction under the Data Protection Act.

On my badge the quality is bad and the picture is small, I don't care. BUT put that same picture up without my permission and I will (and did) query the legality of it. That's when they told us we could change the picture. So I changed mine to a lovely landscape.... and was given 48 hours or my old piccy was going back up!

But mainly I object as I am a teacher. I am dissuaded by my union from putting pictures of myself 'out there' for my own safety and to maintain professionalism, but my employer can do so if they wish! It just doesn't seem right.

Yes, to echo kitty's point above, you "own" your image and putting it in the (albeit limited) domain of your company intranet against your wishes must be in breach of your Human Rights? It's your image, after all: surely it's up to you to decide what should be done with it?

When you signed your employment contract was agreeing to have your photo taken and used for company purposes?

Over 50,000 people have access to our workplace intranet.
So that would be a hell no from me.

My views on this topic are coloured by the general frustrations of being a manager and the amount of time that gets taken up with dealing with petty objections to trivial issues. Obviously it's important to take employees' opinions into account, take people along with you when managing change, dealing with important issues like data protection and security in an appropriate way etc. But sometimes you can feel like you're banging your head against a brick wall.

And secondly I've had to get used to being publically recognisable as part of my job - people demand pictures to accompany conference appearances, byline photos on press articles, pictures taken at events that then get posted online and tagged with your name. It's all very niche to the industry I work in, but as I have a uncommon name if you google image search my name, the first thing you find are photos of me. If someone wanted to have a field day with them there's not much I could do. I'm pretty cautious with my facebook/personal social media profile but I've had to accept I can't do my job and remain completely anonymous.

Shameless bump for vindication!

Morrisons announces theft of staff data from payroll, including names, addresses and bank account details, initial investigation points to insider breach.

Your payroll data is on the company's internal network and can probably be accessed without much effort. Here's this in action, and given that the investigation has been going on for a few days, it's very likely that I was talking about exactly this happening in a company, as it happened (s**t, now I need an alibi...)

Apparently, all those sci-fi movies wowfudge alleges I've been watching were on Sky News.

I supplied a photo taken 10 yrs ago when I was 3 stone lighter, had a head of fresh highlights, no wrinkles and the photographer kept snapping until I had one I liked Doesn't look anything like me really now but no-one bats an eyelid

Why don't you take the piss and supply a snap taken as a baby?

Or just refuse - trust me, you won't be the only one.

you might also want to look up the Edem case with the Information Commissioner. Your name itself is your personal data, your photo with your name is definitely your personal data. As such without your consent what fair and lawful grounds are there to process the photo. Its very different from you bank details, your employer needs them to comply with the terms of your contract it doesn't necessarily need your image

By way of an update I was chatting earlier with the person who sent the email at the behest of their manager. There have been two replies: one sarcastic from a contractor and another offering to take photos.

I have tracked down the DP policy, which is not on the intranet.

Hey MBT - I never said they were sci-fi movies!

Your photo comes under personal data under GDPR and your employer needs your consent: smallbusiness.co.uk/can-i-insist-on-staff-having-their-photo-taken-2173628/

You sound pretty difficult.

Will you wonder why your career doesn't take off when you try to make small little points like these? If this is your insecurity about having a fat face, you aren't coming across well.

In the good old days before the WWW, when you applied for jobs, you had to send a photo 9 times out of 10. And your CV would be binned if you didn't. Did you send pics then? To complete and utter strangers? Not even knowing if you would be called for an interview?
I never had to, never did. Hasn't damaged my career - was this photo thing the UK? @DrankSangriaInThePark

Fucking ZOMBIE Fgs!!!! Four years on and I imagine it's been resolved....

Dang!

What about victims of domestic violence? I had this issue with the GDC, they didn't want a photo but all dental staff and nsmes/addresses are displayed for all to see.

ARGH ZOMBIE THREAD

You're lucky it's only the intranet. Ours is on our email, the internet and for some staff, they're picture is physically up in reception.