Senior colleague refuses to be photographed - what to do

[Waferbiscuit]

We all have be photographed for work with the photos used for internal comms including our intranet. This is a pretty standard approach in large organisations as it helps to identify people. Photos are perfectly fine, generic photos and we get to select the one that is used.

Staff member is very senior but refuses to be photographed as 'doesn't like it/doesn't feel comfortable'. May be an anxiety thing.

Can they opt out? Should this opting out be supported or is this indulgent? Seems to me part of what you sign up for when you're in a senior role.

Staff member is not part of witness protection program, doesn't work in the community and AFAIK no safeguarding or privacy issues.

If it’s not in his contract, of course he can. I refuse to have my photo taken, other than for secure entry into the place of work.

I would think
A) surely there's a policy on this and
B) if there isn't I would say don't force it. Does it really matter? No it doesn't.

Your use of the word "indulgent" seems to imply that you think this person is being ridiculous. I'm a senior at work and I actively avoid having my picture taken. People can think what they like about my reasons but the fact that I don't want my picture taken should be (and in my work) is enough.

Well if they were in witness protection or have some sort of safeguarding issues they are not going to tell you are they.

Unless it is in their contract that it is mandatory then it seems fine for them to opt out.

I thought you were going to say security badges etc which might have been different but just to have their photo on their email it seems fine to me to let people opt out

Of course you can’t insist that they are photographed. Why does it matter to you?

Plenty of websites have a generic person outline for some people who don’t want to be photographed. Likewise others have a design of their initials or a cartoon/drawing style icon on their Teams photo at my sensible and professional workplace.

You don’t know the reasons (and nor should they matter or be shared) but it could include having been a victim of a stalker, or domestic violence, issues with self image relating to their mental health. or actually just really not wanting their picture taken.

leave them alone

Is it a woman?

Many many women who have been a victim of stalking, harassment or domestic abuse refuse to have this type of photo taken as a safety precaution.

At my work if people refuse to use photos I offer them the option to provide a photo themselves (usually sorts the anxiety) or to choose an image that represents themselves (from a set of very generic images - sunset, flowers, waterfalls etc) and use that instead.

There's no policy on this that I know of and producing it would be a bit overkill.

My assumption is that if you're senior in the organisation you go along with this because you support the policies in the organisation. Can't imagine a CEO of a company said 'no pictures of me, sorry'.

You’ve no idea why they are saying no. I’ve worked with people before who cannot be photographed for very obvious safeguarding reasons.

Come on @Waferbiscuit can you really not think of a reason why they don’t want their picture shared?

You can be senior and want your privacy. The company doesn’t own your imagine.

Well your assumption in wrong because you have a senior person not going along with it. Does it matter? Is it affecting you?

If s/he isn’t contractually obliged to submit to being photographed then no, s/he doesn’t have to and doesn’t have to explain why either.

Surely this disproves your assumption then?

I am senior in my organisation. I don’t have photos of me publicly available.

Staff member is not part of witness protection program

Yeah because they'd tell you all if they were, wouldn't they? 🤦‍♀️

If its not in his contract they're bang out of luck. There is nothing requiring him to be photographed.

Why are you even asking us? How do we know?
So many threads just sound false lately

Another who doesn’t understand why this bothers you so much. Are you worried other people will say they don’t want their photo on the website either? And that would be ok too.

Let it go.

I'm part of an organisation. NHS. Do I support useless red tape from management? A million times no.

Our exec team have to have photos - nhs, very transparent. Others would not be mandatory.

goodness me, of course they don’t need to have their photo taken if they don’t want to. It’s got nothing to do with supporting policies or not, if there’s no policy anyway!!
You should find something else to worry about.

Surely it depends on what your organisation requires?
In mine 'senior' = 'senior management' level, the sort that has hundreds of indirect reports. Upon joining/getting promoted their photo is taken and used for internal all-hands communications.
It would be extremely odd to have an empty person circle/flowers/whatever.
In previous firms this wasn't a thing.

OP I don't know what your role is in this. You can't make anybody do anything that's not part of the policy, but the absence of a photo will be quite conspicuous.

@TeenLifeMum is the need for photos written down anywhere?

I absolutely hate that I have to be photographed for work, but it is in my contract because my work is high security. I was aghast when they added those same photos to our internal communications a couple of years ago. It makes me extremely uncomfortable every single time I have to see my own face in that little circle. I can handle wearing my badge, but those computer images just feel so much more invasive. I hate whoever came up with the idea and convinced the corporate world that it was inclusive. It is most definitely not inclusive.

A CEO is as entitled to not have photos of them as anybody else. Getting to a certain level doesn't mean somebody has to give up their rights, either, anymore than being a lowly admin makes it compulsory if they don't want to. A photo with a full name, email address and place of work does become personal information they can perfectly legally decline to provide as it's enough to do everything bar turn up at their home address (although it's possible from that to often have a very good idea where somebody is likely to live).

How do you know she isn't part of the witness protection programme. It's hardly something she is going to tell you.

"In mine 'senior' = 'senior management' level, the sort that has hundreds of indirect reports. Upon joining/getting promoted their photo is taken and used for internal all-hands communications."

Same where I work. They wouldn't even be in the job if they refused to be photographed. Also, when they go to conferences, the organisers need a photo and bio. Even if they weren't photographed at work, they'd be photographed at these places anyway. I don't see how you can attend such events and never be photographed.

On the other hand, I completely support ordinary employees' right not to have their photo on the work website.

It shouldn't be an issue. People should have the option to opt out of photos for any reason. What problems does it actually cause?