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.

I’m not sure what this has to do with you (and you wouldn’t know if they were in a witness protection programme). What’s more you’ve decided it may be ‘an anxiety thing’; how condescending. It could be that they just don’t want that sort of intrusion.
It must be down to individual choice and I’m pretty confident that however big an organisation you work for ‘they’ cannot make you have your photograph taken if it’s against your wishes.

As soon as the photo is taken and stored (it's for an online page, remember) it exists
If it's a digital camera, it is stored, and is covered by the Regs

@Waferbiscuit He should have every right to refuse. Should need to have photo on work intranet etc. Maybe need to look at why this is necessary.i have picture on I'd card and that is all, don't even have it on teams profile as it is not necessary.

I can wear the shoes of the bloke who does NOT wish to be photographed.

About 12-13 years ago, a social club I have belonged to since 1985, decided to "give" every approved paid-up member a credit-card sized member pass to scan at entry points.

We were asked to stop at the entry point to be photographed for a small scannable digital picture to be transferred to the card. On the following visit our old "NO PHOTO" card was swapped for the newer one with a photo.

Jump forward to 2017. I was visited at home by a pair of police officers. They asked if they could ask me some questions about an incident within the social club some eight weeks prior. I answered their questions and they nodded a lot (as though they agreed with me).

About a minute later they told me that two adults, approved visitors accompanying a long-term member on a particular night, picked a larger picture of me after being allowed to see about 900 club members photographs (of around 3700 'active' members of 8000 members "on the books") after an incident affecting them in the club.

The implication/accusation was that I was one of three members who had brutally jostled them into a wall while apparently "drunk and abusive".

When pressed by my reactive questions, they told me the date of the assault and I was able to show them photographs of me in a venue 858 kilometres away celebrating my grandson's 12th birthday. (Luckily, photos in smartphones are time-stamped and geo-stamped.)

Days later, after the accusers admitted that they could have be wrong, the real culprit(s) were identified from dinner orders and bar orders contemporary to the incident.

No apology to me from the police or my club's board members. No explanation why the investigation was not done procedurally differently.

When the club insisted on photo updates in mid-2022, I refused to allow a normal portrait photograph on my card. I stood myself behind a decorative shrub so that three-quarters of my face/head were obscured.

I have real photos of me ONLY on my state driver's licence and my Australian passport these days. No ifs. No buts.

If you’re even taking photographs in a public place you are supposed to let everyone present know and obtain, often somewhat tacit, consent. A photograph is very private and covered by GDPR.

Come on, thats so not true I have no words, or are you joking?

They're probably getting all confused with release waivers, which is an American thing for commercial use.

Maybe but surely no one thinks you need to rush around with papers to be signed before taking a holiday snap, a photo of an event your child is at, a photo of the stadium at an Eras concert? Hasn't ever seen an outdoor photo? I'm baffled 😁

Since I was a child, I have never liked having my photo taken. I am now retired and still feel the same way.
I worked for the biggest employer in Europe for the majority of my working life, the only photo they had was my security pass. I would not have my picture taken for any other reason. There was nothing to be done about it.

Follow the Quote History back, they're clearly not talking about holiday snaps.

They clearly refer to taking photos in a public place, not anything specific to the subject of this thread. The quote history isn't really relevan

There's no situation in which taking a photo in a public place requires any kind of permission, its obvious when you apply the examples I gave that it couldn't possibly be a thing but as the PP hasn't come back to explain further we don't know where they're coming from

We had this at my old job. I refused as did so many others. I didn’t see the reason as to why someone I speak on the phone to once in a blue moon has to know what I look like. It was a stance taken by many. There is absolutely no reason for it. To say that they aren’t in witness protection - how do you know for a fact? The whole point is that people don’t know!

It depends on the job. If you worked in a school or a hospital it would be mandatory.

It’s irrelevant weather there is no safeguarding issue as in witness protection programme. If it’s for your internal system then why does it matter if they refuse. Also it’s irrelevant where they are senior colleague, they have the right to refuse, unless it’s in contract and they’ve previously agreed but seen as you’ve asked the question i assume that is not the case.

I am not a senior and do not have my photo taken for work in fact pretty much any reason because I don’t feel comfortable with myself. Very sad but it is how it is. Only photo I have in the workplace on show is on my Id badge and it’s a photo I picked not one taken for the purpose of my id badge.

just leave them be. It really isn’t a big deal

How the hell would you know if they are in witness protection hahaha the whole idea of it is that no one knows your there

I think your just salty that they got their own way on something and you didn't

What a bizarre post

Maybe she's the photographer and worried she'll be out of a job 😂😂😂😂

Yes they are perfectly within their legal rights to opt out of it.

If you want to wind them up, ask them if the reason is because they're planning to leave the company soon and it would be a waste of time.

I actually know someone and we haven’t seen them since so yeah it happens. Why are you so bothered about someone else not wanting their picture taken?

This!!!

There are many reasons someone may not want their photo taken, as others have said.
More reasons include religion, self image (thinking of a colleague going through a transition who didn't want it documented), simply that corporate photos make you look like Shrek (me) etc etc etc.
Any employer with a decent inclusion policy will accept refusal, which also means that you can ask for your photo to be removed if it's used.

What to do?? Nothing. Respect their wishes.

If you assume then you make an ass out of u & me

it’s really not your business. It’s their personal data regardless of how senior they are. Is it in any policy? Is it in the job description? Get that bee out of your bonnet and get on with your job.

maybe they are hiding from someone. If they are in witness protection then they are unlikely to tell you.

stop being so nosey.

Only if you work in a department run by petty-minded, over-promoted nurse managers, and most of those reversed the policy when their staff started getting stalked by relatives or worse. I worked in the NHS without having my photograph displayed anywhere but my ID badge. Edit: for forty years.

Are you more senior than this person and don’t know how to handle the situation?
If not, why on earth do you care it’s none of your business

Senior internal comms person here - no, you cannot force them. A standalone policy is very much overkill for something like this but you should have a generic line on photography built into either your IT or social media policy. A CEO is very different to a ‘senior’ member of staff.

For what it’s worth, staged poses are very much out of style - candid snaps seen as far more relatable in the majority of sectors and generally people are more open to you using them because they don’t have to stand and pose.

From a photography perspective, you should have this nailed under GDPR purposes anyway (irritating but legally required). Run an exercise asking colleagues to sign release forms for photography so you can use internal images without needing permission every single time and update semi-regularly/build it into new starter lists. Events - have lanyards available that people can pick up indicating they don’t want to be photographed. Ad hoc group photography - get verbal permission and anyone who doesn’t can stand aside or in a place where they can be cropped out ahead of publication.

Have done
It isn't