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 there's no policy then in what way are they not "supporting the policies of the organisation"?

We have a similar practice in my organisation which I have been happily ignoring for 10 years. See also: sharing my pronouns

There’s no suggestion that this guy has a public presence, some numpty just decided all staff should have a profile picture on the staff intranet

You have no idea of their personal history. Absolutely they can opt out.

Well you just said there is no policy so why do they need to support a non-policy?

God, is there anyone out there who actually likes wanky corporate BS like this? Pictures of yourself, team building, forced in-office "collaborative working" AKA "we hate WFH" - Corporations can shove it.

The world has changed OP and people ave the right to autonomy over their own bodes, including pictures of it. Get with the times. Some managers seriously need a good shake, or to get other jobs and stop making normal people miserable with their forced ideas.

I think it’s fair enough, I’m not comfortable with firms putting their employee’s pics on the web and perhaps he/she is not comfortable with their appearance and doesn’t want their pic online.

Haven't rtft but has anyone thought of deepfake tech? You'd be insane to put your face in more places than you need to."oh but it INSPIRES TEAM SPIRIT"

I find this weird. If the "senior colleague" is senior to the OP then why is the OP getting their underwear in a twist? Senior colleague says "No" Junior colleague says OK. End of conversation.

I refuse to be photographed for my employer's website.

I'm readily available via phone and email. No one needs to see what I look like.

He doesn't want to have his picture taken, end off. He's a senior so he'll probably get away with it, nobody is going to have him resign because of that.

Next.

Precedent set 'senior staff' say they don't have to therefor its now optional.

For what its worth. Both DH and myself had photo passes for work from when we started (both retired now). You were required to wear them and have them visible at all times while at work, put away when not at work. Everytime you entered a building or in some cases parts of a building your pass was checked. The policy applied to everyone on site, even visitors had photo passes which they handed in at the end of the visit and were destroyed once checked of.

The word 'fact' is taking some abuse there.

And you have absolutely no idea what reasons this person has for not wanting their photo circulated. They're statistically unlikely to be in witness protection, but that's hardly the only reason someone might need privacy. It's arrogant and shortsighted of you to think an 'afaik there are no safeguarding issues' covered it. There's no reason why you would know. It doesn't concern you.

And the norms of this organisation is to ride roughshod over someone's expressed preference not to be photographed?
Doesn't sound like somewhere I'd want to work
If they are senior, they are good at their job
You're upsetting them and risking them leaving for something petty and unimportant

What an invasion of privacy. If you’re happy to be photographed great, but why should everyone follow suit? As others have said there may be sensitive and deeply personal reasons why this person doesn’t want to be photographed. You’re not being remotely understanding about this.

GDPR is absolutely not irrelevant
This is a classic case of a breach of Article 5, section 1c

I find it weird that it's even an issue.

I work for a top professional services firm in the city and I know a lot of people who do not want their photos taken or personal information all over the Internet. They are all high high earners in global leadership positions and very well known/ respected in the industry.

Why would you presume they might be in witness protection etc.

But this is about the fact that when you sign up to something you take on some of the social norms of the organisation and, as a leader/senior person, you lean into expectations of the organisation.

The key word here is some - as long as the person is doing their role well and joining in other social norms then just leave them be and don't waste any more head space on this. Why are you so focussed on thinking they should do something they don't want to?Very odd (you not them..).

Jeez, nothing terrible is going to happen if someone has a headshot icon on their company intranet profile.

Equally, nothing terrible will happen if they don’t.

Absolutely they can opt out. Some people have very sound reasons for not wanting to take any risks as to where their photos might finish up. Think domestic violence family split and someone does not want to risk an ex finding out where they are.

But why try to force someone to do something they don't want to do for personal reasons, when there is no significant consequence to their choice? Can't imagine my workplace trying to insist everyone needs photos on their Outlook contact or whatever.

Why is it something you have to do something about?
What's your role in this scenario?
Have you been tasked with making the photos happen, or have you just volunteered to stir the shit for free?

I, and several of my colleagues, refused to have our photos taken and put on the organisation's website. It's no big deal.

yep, I had to have one in the NHS, we all did.....but it sounds like this is not needed at the OP's place of work?

I worked in a large university. Our head of department decided that everyone in the team should have photos displayed on a boar in the lobby. I didn't want to but was new and went along with it.

These were days just before everything was on the internet. Our was building was public and on the edge of the campus just near the main part of the shopping area.

Our youngest member of staff, part of the admin team, got horribly hassled in a local in the local pub by people who knew her name and her job from that display.

Since then I refused to have my photo on a website, etc, and supported other who felt the same. If questioned I explained why. I was never questioned on it.