Regret seeing my co workers Teams Message

[Winebath85]

I have been in my new job since Dec 24, all fine, small team and they are all ok, I thought.

I accidentally saw a team message between my co worker and her husband, he is external to our company.

She was telling him details of me, my family, my ex husband ( all not great things)and she thinks I’m strange as I don’t get involved in much conversation. I am quiet, im a really nervous person but now I’m worse!

It’s not a big deal to many but it’s really opened my eyes, i feel uncomfortable, I no longer want to be involved with her, there was some really hurtful, unnecessary and uncomfortable comments.

She was saying there is an awkward atmosphere, well sorry but I’m not surprised after what I saw. Do I approach this at all, it’s just such a small team and I’m now really paranoid of every move I make and so nervous I’m not speaking.

She was saying there is an awkward atmosphere, well sorry but I’m not surprised after what I saw

But you only saw the message after she wrote it, so there must have been an awkward atmosphere before that, you can't blame you seeing the messages for the atmosphere?

I agree with the minority, yes it was unpleasant but although she shouldn't be using work equipment for that, it doesn't actually cost the company anything financially. It's no different to her texting her husband or ringing him and you happen to read/overhear.

Most companies, unless very strict, aren't going to really care about someone spending 30 seconds of work time messaging their partner. It's not something she's going to get sacked for, at most she'll get a warning and will probably tell everyone what happened.

She's not your friend, she's allowed to dislike you, and she's allowed to tell other people she dislikes you. At the end of the day, your manager can only tell her not to say those things via work equipment, they can't make her like you. She can still have exactly the same opinion and make the same comments to her husband at home, or via messages from her phone - and if you get her in trouble she'll likely have a lot more to say!

As you've said, you're already the new person and are quiet (nothing wrong with that), whereas she's been there a while. Do you really think that getting a reputation as someone who reads other people's private messages and then snitches on them is going to make you more popular?

I'd draw attention to it, but it will take some balls (ovaries?)

"I'll join you for lunch if that's ok as I know it's an issue for some people if I don't (eye roll)".

There are a lot worse things a person can be than quiet. Such as judgemental like your colleague.

I remember years ago when I was young a boyfriend told me his nan said I was quiet. I should have told him she was noisy. 😉

OP - under GDPR workplaces have to follow strict guidelines regarding use of your personal data. A colleague including personal information about you and your family on a workplace device and sending it to a non work colleague is a huge breach of the rules. What you need to do is find the contact information for your data controller - your workplace is obliged to publish this. You then contact them explaining the date, time and location of a message you saw referring to you, your child and family. You ask them to provide any personal information referring to you and your family. They then need to search company records including deletions and send you what they find. Unfortunately the company will likely side with a long standing employee but there are your rights.

Two sides to this - technical and administrative.

The starting point here is the AUP for the company provided facilities (hardware and accounts for things like Teams).

Everything in Teams is "backed up". How available it may be to the company will depend on how they have setup the corporate account. Any industry which is vaguely regulated will have the ability to instigate a compliance audit, which will seal the chats from deletion.

Alongside that, any grown up AUP and employment contract will allow the company to require the surrender and examination of equipment. It would be possible to refuse on the grounds that the equipment contains "personal data". However that in itself should be a clear breach of the AUP and employment contract and grounds for dismissal.

I suggest you look at information on the ICO website about personal data breaches.

Goodness gracious, the colleague talking to her DH about her feelings regarding OP is not a personal data breach in respect of the ICO or GDPR!

Any information during normal getting to know each other chats between OP and this colleague such as her name, her kids names etc isn’t protected personal information that cannot be disclosed.

If the colleague has gone through OP’s HR files to get that information, that would be a breach.

I hope you are doing OK.

@Winebath85 what if you were intended to read it ?

Well yes, if there’s an investigation you have a right to know what the evidence is, what questions were put to the person being investigated etc particularly if the investigation is not upheld - that’s how you would appeal an outcome.

An audit of what teams calls have been made? Really? Because a long standing member of staff has been slagging off the newbie to her husband?

Shrug.

We have no idea how the company is structured, not how they have implemented any HR policies to ensure they do not carry any liability in a legal setting. If the OP we to pursue claims of bullying or victimisation or discrimination, then the company had damn well better have the tools to investigate and rebut them.

That's the catastrophic end of the journey. I doubt we are there. However, I'm a great fan of facts so threw some in for the OP about the art of the possible.

Pre 2010 I once had to sit - in real time - and watch as a member of staff used MS Messenger (which dates it) to sleaze about on a hookup site whilst working (a co worker had reported it to management who started a look-see). We had screen monitoring facilities, so myself, line manager and HR director watched to be able to evidence the behaviour. That led to summary dismissal.

The OP is legally entitled to make a Subject Access request to identify what personal information is on the company files about her and her family. The data controller is also obliged to investigate how that information was obtained and distributed to determine if a data breach has taken place.

Lots of good advice on here OP.

On a lighter note, your post reminded me of this book which you might find entertaining to read. Or give to your co-worker as a Secret Santa! https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0CF7TJJSG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_351_o08?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Shes a bitch, be thankful you’re not like her. If normal to her is that sort of behaviour, take it as a compliment that you’re strange.

I absolutely expect my colleagues to be talking about me - I'm new in the role, and I'm the only woman. I also wouldn't mind being asked about my family and so on, as that's normal "getting to know you" conversation. Being new in my role, I've had lots of friends asking, "how's the new job, what are your colleagues like?" That is all normal.

But I'm not doing it on saveable work platforms - I've got enough discretion not to let all of them know exactly what I think... As a basic rule, there are some chats and emails I've had from friends I just would not want on a work platform, just in case, be it dick pics from dates* or in depth discussions about annoying colleagues.

• I don't want them on personal platforms either, but at least thry won't get me sacked there.

I am the CEO and can see everyones teams messages, all the time. They are sometimes surprised when I screen shot and ask them why they are messaging externally etc. I would report to your manager and not speak to her, she has already shown her arse in public, what a mean spirited unpleasant woman!

Company equipment and systems are in scope (or should be).

I wouldn’t approach her directly however I would talk it through with HR/Manager especially as you say an atmosphere has been noticed.
I work within a small team and my job share moans about me all the time to other team members, and it’s made other staff uncomfortable because they don’t want to hear it and I get on really well with everyone else. I let it go as I thought it was because I was new, but it’s been 2 years now and she’s still bemoaning my apparent short comings to everyone bar management.
I raised it with HR, they had an ‘informal chat’ with her where she denied it but they advised that there were people willing to go on record about the things she was saying. It stopped for about 6 months but I know it’s restarted because other members of the team have now reported it directly themselves to HR.
There is absolutely no need for it, some people are just unkind and mean spirited but it affects everyone once people are aware of it because who wants to work somewhere where someone is being hideous.
I think the fact that she is using teams to talk to her husband about you says it all really. You need to tell someone because otherwise you’ll be blamed for the atmosphere and she’ll look like a victim.

I am the CEO and can see everyones teams messages, all the time.

I'm sure that's not the whole story. What you meant to say was that you have a process in place should you have a need to see employees messages.

She'll be bitching about everyone

Culture can change, and would be irrelevant anyway in the extreme case of ending up in court. It surprises me how much personal data people voluntarily give their employer.

JFC, the leaps people make on here 😆

I'm sure that's not the whole story. What you meant to say was that you have a process in place should you have a need to see employees messages.

Quite

The OP is legally entitled to make a Subject Access request to identify what personal information is on the company files about her and her family. The data controller is also obliged to investigate how that information was obtained and distributed to determine if a data breach has taken place.

That will make her popular!

How can she send external team messages and why does she know so much about you?