Would you report this?

17 Comments

1. Barb HansenJanuary 10,2023 at 7:53PM UTC

   Here is how I would handle this situation (based on what you provided in the OP)

   1 - I would casually ask my manager if there are rules on what calls are recorded, or is it completely random.

   2 - based on what answer I heard in question 1, I would conduct myself accordingly and make sure that all possibly recorded calls are strictly professional.

   If the company tells you that they occasionally record sales calls, then I don't think they did anything wrong...

   although it's poor form to use a call where super personal information is being shared as I'm sure there were other sales calls that strayed from a script

   ...BUT I would make sure that I'm not sharing anything with clients that I won't want shared with the sales team.

2. AnonymousJanuary 10,2023 at 8:40PM UTC

   You're a leader so you lead as a teaching moment not run and tattle to the higher ups. That would put everyone on the lowest level of interaction

3. AnonymousJanuary 11,2023 at 1:40PM UTC

   She never said she was a leader. Read the post. She is a individual contributor, who thought this training call to a large group was in poor taste.

4. Erica MitchellJanuary 10,2023 at 9:23PM UTC

   Since your manager made the poor decision to share it with the team, I would probably go to her and let her know how you feel about it. I wouldn't go straight to her superiors. It might backfire on you.

5. JEMJanuary 11,2023 at 3:44AM UTC

   Definitely report!

6. Madam anon663January 11,2023 at 1:38PM UTC

   Oh good lord, your manager cannot read a room.

7. AnonymousJanuary 11,2023 at 4:46PM UTC

   Every prospect / client call is recorded at my previous 3 companies and available to everyone to learn from. So you could suggest to your leader that they use software to pull out the personal deets or at least share your discomfort on the personal information.

   in the tech space - nothing is really private anymore unless it’s with a leader in a 1:1 type discussion and even then - I never assume anything in said isn’t recorded in some form anymore.

8. AnonymousJanuary 11,2023 at 8:01PM UTC

   It is illegal to record people without their knowledge. Report this immediately and also the your regional law authorities and the EEOC.

9. Kristin BurnsJanuary 11,2023 at 8:30PM UTC

   That depends on the state. In NY I believe it's still 1 party consent - if 1 person knows they are being recorded, it's legal.

10. AnonymousJanuary 12,2023 at 1:08PM UTC

    even if it’s a 2 party state usually they say “these calls may be recorded for training…”

11. Beth Whight MoralesJanuary 12,2023 at 1:28PM UTC

    It is not illegal in every state. In a one party state, only one party participating in a conversation needs to know the conversation is being recorded. It is not legal to record a conversation taking place if the person recording is not a party to the conversation and has not obtained permission to record. However employer rights to record are different. If an individual is using a company phone line, that’s work product. Often employees sign something that indicates their phone, computer, etc can be monitored at any time.

    That does not mean I agree with this, or that remedies aren’t available, but people have to operate from a basis of correct information.

12. Beth Whight MoralesJanuary 12,2023 at 1:34PM UTC

    So employers can record conversations that take place on company phones, period. However, what the company does with personal information obtained from such calls is important. Employees should feel respected. In this case, it sounds like the nature of the call was so personal that the employee should have been pulled aside and reminded that company policy is to record phone calls for training purposes, and also that company phones are for business use.

    Ethically, bad bad move. Sharing her very personal call with anyone outside of HR could be considered harassment. You and anyone else who was uncomfortable can report to HR secondary harassment because you were made to listen to it, and I highly recommend you and anyone else affected do so. Multiple complaints will raise an alarm, and no one wants this to happen to them. It was an incredibly immature decision by management to use it in training.

13. Rachel TJanuary 12,2023 at 3:36PM UTC

    In at least 12 states (I live in Massachusetts, and that's one of them), it is illegal to record someone without their knowledge (2-party consent), which is why any time you call a bank or other company you get the "this call may be recorded for quality assurance" message. Staying on the line is considered implied consent, but they aren't allowed to record me without telling me beforehand. But, this was a call to a prospect, not a personal call. It just happened that a fair amount of personal information was discussed on the prospect call.

14. Beth Whight MoralesJanuary 12,2023 at 4:19PM UTC

    An employee using company property typically signs something indicating they understand their calls can be recorded at any time, and exchanges are not private. Consent is given by using the business owned communication systems.

    Harassment is not okay as a byproduct of that recording/monitoring. That is what has happened here, and why I recommended the individuals who are uncomfortable go to HR and report harassment. They can push recording consent, however that won’t get them anywhere.

15. AnonymousJanuary 12,2023 at 10:51PM UTC

    Not in all states

16. AnonymousJanuary 12,2023 at 3:23PM UTC

    We get recorded and calls picked apart regularly. This week I was reprimanded for saying OK too often. Last week I was talking too fast. I also was reprimanded for not missing any calls. Do you let them know they’re being recorded?

17. Liz MilneJanuary 16,2023 at 1:39PM UTC

    I would certainly raise concerns that the prospect appeared not to understand that the call was being recorded. I would be mortified if something I'd said, perhaps as a vent to a stranger, was then listened to by 12+ others... :/