Monitering employees with video and audio in PA

[yazmama]

My husband's employer just started monitoring the employees with video that also picks up audio. He works for an answering service and was always aware that phone conversations (business and private) were monitored but is curious if it is legal to monitor employees without notice or consent. Also, these video/audio feeds are going directly to managers homes with live feed that can be viewed by anyone. Legal?

 

[cbg]

The video is definitely legal. The audio may or may not be.

What is going on that the employees do not want the employer to know about?

 

[yazmama]

It is the employees understanding that an employer can videotape them at their workplace. It is the fact that it is not being watched on tape but live and at the managers homes where anyone can see and hear them. I know employees today have no right to privacy but lets face it, who hasn't complained about their boss at one time or another? Here, it's picked up on tape and then the employee gets an "action" against them. Until the actions started, the employees thought they had a freedom of speech. Guess not. Two supervisory employees also found out that the corporate office was against these camera's, it was done on the local level. There has been no thefts is just seems the division manager has a need to know what is going on whether or not it is her business. She has even been known to spy on employees conversations in the rest rooms.
This is an answering service where the calls can be very frustrating. After a call has been completed it is not unusual to vent frustration about the caller. If you do that now you get a hard time from management. There is no way to relieve stress anymore by commiserating with a fellow employee. The employee is never right, is never given the benefit of the doubt and then they don't understand why they can't keep anyone!

 

[cbg]

Why would it be legal to watch it on tape but not live? C'mon, now.