Is covert monitoring at work a breach of the right to a private life?

A recent Appeal Court case concerned has considered covert video surveillance in a supermarket where there was a high level of theft. The surveillance was limited to two weeks and the recordings were confined to a small group of individuals.

It was found that not being informed in advance that they would be recorded did not violate the employees’ Article 8 right to private life. It was held that employees should have a limited expectation of privacy at work on a supermarket floor and the employment tribunal found that the employer had taken steps to confine the circulation of the recordings. This will come as a relief to many organisations which have to install covert surveillance to identify thieves at work!