Forcing 'cameras on' work meetings could be problematic - employment expert
An employment expert warns that mandatory 'cameras-on' policies for remote meetings could constitute disability discrimination. Employers are encouraged to consider individual needs and privacy concerns rather than enforcing blanket requirements.
Why it matters
As remote work becomes standard, balancing productivity with employee privacy and accessibility rights is an evolving legal and ethical challenge.
Making workers turn their cameras on during Zoom or Teams calls could potentially be discrimination, an employment expert says.
An employment tribunal in the United Kingdom has recently ruled that not letting a worker with anxiety turn off their camera during a meeting was a type of disability discrimination.
Barrister and employment expert Barbara Buckett told Checkpoint forcing employees to have their cameras on in meetings did present a lot of issues.
"As for this person it was overwhelming, the question is 'camera's on rights off'."
Buckett said employers needed to think about why they were making the request and if someone didn't feel comfortable with it, was it reasonable for them to ask.
In some cases, Buckett could see an argument for having cameras on in a meeting - including client meetings and team engagement - but it shouldn't simply be a blanket policy.
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