Contrary to popular belief, companies may be within their rights to secretly record conversations with employees and use that information against them in a court of law. However, the reverse is also true. Nicol Myburgh, Head of the Human Resource Business Unit at CRS Technologies, says this has the potential to significantly change the dynamic in the workplace.
According to Section 4 of the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act (RICA), it is not illegal to secretly record a conversation you are party to. But it is still illegal to do so as a way of intercepting communications to commit an offence, for example obtaining a person’s bank account information.
“The argument that recording these conversations infringes on an employee’s (or employer’s) right to privacy is outweighed when using the recording in court is in the interests of justice. Of course, there is nothing prohibiting the addition of an explicit clause in employment contracts that mitigates against the risk of having communications intercepted.”
Technology has made it incredibly easy to record conversations without other parties being aware of it. Most smartphones and tablets come standard with audio recording features, making it virtually undetectable when somebody runs the app and puts the phone or tablet out of sight.
“Often, these conversations can be used as evidence in disciplinary hearings and other disputes even before they go to the CCMA or court. Further complicating matters is that courts do not hold privacy rights as absolute. Instead, they take other factors into account that can trump privacy rights.”
An example of this is in Harvey v Niland, where evidence was obtained by hacking into the respondent’s Facebook account. Evidence can therefore be presented in various forms and not necessarily only in the form of an audio recording.
Nevertheless, it remains in the best interests of either party to obtain recordings legally. From an employer perspective, fair process must be followed, with the employee being given an opportunity to respond to the evidence presented against them.
“From a legal perspective, it should also be noted that either party can record a conversation that they are part of. But if you are a third party, you need informed consent from one of the other parties to legally record that conversation. It is often this consent that confuses people into thinking all parties must agree to have a discussion recorded.”
Of course, if the recording is inaudible then it cannot be admissible. Myburgh says that employers or employees therefore need to ensure that the audio can be heard, and that the data is stored in a safe place to avoid it being lost, deleted, or edited in a way that will also make it inadmissible.
“Companies are operating in a dynamic, technology-driven environment. It should always be assumed that any conversation or meeting will be recorded, like assuming all work email will be read by a supervisor. In this way, both the employee and employer can ensure no mismanagement takes place.”
About CRS Technologies
CRS Technologies is an established national provider of solutions and services to the growing Human Resources (HR) and Human Capital Management (HCM) industries.CRS Technologies began operations in 1985 and quickly established itself as a technology solutions house with all the skills and resources required to help clients manage HR, people management and payroll administration, among other disciplines.
The company is based in Johannesburg, South Africa, and fully invested in Africa’s labour market, from both an employer and employee perspective.
The business offers best-of-breed solutions that centralise, streamline and harmonise what are otherwise disparate functions.
Its innovation is based on the principle that in order to be of value, it must be reliable, easy to use and understand, and actually remove the complexities of people optimisation in the workplace.
CRS has established itself as a leader in the market, underpinned by the offer of an HR platform that provides seamless integration capabilities to multiple platforms and ERP systems.
It maintains a close eye on developments in legislation and other labour-related trends that impact HR and HCM, and its mandate is to inform clients of these changes and how they will influence markets going forward.
CRS Technologies contact:
Bernice Houston
Sales & Marketing
T: +27 11 259 4700
C: +27 83 777 8864
F: +27 11 259 4750
