Can we monitor telephone calls?

It would not usually be proportionate to monitor or record the content of calls in all cases. You may monitor business calls if it is necessary to provide evidence of business transactions, or for training or quality control purposes.

Example

A customer service call centre monitors helpline calls for training and quality control purposes. Workers are made aware of this through a policy which is regularly brought to their attention. Customers are informed during calls and are signposted to detailed privacy information.

Example

A finance house is legally required by FSA rules to record calls. They limit recording to strictly what is required by those rules.

If you have a business need to monitor usage, consider using itemised call records rather than call content. If the itemised call record alone is insufficient, assess whether it can be used to help ensure that any further monitoring is strictly limited and targeted.

Example

A recruitment agency suspects workers are sharing commercial secrets with a competitor. The employer uses itemised call records to narrow down those under suspicion and then uses these records to target any further monitoring accordingly.

Make sure you inform workers of any call monitoring in your privacy information. You should also include this in any other relevant internal documents such as your employment handbook, codes of conduct and guidance. Workers should understand the purpose and extent of any monitoring.

Information from personal calls should not be used for monitoring. It may be used for billing or in exceptional circumstances, for example where there is criminal activity. Have a policy in place for personal calls and make sure workers are aware of this.