Employer wants to film me for website videos

Question

(UK based)

My employer wants to interview myself and a bunch of my colleagues for a very lengthy corporate video to go on the website. It is quite a big name and there would be a lot of traffic from all over the world.

Am I right in thinking that they can't legally force me to do so? I've been there for 2 years and passed my probation long ago.

Without going into too much detail, the video would still be online for years and years even if I were to later quit the job... which I find very uncomfortable to think about.

Also, the majority of people on a similar salary to me haven't even been asked about it, so I dont see how it is fair that I have to.

There was never any mention of doing something like this at my job interview originally.

Can I also refuse an audio-only interview if they try to get me to do that instead? I'm honestly not keen on either.

Answer 1

In order to evade the potential legal complications, I believe a more pertinent question would be:

"How can I avoid participating in the interviews without damaging my relationship with my employer?"

This is a simple task - honesty is key, minus the obvious likelihood that you may not work with them in a few years. For me, a fairly straightforward script has always sufficed whenever I didn't want to be involved in such activities:

"Hello XYZ, I understand that you wished for me to partake in the video/photo-shoot/interviews, but to be truthful, I'm not keen on the idea of having such a broad online presence. I generally steer clear of social media, and the dissemination of my words, photos, and videos on the internet makes me uneasy. Thank you for your understanding."

It truly doesn't need to be more complex than that. If your wishes are subsequently disregarded and the tone shifts from a request to an authoritative command, that would be an appropriate occasion to pose a second question. But initially, it's best to maintain a light approach.

Answer 2

As stated in other answers, raising your objections about public appearances on behalf of the company to whoever is organizing the interview casting should be sufficient usually. Your personal concerns are totally valid; if you do not want to appear publicly and you were not hired for it, there is nothing "logically wrong" about your objection.

I would, however, advise against bringing up certain lines of reasoning the way you have here:

There was never any mention of doing something like this at my job interview originally.

Do point out you are hired and want to work as an [insert your job], which does not normally include public appearances. But rather do not nail it down to these public appearances not being mentioned at the interview, at least not without explaining how you view this particular task as extraordinarily different from your regular work.

Realistically, job descriptions can only outline the usual activities in the job, not every one-off happening that may or may not come up at some point in the future. Thus, generally refusing absolutely anything unless it is among the tasks mentioned during the initial interview might just make you appear as unnecessarily inflexible, and in the worst case, unwilling to expand your experience.

Also, the majority of people on a similar salary to me haven't even been asked about it, so I dont see how it is fair that I have to.

This does not strike me as a surprise. Assuming you were hired for your skills in whichever job you do normally, not all of you will be equally suited to appear on film. By that, I do not mean you have to be the most handsome person in the world, just that you may look suitably "professional", your manner of speaking may be deemed appropriately suitable, like being able to form correct sentences without lots of uhs and ahs in between, and so on.

Also, note that this goes both ways. You say you do not want to see your video online after you have quit that job. Likewise, the company probably doesn't want to have an advertisement video online that contains someone who might become a vocal critic of the company later on (maybe you know you won't, but they don't). By offering this participation to you, they show at least in part they deem you sufficiently loyal to the company to represent it publicly.

Therefore, I'd bring up this fairness angle only if they really try pressing the point without leaving a way out.

Answer 3

Am I right in thinking that they can't legally force me to do so?

In most legislations they would need you to sign a "release form" before they can publish a video or audio track. It's also possible that there is a global release already in your employment contract or part of the employee handbook. It would be useful to read on up on that. But chances are, they can't legally force you.

Regardless of the legality, it's unlikely that they would push the issue, should you decline. Doing a video shoot is a fair bit work. It would be stupid trying to do this with someone who doesn't feel positive about that. You really want enthusiastic people in front of the camera .

However, declining will not help your career. The company is willing to invest a lot of money and effort into the videos (these things are expensive!) and is willing to make you a center piece. Most people would be excited and flattered by the proposition. You are not, so it's clear that your heart is not into your current job and/or employer. Managers do take notice of this type of thing.

which I find very uncomfortable to think about.

Why? What exactly has you spooked here? Unless your company is doing something controversial or morally questionable, there is really no harm in being on the front page and many people would jump at the opportunity. It's only going to help your resume and future employment outlook. What specifically are you worried about?