Solihull Council is preparing to ban its staff from using smart glasses following growing concerns over covert filming incidents. This measure is part of a broader update to the council’s code of conduct, which outlines the behaviours expected of employees.
Smart glasses have attracted significant attention this year due to their misuse in illicitly recording women and girls without consent, with footage often shared afterwards. These devices have subsequently earned the pejorative nickname, ‘pervert glasses’.
At a recent meeting of the council’s governance committee on 24 September, officer Helen Sherlock presented several proposed revisions to the staff code of conduct. The existing rules prohibit any form of covert recording, stating that employees “must not make, or attempt to make, secret recordings, photographs, video recordings or live transmissions of colleagues, service users, children, young people or adults with care and support needs.”
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The proposed update explicitly expands this ban to cover modern recording technologies, including smart watches, AI-enabled glasses, body-worn devices, mobile phones and other wearable devices capable of recording, except when authorised as a disability-related reasonable adjustment.
Councillor James Bradley, chairman of the committee, welcomed the revised wording, highlighting the rapidly evolving nature of technology and referencing the negative media associations with these glasses. Discussions also touched on the complexities surrounding covert recordings in workplace disputes.
Councillor Samantha Gethen raised questions about the role of recordings in cases of bullying, asking whether staff using recordings as evidence might face disciplinary action. Officer Sherlock explained that while covert recording is prohibited, any such evidence cannot be simply disregarded, though the employee might risk some form of sanction.
Councillor Max McLoughlin expressed concern about the potential conflict between the covert recording ban and whistleblower protections, noting that secret recordings can sometimes be the only way to collect evidence of wrongdoing. He emphasised the challenge of balancing the prohibition of unauthorised recordings with the need to protect staff who expose malpractice.
In response, Councillor Bradley emphasised the need to ensure that whistleblower protections remain intact within the revised policies, allowing employees to report genuine misconduct without fear.
The committee agreed that the proposed changes to the code of conduct would be reconsidered at a future meeting before final approval, as they continue to evaluate how best to address the complex issues surrounding technology and employee conduct.