CEO sends CCTV footage of employees in a group work chat while's he's out of town: 'He's watching us. I'm quitting tomorrow'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Aug 23, 2025 8:00 AM EDT

Imagine going about your workday, only to discover that your boss is watching your every move. This CEO couldn't trust his employees enough to fulfill their daily tasks and responsibilities while he was away on a business trip. In fact, his lack of trust was so egregious that he decided to plant cameras and carefully monitor the CCTV footage of his team at their respective work stations in his absence. The fact that he had the audacity to film his employees without their approval and then to reveal that he has been watching them this whole time speaks volumes about the safety and health of this workplace environment. No one wants to work for an employer who is that dishonest, manipulative, and unnecessarily authoritative.

This kind of behavior also speaks to how out of touch this CEO must be. Clearly, this man comes from a generation and a culture where intimidation was the proper tactic to keep employees under his control. What he didn't realize was that his so-called "leadership tactics" actually ended up being the worst way to maintain loyalty and solidarity among his team members. 

Instead, it did quite the opposite. Now, his employees are calling his tactics into question. In fact, the author of this anecdote has already decided that he's going to quit. It's as if watching your employees like a hawk in order to keep them in check actually resulted in them wanting to leave the nest, so to speak. Keep scrolling for the full story and for the best reactions from folks in the comments section.

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  • "The CEO sends screenshots of CCTV footage taken in the office to our work group chat, implying that he’s watching us. I’m quitting tomorrow."

    A man sits in front of multiple monitors showing CCTV footage.
    via Tasha Kostyuk

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Here's hoping that this employee finds a better employment opportunity moving forward, one that allows them the flexibility to complete their tasks and responsibilities their own way without the feeling of being micromanaged or surveilled. Let this story serve as an urgent reminder to any bosses out there who are considering monitoring their team members in this way. It's simply not a good idea. If you're worried about someone's level of productivity, have a conversation about their work ethic and consider imposing some deadlines. Watching their every move is a violation of their trust, not to mention it's also a waste of your time as a manager!

  • This is just a rant. But yes, I'm quitting. Less than a month ago, I started working in a company. I should have known better and not joined this company. I used to work in and learned the hard way about how passive aggressive and rigid the culture could be.
    via Effective_Space2277
  • But a nail in the coffin was when the CEO sent screenshots of CCTV footage taken in the office to our work group chat when he was out of town for a business trip. I just can't with this level of insanity.
    via Effective_Space2277
  • dachloe 17h ago Edited 10h ago • • My dad told a story about a company who did this decades ago. The sent photos showing cameras were in the break room, hallways, parking lots, and watching the bathroom doors. That wouldn't be so bad if it was part of a security protocol and those photos were proof of a detailed surveillance and internal safety system.
    via Effective_Space2277
  • But, the managers thought it would be funny to take shots of people shoveling food in their mouths on lunch break, scratching their b, when they thought no one was looking, a woman adjusting her bra, and.... a rookie employee picking his nose.
    via Effective_Space2277
  • The people who were publicly ridiculed were livid wrote up formal letters of complaint and filed them with HR. But, the company said, "hey lighten up... it's just a joke. And, the cameras stay. End of story, get back to work."
    via Effective_Space2277
  • A day or two later, each manager and the executives got plain manilla envelopes on their desk. No one knew who put them there and the cameras captured nothing. Each envelope contained 8x10 photos of their family members at home, out shopping,
    via Effective_Space2277
  • their kids going to school, and a few had extra pics of "other women" not their wives. All of the photos had notes saying "apologize!"
    via Effective_Space2277
  • The next day a memo went out about a new policy on unauthorized use of security camera images. And a short apology for any distress they caused.
    via Effective_Space2277
  • A mature businessman wearing a button-down shirt and tie reading documents while sitting at a desk in an office.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Original-Usernam3 18h ago . What's the point of sending CCTV screenshots of workgroup chats? If the CEO is that against collaboration, he should allow WFH and not force everyone to come in to the office.
    via Effective_Space2277
  • ELHorton . . 18h ago Edited 18h ago Honestly I'd wait to get fired or just quiet quit under such nonsense. Quitting only hurts you (no paychecks). Do you have another job lined up? The job market isn't so great right now.
    via Effective_Space2277
  • Don't let your ego get the best of you. We all have egos, it's okay. Just don't let your ego control what you do or how you react to others.
    via Effective_Space2277
  • dballing 15h ago Should just stand in front of a camera for a long time holding a sign saying "I QUIT" and then ghost the joint.
    via Effective_Space2277
  • . spud4 6h ago American and American owned company we just had a even hundred cameras added. The place before I don't know the amount but the manager had 8 on big screen monitor at a time. The gas station I go to for lunch was able to provide to the police a license plate of a vehicle at the red light. It's not those grainy B&W images anymore.
    via Effective_Space2277
  • buttercrotcher · 16h ago . Send a picture of the bathroom toilet to the group chat on your way out too
    via Effective_Space2277
  • PMProfessor 9h ago • Just shrug your shoulders and ignore it. It'll drive them insane but they won't actually do anything about it.
    via Effective_Space2277

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Tags

workplace-stories employee toxic-workplace work ceo overworked-employees workplace Horrible Bosses employment toxic-work-environment
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