Manager discovers employee records their meetings without permission, decides to confront her about it: 'Is she building a case against me?'

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Mar 29, 2026 2:00 PM EDT

"Your call is being recorded" is a line we all heard at one point or another.

Whether we're on call with a random customer service number or out of the blue without explanation, everyone has the option to record their conversation with others if they feel the need to. But even if you can record everything, it doesn't mean you should. There are etiquette and even rules when it comes to the privacy of others, and those should be taken into consideration before any of us hit that 'record' button.

The employee below, for example, probably should have asked her manager if they were okay with all their 1:1s being recorded by her. But she didn't. Instead, she simply decided to go ahead and hit 'record' before each of their meetings, without so much as a word to her employer. So when the manager noticed her phone recording during one of their meetings, they were taken aback and were highly confused about the employee's inability to ask if they were okay with being recorded.

Why would the employee record their 1:1s? Is it because she refers to the recording later when she goes over everything they discussed? Or is she documenting everything because she is building something against her manager? If the recording was simply a tool to help her be a better employee, why didn't she disclose it in the first place? Keeping it quiet only makes it seem suspicious, which is exactly why the manager now thinks the employee might be hiding something. 

Should the employee have asked for permission to record the meetings, or is it within her own rights to document the meetings, for whatever reason she might see fit?

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  • 01
    Boss talking to his female employee
    via Getty Images

    Boss talking to his female employee.

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

  • 02

    My employee was recording our 1:1 and I don't know how to feel

    First year as a manager and something happened in my last 1:1 that I am still processing.
    via Haunting_Month_4971
  • 03
    Halfway through the meeting I glanced at her phone and noticed she had real-time meeting assistant running.
    via Haunting_Month_4971
  • 04
    Full transcript about everything we said. I did not say anything in the moment because I was not sure how to react.
    via Haunting_Month_4971
  • 05
    Is this normal now? Is she building a case against me? Am I supposed to be offended or is this just how some people manage their work?
    via Haunting_Month_4971
  • 06
    I am not hiding anything and nothing I said was out of line. And I think nothing is going wrong.
    via Haunting_Month_4971
  • 07
    But there is something about being recorded without a heads up that felt off. If she had just said hey do you mind if I record this so I can take better notes I probably would have said yes.
    via Haunting_Month_4971
  • 08
    The silent part is what bugs me. The thing that makes this harder is she is a decent employee and I have no real reason to suspect bad intent.
    via Haunting_Month_4971
  • 09
    Boss talking to his female employee
    via Getty Images

    Boss talking to his female employee.

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

  • 10
    Maybe she genuinely just wanted to keep track of action items. But my gut still says something about this was not right.
    via Haunting_Month_4971
  • 11
    Other managers has this happened to you? Is this something I should bring up or just let it go?
    via Haunting_Month_4971
  • 12
    futureballermaybe What's the employee like? My colleague did this to me a while ago, it turned out they had ADHD and hadn't felt comfortable disclosing it but struggled with retaining information in lengthy meetings. They had started covertly recording this to have notes. Not saying ideal btw but it could be for less nefarious reasons.
    via futureballermaybe
  • 13
    TheDrummingApe Do you have a policy that prohibits recording and what are the recording laws in your state? I am an ops manager and report directly to the site manager but I dont trust the guy at all. My company has no written policy on recording and I live in a state with only one party consent is needed when recording conversations. I record every interaction with him to cover my a . It's possible this person doesnt trust you.
    via TheDrummingApe
  • 14
    Sopwith Turtle What's your company policy on this? Ours is that everyone in a meeting has to consent to be recorded. I would look up company policy (and state law, for that matter) and then definitely bring it up. I've had to remind a fellow manager of this because she was recording all her meetings so she could transcribe them later.
    via SopwithTurtle
  • 15
    zeelbeno Only probably have said yes? Recording without asking is potentially a bit off... but most of the time I would put it down to naivety over social etiquette than anything else. I would simply say "I don't mind you recording our meetings, but in future please make sure to check with the other people in the room to ensure everyone is happy with it" Doesn't need to be blown out of proportion like you're considering.
    via zeelbeno
  • 16
    gringogidget I record every 1:1 for receipts. I have been burnt way too many times as a manager and as an employee. I use it for my own reference, though.
    via gringogidget
  • 17
    mtgsecuritynerd If I could go back in time and record my manager more I would have. He made a lot of promises that never came through. I'm also adhd, and I would do so nebulously as we're expected to remember everything.
    via mtgsecuritynerd
  • 18
    bluecrystalcreative I often do this to one of my clients. I have been working for that company for coming up on 15 years and often while the manager is driving (they do lots of interstate work). I will get a phone call sometimes an hour and a half long where they will verbal me on 6-8 separate tasks that need to be done in a particular fashion. I found it when I was taking notes. I was concentrating on taking notes and wasn't absorbing everything that was being said because I was writing down th
    via bluecrystalcreative
  • 19
    Complex_Technology83 Look how quickly management squirms with just the slightest shift in power.
    via Complex_Technology83
  • 20
    Hungry-Quote-1388 Is this something I should bring up or just let it go? Yes, you should bring it up as a teaching moment. If the employee wants to record for note taking, it's professional courtesy to inform the other employee. If the other employee says no, then the recording ends. ("But single consent state!" is meaningless in the workplace).
    via Hungry-Quote-1388

  • It seems like this case is splitting people up, some thinking the manager is overreacting, while others agree that the employee should be confronted for her actions. 

    The real question is, how would you feel if you were in this manager's shoes? Would you have let it slide, or would you have confronted the employee and demanded an explanation for why she had been recording all your 1:1s?

    Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

     

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