Smile! You’re on Camera (But Should You Be?)

Bright Smiles Dentistry: Episode 6

Dana balanced her coffee in one hand and a protein bar in the other as she nudged the breakroom door open with her hip. It was barely 7:15 a.m., and the office was still dark and quiet, save for the familiar hum of the fridge and the buzz of the fluorescent lights flickering to life. She’d gotten in early, hoping for a moment of peace before the day’s chaos began.

But when she spotted the new camera mounted in the corner of the breakroom, her stomach turned.

“Oh, come on,” she muttered aloud, setting her things down on the counter.

It wasn’t there yesterday. And now, glaring at her like a single, unblinking eye, was a security camera pointed squarely at the fridge, the back door, and the lone table where her team usually gathered for lunch.

And now, Dana was getting questions. By 8:00 a.m., two employees had already asked about it.

“New camera?” Molly asked cautiously, peeling the lid off her yogurt.

“I was adjusting my bra strap this morning and looked up to realize I was on camera,” Sally had said. “Is that… allowed?”

“I don’t feel right eating lunch in here anymore,” someone else had confided. “Are we being listened to, too?”

Another employee had jokingly asked if they should just communicate in charades from now on.

By the end of the day, the hallway chatter was louder than the drills. The breakroom camera—whether it was recording or not—had become the star of its own conspiracy series. And Dana could feel the tension brewing.

When Good Intentions Raise Big Questions

By lunchtime, Dana was in Dr. Chang’s office.

“Can I ask about the new camera?” she began, careful to keep her tone curious rather than confrontational.

Dr. Chang looked up from his laptop. “Oh! Yeah. It’s just for the back door. You know the stuff we’re hearing about other businesses in the area getting broken into? I figured it was time to step up security.”

Dana hesitated. “It’s just that the breakroom is… well, it’s where the team decompresses. I’ve already heard a few people say they’re uncomfortable eating lunch in there now.”

Dr. Chang sighed. “I didn’t mean to cause a stir. I just thought it would be simple.”

“I think it’s worth checking in with CEDR,” Dana said. “Just to be sure we’re doing this the right way.”

“Good idea,” Dr. Chang agreed. “Let me know what they say.”

Security vs. Privacy: Where to Draw the Line

Later that afternoon, Dana called the Solution Center and explained the situation to the advisor.

“So, we’re using a camera to monitor the back entrance, but it’s inside the breakroom. What’s your take?” Dana asked.

The advisor responded, “Dana, it’s a good instinct to want to secure that back door. But placing a camera inside the breakroom raises privacy concerns, especially in areas where employees may expect some personal space. It’s not about intent—it’s about perception and risk.”

“Yeah,” Dana said. “I’m already hearing that employees are eating lunch at their desks instead.”

“That’s common,” the advisor replied. “Breakrooms are often considered semi-private. People might change their clothes, take medication, or have personal conversations. Even if your intention is to monitor the door, you could unintentionally record sensitive behavior. That makes people feel watched during their downtime.

Also, you want to keep in mind the risk with employees remaining at their work stations for lunch. There is potential there that that time may need to be paid if they don’t fully disconnect from work and keep doing tasks while eating, which is common when you are at your station.”

Dana winced, not only at the security camera concerns, but at the advisor noticing another potential HR risk she hadn’t even thought about. “So what should I do?”

Practical Fixes and Policy Must-Haves

“First, we’d recommend relocating the camera to monitor the outside of the door instead. That way, you still cover the security concern but avoid filming inside the breakroom altogether. If that’s not possible for some reason, the absolute minimum would be disabling audio, which can raise even more legal concerns, especially around HIPAA and employee rights under the NLRA.”

“That makes sense,” Dana said. “And what if we want to clarify our monitoring practices with the team?”

“You should. If you’re monitoring employee activity on video, you need a clear handbook policy that outlines what you may monitor and how. With your CEDR membership, you get complimentary handbook edits whenever you need them, so we can get that drafted for you and then draft a memo to distribute to your team highlighting the changes. But you could send out a brief reminder to the team that monitoring might occur in certain areas, while also clarifying that the breakroom will no longer be under surveillance.”

“Good,” Dana said, jotting that down. “I’ll let Dr. Chang know and coordinate getting the camera moved.”

“Oh, and Dana, don’t forget that this might be a good time to walk the office and do a quick privacy audit,” the advisor added. “See where employees might assume they’re not being monitored. It helps prevent missteps in the future.”

Dana smiled. “Got it.”

“One last thing: if you need to announce this shift to the team, we can help draft some sample language to explain it in a neutral, non-defensive way.”

“Perfect. I’ll circle back if I need that,” Dana said. “Thanks so much.”

Resolution, Relief—and a Referral

By that afternoon, the camera had been taken down and set up to be moved outside the following morning. Dana sent a short note to the team, thanking them for their patience and explaining the new placement of the camera to monitor incoming deliveries and safety—not lunch breaks.

Molly and a few others were back in the breakroom the next day.

As Dana grabbed her own lunch, she smiled at the small table of employees joking quietly together over leftovers and soda cans. Things were back to normal.

Well… almost normal.

“Hey Dana,” said the front desk lead, poking her head in. “My friend Leslie is opening a new practice in Tempe and asked me what we do for HR. I told her about CEDR, and she’s really interested.”

Dana lit up. “Yes! Tell her to mention my name when she signs up. CEDR has a referral bonus.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep. She gets $200 off her handbook, and we get two months of service free.”

“Done,” the employee said with a grin. “I’ll text her now.”

A Clearer Policy and a Stronger Team

That afternoon, once the breakroom buzz had quieted down, Dana stopped by Dr. Chang’s office.

“Got a minute?” she asked, stepping in.

“Sure. Did you talk to CEDR?”

“I did,” Dana nodded. “They confirmed what we were worried about—having a camera in the breakroom, even just to watch the back door, raises some red flags. It can unintentionally record personal things—employees adjusting clothes, taking medications, having sensitive conversations. Even without audio, it still creates a sense of being watched during personal time.”

Dr. Chang leaned back, nodding. “I hadn’t thought of that. So what’s the fix?”

“Relocating the camera outside, above the door, solves the problem. We can still monitor who’s coming and going, but without invading privacy. And the audio function? CEDR strongly recommends we never enable that. Too many legal risks.”

He sighed. “Okay. Let’s get it moved.”

“Oh—and just so you know, CEDR does handbook edits for us whenever we need them. So they are drafting the new policy, and as soon as you approve it, we can distribute the memo of change they gave us as well, and know we are covered. But I’ll also send a quick team message clarifying where surveillance is and isn’t happening.”

Dr. Chang smiled. “Thanks for handling it, Dana. I appreciate the way you always bring things back to the people.”

She smiled. “That’s the job.”