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ARTICLE · 04 NOVEMBER 2026

Recording Your Conversations With HR

B P Collins LLP
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Employees increasingly use smartphones to record workplace conversations, but is this permitted? Employment law expert Kathryn Fielder examines the legal framework governing workplace recordings, including data protection considerations, tribunal admissibility, and when recording might constitute a reasonable adjustment for disabled employees.

United KingdomEmployment and HR
kathryn fielder
kathryn fielder

With most people owning a smartphone these days, it may be tempting for employees to record any significant conversations they have with their HR managers. Is this allowed? Kathryn Fielder, employment partner, advises.

1. Are employees allowed to record conversations with HR?

There is no general statutory right for an employee to record a workplace meeting, nor is a recording automatically unlawful simply because the other participants have not consented. However, the making and use of a recording may engage the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR, contractual and confidentiality obligations, the implied duty of trust and confidence, the employer’s disciplinary rules and, where a recording is requested because of a disability, the Equality Act 2010. Employees should therefore normally disclose an intention to record and seek agreement before doing so.

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