Collecting photos at a company party, including the GDPR side

Why is a company party different from a wedding?

At a wedding the question is how to collect as many photos as possible. At a company party the question is what you are allowed to do with them afterwards, and who decides. That changes the setup in three places.

First, somebody has to own it: a person in HR or communications who reviews the uploads and is the point of contact when a colleague wants their photo removed. Second, the pictures are probably not only for the memories, because they are going to the intranet, the newsletter or the careers page. Third, the participants are employees, and that makes voluntariness a real question rather than a formality.

How do you set it up? Five steps

1. 01Decide what the pictures are forLooking back internally is a different thing from images for recruitment. That difference sets what you tell people in advance, and it is the one decision you cannot repair afterwards.
2. 02Put it in the invitation, not only on the nightTwo lines will do: there is an album, photos may be used internally and on the website, and you can have your own photo removed by emailing a named person. Anyone who does not want it then knows before the first drink.
3. 03Turn on approval before the party startsThen nothing joins the album until one person has seen it. For a party of a hundred that is about half an hour the next morning, and it is the difference between sleeping well and not.
4. 04Put the cards on the tables and at the entranceA seated dinner works with table cards. A standing party works better with one larger sign at the bar and at the coat check, because that is where everybody stands still once. Put your own logo on it so it is clearly from the organisation.
5. 05Download everything and file it internallyPull the album down as one file and put it where you keep your other images. Then you can close the album. That way it is not sitting open at an outside supplier for years with nobody looking at it.

What does the GDPR say about photos of employees?

A photo in which somebody is recognisable is personal data. So you need a lawful basis to keep it and to use it. Staff photos are often handled on the basis of consent, and consent has to be freely given and withdrawable.

That last part is what gets skipped. Between an employer and an employee the relationship is not equal, so you have to be able to show that nobody felt obliged. You do that with communication up front, a named contact, and the ability to have a photo removed without having to explain why.

• Say before the party what happens to the photos and where they end up.
• Name one person by name who can have a photo taken down.
• Remove a photo when asked, without turning it into a conversation.
• Keep them no longer than you need, filed where your other images live.
• Check where the photos are stored. Inside the EU saves you a discussion.

How do you get colleagues to actually join in?

At a company party the threshold is higher than at a wedding. People are not sure who is watching, and nobody wants to be the first to post a picture of the dance floor. What does work, in this order.

Let the organisation go first. Put ten photos in the album beforehand, of the setup or the previous edition, so it is not empty when the first guest looks. Then run the slideshow somewhere people walk past: the moment somebody sees their own photo go by, the rest of their table uploads too. And have whoever gives the speech mention it once. That is still the most effective thing there is. There is a separate piece on getting people to join in, including what happens when you only put it on the card.