Confidentiality at work.

Employees are entitled to access a phone at work that is not recorded.

Are recorded conversations admissible in court?

Recording can help diffuse a dispute rather than escalate it. Most disputes gather pace because one party thinks that another is being difficult or untruthful, or reneging on an agreement.

Suppose you dispute with a customer over something agreed on the phone. On listening to the recording, three possibilities arise:

• The customer is right and you submit with an easy heart
• You are right and the customer is wrong; you have a choice of playing the recording to the customer, where they will normally back down; alternatively you might give them what they want, but with the certainty that your systems are correct and the customer is aware of your generousity
• There was no clear agreement; with it obvious that the conversation was confused a satisfactory outcome is achievable