Pictures from work

[chevalier]

Here’s the deal: the employer has paid for a photo session for me like for any other employee at some point. Pictures go into offers for clients and they serve some other marketing purposes. I see no problem taking one of those pictures and using it for private purposes when I need a photo. However, for some time I’ve been looking for a different employer since I don’t like some things which go on here. The first offers I sent out contained my photo from work (a professional shot). At some point I started having doubts, since the current employer had paid for those pictures , so I removed the picture from the documents. I wonder if I’ve gone nuts or if anyone else sees any problems in such a situation?

 

[juliasmith]

Did you sign a release giving the employer exclusive use of the particular photo? If not, feel free. If you did, I would not use it any longer.

 

[chevalier]

I didn’t agree to anything and they didn’t communicate any rules, either. Essentially they took those pictures for marketing use and gave me access to the directory where they stored them. I see no reason why I shouldn’t use them privately as profile pictures or something like that, but for some reason I started feeling bad about putting them on my resume when seeking work elsewhere. Wouldn’t feel bad linking them to a website where my employer has a little bit of info about me, along with one such picture, but somehow using those pictures for a job hunt feels bad a little. Don’t know why.

 

[Caesar517]

Scrupulosity, perhaps? If there were never any rules communicated and you are intended to have access to them, there isn’t anything wrong with using them anywhere else. Good luck with the job search.

 

[mdr]

I can appreciate your position. I would probably draw the line similarly - personal use, ok, but not use in seeking other employment.

Does that make me scrupulous?

Peace-
-mdr

 

[chevalier]

What’s more complicated is that I think I’d have no problem using those pictures if they fired me or simply didn’t prolong my contract or even if I quit. I can’t really explain what bugs me with this… some kind of ungratefulness or disloyalty? No idea. I just feel it goes so greatly against the purpose for which they paid for those pictures being taken that it somehow starts to feel wrong.

 

[rpp]

Not to seem dumb about this, not to be antagonistic. (I like you, Chevalier )

But…

Have you considered simply asking your employer if you can use these photos for personal purposes?

 

[lizaanne]

Where I work we have extremely high ethical standards we are expected to adhere to - we have continuing ethics training throughout the year, and have to certify that we have read and agree to the corporate code of ethics every year. From my perspective, if I were in the same situation, I would not use that photo for personal use, even though I didn’t “sign anything”.

The photo was produced by your comany for their use. Period. It was not provided for your personal use or for use outside the company in any way other than the original intent. Therefore, to assume something else would be that, simply an assumption, and I think an inappropriate one.

Personally I would not use it. Go to Sears and have some head shots done - it’s not going to break the bank, and you will have peace of mind in the long run.

Problem solved.

~Liza

 

[chevalier]

Not to seem dumb about this, not to be antagonistic. (I like you, Chevalier )

But…

Have you considered simply asking your employer if you can use these photos for personal purposes?

Strictly speaking, I’d have to ask the marketing dept what the rules are. They aren’t my boss and those who actually are my bosses don’t care about such matters. Personal purposes I would have no problem with, but personal purposes don’t include showing off the employe-paid pics in a resume, I think…