Workplace surveillance policy template
In New South Wales a camera watching staff is not something you simply install. Fourteen days of written notice, cameras that are visible, signs at every entrance, and no surveillance at all in a change room or a toilet. Almost nobody writes this page properly.
This example wording was checked against the official sources on 22 September 2026. It is a starting point, not legal advice, and it has not been through a workplace relations professional.
| Section | What the policy says |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To say exactly what is recorded here, why, and what we do with it. |
| Who it applies to | Everybody who works here, including employees, casuals, contractors and volunteers. |
| What surveillance we carry out | Camera surveillance of the front counter, the back door and the car park. We do not carry out computer surveillance and we do not track vehicles or phones. |
| Why we carry it out | Security of the premises, the safety of staff working late, and evidence if there is a break in or an assault. It is not used to monitor how fast anybody works. |
| Notice before it starts | Written notice at least fourteen days before any surveillance starts. The notice says what kind it is, how it will be carried out, when it starts, whether it is continuous or intermittent, and whether it runs for a set period or ongoing. Email counts as writing. |
| Notice for a new employee | Somebody starting within fourteen days of surveillance beginning, or joining while it is already running, gets the notice before their first shift. |
| Cameras and signs | Every camera is clearly visible, and there is a sign at each entrance saying people may be under surveillance. No camera is hidden and none is disguised as anything else. |
| Where there is no surveillance | There are no cameras in the change room, the toilet or any bathroom, and there never will be. This is not a matter of policy, it is prohibited. |
| Computer surveillance | We do not monitor your email, your browsing or your use of a computer. If that ever changes, this policy will be rewritten and you will be notified in advance, because computer surveillance is only lawful when it follows a policy you already know about. |
| Tracking | We do not use tracking devices. If a vehicle were ever tracked, a notice would be visible on that vehicle. |
| Outside work hours | Cameras are not used to watch anybody who is not at work. A work device is not used to carry out surveillance of you outside your shift. |
| Who can see the recordings | The owner only. Footage is used for the purposes above, given to police where it relates to an offence, or used in legal proceedings. It is not shown to other staff and it does not go on social media. |
| How long recordings are kept | Thirty days, then overwritten automatically, unless it relates to an incident that is still being dealt with. |
| Covert surveillance | We do not carry out covert surveillance. In New South Wales it is an offence to do so without an authority issued by a Judge, and we would not seek one. |
| Review date | Reviewed each year in March, and before any new camera is installed. |
What is in the file
- Template, blank, with each section down the side and room for the answer.
- Example, the same sheet filled in for Harbourside Coffee.
- How to use, with the steps and the mistakes below.
How to fill it in
- Give the notice before you install anything, not after. Surveillance that does not comply with the notice requirements is covert surveillance, which is a different and much more serious thing.
- Check the law where you trade. New South Wales has a dedicated Workplace Surveillance Act and the Australian Capital Territory has its own workplace privacy law. Other states and territories rely on surveillance devices and privacy laws instead.
- Write the computer surveillance section even if you do none, because a policy notified in advance is a precondition of doing any later.
- Say how long footage is kept and then actually let it overwrite, since keeping everything forever is its own risk.
Common mistakes
- Installing a camera over the till on a Monday and telling staff on the Tuesday
- A camera in a staff room, a change area or pointed at a bathroom door, which is the line that is never worth crossing
- Using footage to check how long somebody took on a break, when the stated purpose was security
What changes by trade
The law behind this document is the same wherever you trade, so the wording above is written once. What changes is what the trade puts in front of it.
| Retail | Cameras are usually installed against theft by customers, then quietly used to review staff. Say which purpose yours serves, because using footage for the other one undermines both. rostering a shop |
| Pubs and clubs | A licence or gaming approval may require cameras in named areas. Say which cameras exist because the licence requires them, so staff understand they are not about them. rostering a pub or club |
| Cleaning | Your staff are recorded on premises you do not control, by cameras you did not install. Tell them which sites have cameras, because you know and they do not. rostering a cleaning run |
| Security | Guards operate cameras and are recorded by them. Separate the client’s system from any surveillance of your own employees, since the notice rules only apply to the second. rostering a security business |
| Childcare | Cameras raise questions about children as well as educators, and families will ask. Say who can view footage and that it is never shared with a family. rostering an early learning service |
| Disability and home care | A participant or their family may have cameras in the home. Tell workers that before a first appointment rather than letting them find out. rostering disability support |
This is example wording for a small business to adapt, not legal advice. In New South Wales the Workplace Surveillance Act 2005 requires at least fourteen days written notice before camera, computer or tracking surveillance of an employee begins, and the notice must state the kind of surveillance, how and when it will be carried out, whether it is continuous or intermittent and whether it is ongoing. Cameras must be clearly visible with signs at each entrance, computer surveillance must follow a policy notified in advance, a tracked vehicle must carry a visible notice, and surveillance of change rooms, toilets and bathrooms is prohibited. Covert surveillance requires an authority from a Judge. Other states and territories have different laws.
Sources
The official pages this wording was read against, on 22 September 2026.
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
A clock in record and a camera are very different things, and one of them is far less intrusive. Roster Flow records when somebody started and finished, which answers the question most cameras get pointed at the till to answer.
Questions
What is on the workplace surveillance policy template?
15 sections down the side, running from purpose to review date. The example beside them is filled in for Harbourside Coffee: cameras, computers and tracking, with the written notice New South Wales requires first.
Does the workplace surveillance policy template work anything out for you?
No. It is a document with 15 sections to answer in your own words, not a calculator. Nothing on it is a formula.
Can I use the workplace surveillance policy template in Google Sheets?
Yes. Open workplace-surveillance-policy.xlsx from Google Drive, or use File, then Import, then Upload with workplace-surveillance-policy.csv. The document and its example come across either way.
Is the wording in the workplace surveillance policy template ready to use as it is?
The workplace surveillance policy template is a starting point for Harbourside Coffee or any business like it, to adapt rather than sign. The wording was checked against the official sources on 22 September 2026, it is not legal advice, and it has not been through a workplace relations professional.