The Fort Worth Star Telegram has reported that the Texas Rangers are investigating the leak of Manager Ron Washington’s pre-game speech to the team before Game 7 of the World Series.  The speech was reportedly taped by a member of the clubhouse staff and then leaked to JoeSportsFan.com.  You can listen to the full recording here.  (Foul Language Warning).

Where every employee, customer and vendor carries a high capacity telephone, video camera and tape recorder in the form of a PDA or smart phone, employers should adopt written policies prohibiting employees from making video or audio recordings during working time and while on the employer’s property.  These audio and video recordings can be posted to Facebook, YouTube or Twitter and can have the effect of embarrassing an corporation or disclosing confidential, trade secret information.  Written policies provide a deterrent for employees who would attempt to harm the company through surreptitious records and provide a basis for disciplining employees who violate the policy.  And of course, if employees record communications in Texas to which they are not a party, they are potentially subject to criminal prosecution.  Keep in mind that any policies that prohibit these recordings must either be tailored so as to not violate employees’ NLRA Section 7 rights or should contain a disclaimer that the policy is not intended to nor will it be applied to trample on those rights.

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