Dive Brief:

• On Thursday, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that upscale grocer Whole Foods must stop banning employees from recording conversations or taking photographs at work without a supervisor's permission, according to CBS News.
• Originally, the Whole Foods handbook banned any photography or conversation recording in the workplace "without a supervisor's permission."
• The company's position was that the ban would help eliminate a "chilling effect" on varied views in the workplace that may come about when people are worried about being secretly recorded.

Dive Insight:

The NLRB did not agree with Whole Foods' position, stating that such a ban could prevent employees from documenting or recording issues in the workplace that could ultimately be part of a discrimination case or other suit.

Employees of the chain have been attempting to unionze since 2014 due to layoffs and other cost-cutting measures, so many see the NLRB's decision as a win for the workers.

Whole Foods "respectfully disagrees" with the NLRB, a spokesperson told CBS News, noting that the split nature of the board may contribute to their decision to appeal.