Is Your Personal Information Private At Work?
Protecting Personal and Private Information in the Workplace
One of the biggest fears people have are losing their identities. Identity, in this case, means information that is both personal and identifying to a single individual. A common threat to employees in the workplace, however, has been the abuse of personal and private information by that of an employer or other employee. Actions such as this may leave an employer or employee facing charges in the courts.
What You Can Do
It is not a surprise to hear you do not have entire control of your personal and private information. When you apply for a job, you also hand over your social security number, past and current employment information, private phone numbers and addresses, and any kind of disabilities you may have.
If your employer works in a professional manner, you are less likely to fear this information being inappropriately handled. This means whatever information becomes leaked, may be by your hands.
Tips to protecting your personal and private information:
- Be professional
- Do not communicate information that is unrelated to work unless you have to
- Create a rapport with your employer that lets him or her understand that you prefer your personal and private information to be protected at all times
- Report suspicious activities that involve mishandling information to an employer, human resources, or a lawyer
- Keep any personal and private records at home or in a concealed area such as a cabinet, purse, wallet, or suitcase.
- Encourage productivity with your employers and do not encourage politics and rumors in the workplace
- Be cautious when informing your boss of a medical condition or of a necessary leave due to a medical condition. Never give out more than you need.
What You Cannot Do
Unfortunately, what information you can protect sometimes is outweighed by what you cannot control. Employers may feel they have the authority to distribute information to whomever they please, including themselves. Employers can be taken to court if they have abused your information for their own benefit, such as reviewing your medical history, contacting you through private contact information, or contacting your past employers for unrelated work matters.
Employers may also reveal personal and private information of an employee to other employees when he or she does not have the employee’s consent. Acts of unprofessionalism such as this deserve legal attention.
For more resources on protecting your personal and private information in the workplace, contact the Houston employment attorneys of the Ross Law Group.
Joseph Devine
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3 Responses to Is Your Personal Information Private At Work?
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My husband and I are having a lot of problems at work and one major problem is that i was on a family medical leave and my hr went in to my husbands personal file, got his mothers adress and sent me a certifed letter. the problem is that he never gave them permission to go in to his file for other reasons, not for him. my adress is current in my file and I dont feel safe even updating my phone number now because I think and know they will give it to other people.
I would doubt that any of your private information is private if it is stored on a work computer. Most places want to see your browsing history to see what you have been doing while at work.
I’m surprised that anyone can get away with this anymore. There are some pretty strict laws around privacy nowadays. But definitely be careful. Even if you can win a lawsuit its better to just not have to deal with it in the first place.