What's your best approach to handling confidential HR data?

1 Know the laws and policies

The first step to handling confidential HR data is to familiarize yourself with the relevant laws and policies that apply to your organization and industry. For example, you should know the requirements of the Data Protection Act, the GDPR, the HIPAA, or any other regulations that affect how you collect, store, use, and dispose of HR data. You should also adhere to your company's own data protection policy, which should outline the roles and responsibilities of HR staff, the types of data that are considered confidential, and the procedures for handling data breaches or requests.

2 Limit access and disclosure

The second step to handling confidential HR data is to limit who can access and disclose the data. You should only share HR data with authorized personnel who have a legitimate and specific need to know. For example, you should not disclose an employee's salary, health condition, or disciplinary history to anyone who is not directly involved in their management or benefits. You should also use secure methods of communication, such as encrypted emails, password-protected files, or locked cabinets, when transferring or storing HR data. And you should always ask for consent from the data subject before sharing their data with third parties, such as external consultants, auditors, or lawyers.

3 Train and educate

The third step to handling confidential HR data is to train and educate yourself and your colleagues on the importance and best practices of data protection. You should regularly update your knowledge and skills on the latest data protection laws, policies, and tools. You should also raise awareness and promote a culture of confidentiality among your HR team and other staff members. For example, you can conduct workshops, webinars, or quizzes on data protection topics, create posters or flyers with tips and reminders, or reward good practices and report bad ones.

4 Monitor and audit

The fourth step to handling confidential HR data is to monitor and audit how the data is handled and used. You should keep track of who accesses, modifies, or deletes HR data, and for what purpose. You should also check for any errors, inconsistencies, or anomalies in the data, and correct them as soon as possible. Moreover, you should conduct regular audits or reviews of your data protection processes and systems, and identify any gaps, risks, or areas for improvement. You can use tools such as logs, reports, or dashboards to help you monitor and audit your data.

5 Encrypt and backup

The fifth step to handling confidential HR data is to encrypt and backup the data. Encryption is a process of transforming the data into a code that can only be read by authorized parties who have the key. Encryption helps prevent unauthorized access, theft, or tampering of the data. Backup is a process of creating a copy of the data and storing it in a separate location. Backup helps prevent data loss, damage, or corruption due to accidents, disasters, or malicious attacks. You should encrypt and backup your HR data regularly, and use reliable and secure tools and services for doing so.

6 Delete and destroy

The sixth and final step to handling confidential HR data is to delete and destroy the data when it is no longer needed or relevant. You should follow the principle of data minimization, which means that you should only collect and keep the data that is necessary and proportionate for your purposes. You should also follow the principle of data retention, which means that you should only keep the data for as long as it is legally or contractually required. When you delete or destroy HR data, you should do it in a way that ensures that it cannot be recovered or reconstructed. For example, you can use shredders, degaussers, or software tools to erase or overwrite the data.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?