Chapter 12: Workplace Privacy
The Employment Life Cycle Framework
Workplace privacy issues arise before, during, and after employment: background screening (before); polygraphs, testing, monitoring, social media, and BYOD (during); and access termination and HR records (after). HR-related privacy is a risk for virtually all organizations.
- Before: background screening, including FCRA rules for accessing applicant information
- During: polygraphs and psychological testing; substance testing; monitoring (calls, emails); social media; BYOD policies
- After: terminating access to physical and informational assets; proper post-employment HR practices
Why HR privacy is universal
While consumer-privacy risk is bigger for data-heavy firms, HR-related privacy is a risk for virtually all organizations, even traditional industries not focused on data.
Work with HR
HR records are often physically segregated or under strict access controls. Long-standing HR confidentiality practices mean HR teams may resist a newer privacy team's proposed changes - coordination matters.
Key terms - quick answers
What is “Employment life cycle”?
The framework of privacy issues spanning before employment (screening), during employment (testing, monitoring), and after employment (access termination, records).
What is “BYOD”?
Bring your own device; employees using personal computing devices for work, raising security and privacy issues.