Employee Privacy – Supervisors – Handle With Care
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Does your call center supervisor training cover employee privacy? Call Center Cafe brings you this article on the subject by Dr. Cubie Davis King.
In continuing your supervisors’ core training, one cannot omit a detailed discussion of how to protect employees’ private information. The very last thing your company needs in a down economy is a lawsuit filed by an employee for breach of private information.
Privacy is and will continue to be a red-hot issue because of identity thief. A simple breach of an employee’s Social Security Number (SSN), can have grave repercussions that can cause the company and the employee to experience nightmares. Here are some strategies to employ.
Common Sense Not All That Common
You don’t need a PHD in Engineering to understand this is a very serious area that must be addressed in the workplace. Anytime you can identify an employee by what is said or done- it’s a danger. The questions the courts want answered in a lawsuit against the company for breach of the employee’s private information is “how did you get that information?” Not “where” but “how? I know you got it from the AZC Company, but “how did you get it?
In today’s workplace you would think this issue is important enough that companies would train supervisors never to leave private information out for others to see, including at the end of the day when everyone goes home. If private information is left out for the cleaning crew to see, then we have a major problem. Common sense you say? Well I have found that common sense is not all that common any more.
You Need Written Policies
A company needs written policies that make it clear to supervisors that private information, held on employees, is to remain private. Therefore, your privacy policy should include at a minimum:
1. The definition of what constitutes private information,
2. How this private information is to be protected,
a. When it is written?
b. When it is spoken?
c. When it is transmitted electronically?
3. How is private information to be destroyed? Most companies have a shredding policy, but after consulting with hundreds of companies in every state in the Union, I’ve come to the professional conclusion that people do what you inspect, not what you expect. You may expect supervisors to shred important private documents, but time and again, company find highly classified documents containing private information in the trash can.
4. Who in the organization will see that your privacy policies are adhered to and who will take full responsibility for the actions of the company?
5. What are the sanctions for breaching the company’s privacy policies?
These are but a few of the core issues your privacy training for supervisors must include.
Privacy Is Here To Stay
When you consider the fact that your supervisors are privy to a lot more information about the company and your employees than the rank and file, is it any doubt that privacy training must be conducted like ASAP? Privacy is here to stay and it’s not going away. Think about this. Have you noticed that every company you do business with- sends you a privacy notice? Why do you think they are doing this? Because they have nothing better to do? No, it’s because they are covering themselves in case of a lawsuit.
Let’s Get Busy
The Human Resources Department must get busy writing the company’s privacy policies and make this a vital part of the company’s supervisors’ core training. Move quickly to make this happen.
Summary
In continuing your supervisor core training, one cannot omit a detailed discussion on how to protect employees’ private information. The very last thing a company needs in a down economy is a lawsuit filed for breach of private information. Privacy is and will continue to be a red-hot issue in the workplaces of the future.
© 2009 Cubie Davis King. All Rights Reserved.
Dr. Cubie Davis King, Ph.D is a Performance Technologist in the field of Training & Performance Improvement, with a resume that includes 9 years military service, and executive positions with Xerox & CitiGroup, Dr. King has won top performance awards at every level of his storied career. Dr. King is an adjunct professor at National University San Diego, CA.
His latest work is the SuperVisors’ Core Training 1.0 System. To reach Dr. King, go directly to his website http://www.goldcrowninc.com
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