Keeping private information private seems to be difficult for some people, but it can get you into series trouble if something is shared that shouldn’t be. Employee information including wages and other information should be kept private, but you must share this information with those that handle certain tasks.
A prime example of this would deal with the admin that handles your payroll. She will see wage and title information, but she needs to keep it private. It’s not her right to tell one of your employees how much another employee makes or if they have garnishments taken out of their check. This is confidential information and if it’s shared you could be in legal trouble if the employee decides to pursue the issue.
Another example of information that should be confidential comes with testing you perform. If your business requires hearing tests or a fitness test, the results of those tests need to be confidential regardless of the outcome. It doesn’t matter if they pass with flying colors, have a few problem areas, or fail all together you need to keep these results under lock and key. If someone has the key to the files, you need to make sure they understand there is confidential information in the files and they could be held liable if the information is shared with others.
Home address, phone numbers, and family status are private information as well. If your employees choose to share this information with someone else that’s fine, but it’s not your right or the rights of others to hand this information out without permission. Giving out this information, no matter what the reason is, can cause problems if it were to get into the wrong hands. An example would be if your employee has a restraining order filed against an ex-spouse. If they’re hiding from this person and someone tells someone and someone tells the ex the address or phone number the family could be in danger.
It’s important to keep any personal information from your employees private. If you have others that would have a need to access this information, it’s important you tell them how important it is to keep it private and you might want to consider having them sign a confidentiality agreement that states they’ll be held liable if it’s found they shared information that should have been private. When you protect your employees your business will be protected at the same time.