Any HR experts - confidentiality question

McKneff

Honesty is the best policy starting with a major apology before it gets any worse. She may be understanding and take it well if he says he did it with the best of intention but that it just snowballed. At least he will know where he stands and it will maybe stop him (and you) mithering

CFC

Your colleague is right to be worried. It's a pretty low down thing to do. I wonder if he also opens his family's private mail?

He's really lucky she isn't sensitive about her age or he would be right in the dwang when she finds out. Anniehanlon may have hit the nail on the head, as the colleague is going to find out sooner or later.

scottishf

CFC wrote: »

Your colleague is right to be worried. It's a pretty low down thing to do. I wonder if he also opens his family's private mail?

He's really lucky she isn't sensitive about her age or he would be right in the dwang when she finds out. Anniehanlon may have hit the nail on the head, as the colleague is going to find out sooner or later.

I really don't think he meant any malice....he really just wanted to buy a small gift for her, and didn't think of the impact

surreysaver

I would say it could be against the Age Discrimination Act - to notify people of someone's important birthday. It is against the Data Protection Act because you are using private information for a purpose for which it was not supplied. If the information was on a computer, then there is also the Computer Misuse Act.

WorkingHardDFW

DIsclosing someone's date of birth is disclosing personal information and is breaching their confidentiality. The intention for which the information was disclosed is neither hear nor there unfortunately. The matter could be dealt with as misconduct under the company's disciplinary policy. Whether it gets that far is another matter.

Trust_2

come clean to the person who's 50th birthday it is!, yes stops the surprise!

Or this person can have a quiet word and not involve everyone else,

This is definite grouds for misconduct, and a lot of the other things mentioned above.

Do not let it go as far as a surprise, as this could seriouly backfire especially if the person who's 50 kicks up a stink.

Or devious way is how friendly is everyone, do you know the person's other half, and possibly construct a way you got the information,
Then if there is a surprise and the 50 year old questions the knowledge, there is a clean answer, and it looks like people care.

KME91

definitely misconduct and a breach of the data protection act. if it was something like their sexual preference or religious views this could have very significant consequences. if he's disciplined for it i recommend talking to a union rep and reading up on your employer policy on information handling, and the data protection act penalties for breaches.

scottishf

He is going to come clean to the person involved, and hopefully she will be understanding. Thanks for all the help

barncopxx

If this person had access to employee's personal files then I cannot accept that they wouldn't have known what they were doing when they delved into this one looking for information - a date of birth is personal.

Any company giving employees access to such files must surely train them in the Data Protection Act and the possible consequences of breaching it.

The very fact that this person is worried about it confirms that they knew about the Act and therefore rightly worrying about disciplinary action.

Surely if all they wanted was a date of birth then all they had to do was to engage in a clever conversation with the person concerned!

scottishf wrote: »

Basically collegues 50 birthday..but didnt want a big fuss....a friend of theirs wanted to buy a small gift in celebration looked up their birthday in their personal file(which they had access to).....this friend then told another friend who then told another and now its all around the workplace.

sriaz

Hi, can anyone help... I have just become aware that I am getting paid half the amount for a job I am sharing with another lady!
Apparently she was put on that wage before I started and I am not supposed to know this. However I overheard someone and when I asked her she said it is true!!
We are both employed by the same agency aswell! but to add insult to injury I actually do more work than her!!
For example I minute take where as she doesnt!!
What can I do?? :mad: