What Privacy Issues Should Be Addressed in an Employee Handbook?
An important part of any business, the employee handbook sets out a company's policies, rules and expectations. To comply with federal and state privacy laws, it is essential that an employee handbook also address all relevant privacy issues.
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Client Confidentiality
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The employee handbook of any company that collects, uses or stores the personal information of their customers should clearly state the importance of customer privacy, the laws protecting customer privacy, the company's privacy policy and what privacy safeguards, such as training, it will implement.
Staff and Employee Privacy
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An employee handbook should also address what rights employees have under employee privacy laws, what the company's policy is on workplace privacy, including what areas it feels an employee does not have privacy such as whether phones calls on office phones will be monitored. The handbook should also detail what steps the company will take to protect the safety of employee's personal information.
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Intellectual Property and Trade Secrets
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Any company concerned with threats to or leaks of its secrets should make clear its policy on the privacy of its intellectual property including, for example, what restrictions employees have in disclosing company plans or manufacturing procedures.
Privacy Officer and Disciplinary Procedures
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An employee handbook should state the name or title of the person(s) responsible for creating, implementing and monitoring all company privacy issues. Moreover, the employee handbook needs to make clear what disciplinary actions will be taken when an employee fails to comply with company privacy policies or privacy laws.
Warning
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Generally, any privacy policies stated in an employee handbook are legally binding. A company can be liable for violating its own policy. Employees need to be updated on any changes to privacy policies that occur.
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